Sep 13, 2021Notre Dame ATC’s Winning Touch Has Hand in Victory
The quarterbacks always get all the credit, even if success doesn’t solely come from their play. Athletic trainers, on the other hand, rarely get the credit they deserve.
But over the weekend, one collegiate athletic trainer received his proper credit for a quarterback’s game-winning play.
Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan dislocated his finger during a late fourth-quarter drive with the Irish trailing. Associate athletic trainer Mike Bean popped Coan’s finger back in place and the Irish QB went on to orchestrate a game-winning drive to remain unbeaten on the year.
Below is an excerpt from the Fighting Irish Wire on Bean’s quick actions that aided in a big win for Notre Dame.
“He went over to Mike Bean and Mike performed some kind of pull the finger thing,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said before a significant pause and plenty of understandable laughter by all.
Jack Coan popped his finger back in and then threw the game winning TD
FOOTBALL GUY https://t.co/WnNYtcRtBv
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 11, 2021
Bean also received praise from former Notre Dame wide receiver Robby Toma who shouted out his finger pulling talents on Twitter:
Bean in the clutch. You can’t replicate that kind of in game pressure https://t.co/k5m9iEAdAI
— Robby Toma (@rtoma9) September 11, 2021
Former Notre Dame star tackle and current San Francisco 49ers starter Mike McGlinchey then chimed in to praise Bean:
Bean has always been the best in the business
— Mike McGlinchey (@mmcglinch68) September 11, 2021
Bean’s efforts helped Notre Dame escape what would have been a massive upset at the hands of the Toledo Rockets.
Bean has worked with Notre Dame since 1990. During his tenure, he has also spent time assisting or directing health care of the Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Women’s Soccer, Men’s Ice Hockey, Men’s Lacrosse, and Track and Field. Bean also has served on several athletic department committees including the Nutrition and Supplement Committee and the University Drug Testing Committee.
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Nationally, he has served as a member of the McDavid Sports Medicine Advisory Council, the Big East Sports Medicine Society, and the Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Medicine Society. In 2018, Bean served as the Athletic Trainer for the United States Baseball over 18 National Team. In 2006, Bean was awarded an Honorary Membership from the Notre Dame Monogram Club.
Bean is also the inventor of the revolutionary new ankle brace, the TayCo External Ankle Brace. Invented in 2013, Bean now has a patent and is a partner in TayCo LLC. Initially designed as an athletic brace, the appliance is now marketed nationally to people in every walk of life who need ankle support.
