By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, MAY 8, 2014 – Steve Walz has dedicated 18 years of his life to making sure USF student-athletes have the best healthcare possible as they compete for the program.
USF's Associate Director of Athletics/Director of Sports Medicine was recognized for his extraordinary efforts last week when he was presented with the 2013 Outstanding Staff Award for the University's intercollegiate athletic division.
“I didn't think you could win it again, it's quite humbling,” said Walz, who also won the award in 2004. “It means somebody is recognizing what you do because athletic training is so behind the scenes. It's what I like about it, but it's also nice to be commended for your work in the department. I have a great staff and the whole reason why it all works is because of them.”
Walz was nominated for the award by assistant athletic trainer Michele Latimer, who said the Sports Medicine department continues to be a great place to work with Walz in charge.
“For us Steve is the greatest boss I think anyone could ever ask to work for,” Latimer said. “I think he is the reason why our department has stayed so consistent over the years.”
Walz got his start at USF as a graduate assistant for men's basketball in 1992 and he became the football team's first athletic trainer in 1996 before heading home to the Midwest to be close to his mother who was ill at the time. Once her health returned, Walz got an opportunity to head back to USF in 2000 and he's played a vital role in the development of USF Medicine ever since.
“When I started it was basically two full-time athletic trainers and a graduate assistant,” Walz said. “Now we have a staff of 13 and a really good partnership with USF Health. The program is so much better now and it would be hard to walk away because it's kind of been my baby.”
Walz also helped the program add nutrition assistance, mental health and massage therapy components to make sure student-athletes are getting complete attention. Student-athletes are also pretty pumped about upgrades made to the hydrotherapy pools inside the department.
Walz's daily demands include overseeing student-athletes rehabilitation, prepping them for practices and researching policies and methodologies to make sure USF remains on the cutting edge of clinical care.
“Keeping up with advancements in healthcare is always a challenge, but it's a fun part of the job, too,” Walz said. “The hot topic is always concussions and I think there have been some advancements there with what we do with baseline testing all of our student-athletes, so when they come in we know how they function when they're healthy.”
Just because he's the boss doesn't mean Walz prefers to have the final word on issues, however. Walz said leaning on his talented staff is a norm when the group is trying to identify the best game plan possible for healthcare procedures or techniques.
“I rely on our staff since they have backgrounds from different colleges and universities to bring their ideas and keep me fresh,” he said.
Walk around the USF training room and you'll find Walz is a very popular person with student-athletes and staff members because of his warm, caring personality that's welcomed by all.
“You know he always has your back and he's a great mentor,” Latimer said. “And his demeanor is unmatched. He's even-keeled all the time, even in emergency situations. He's calm, he's composed and he has a great sense of humor.”
Walz was joined by a big group of Bulls from USF Medicine and many of the program's sports at the April 29 awards ceremony hosted by USF Systems President Judy Genshaft at the USF School of Music Concert Hall.
“He's such a humble guy. He likes to be behind the scenes and he doesn't want all the flash and attention,” Latimer said. “But for all the things he does I think it's important to recognize him because people don't realize all that goes into his day, whether it be counseling student-athletes that are having mental health issues or protecting them as far as their healthcare.”
Now that the awards ceremony is over, Walz is happy to get back to business with a focus of caring for the student-athletes and his staff at a place he truly loves.
“Even though there are opportunities out there I can't think of a better place for me than here,” Walz said. “From today to 18 years from now hopefully it's that much better continually and that's what we strive for.”
