NEW YORK—Columbia University Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine Jim gossett, who has led Columbia’s athletic training staff for 42 years, announced on Friday that he would retire at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. His last day at Columbia will be June 30, 2021.
One of the nation’s best known and most honored athletic coaches, Gossett has overseen Columbia’s athletic training and sports medicine department for the past 37 years. He administers a team of 10 full-time athletic coaches who provide invaluable service to the nearly 800 Columbia student-athletes who participate in 31 varsity athletic teams. Gossett staff also work closely with CUMC team physicians, Dr William Levine and Dr Natasha Desai, to provide the best healthcare coverage for Columbia student-athletes. It is a combination that has earned Columbia an outstanding national reputation in this field.
“Jim was a fixture at Columbia and is an athletic training legend,” Campbell Family Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Pierre Pilling noted. “Under Jim’s tutelage, our student-athletes received the highest quality medical care possible. His expertise is second to none and he will be sadly missed by everyone at Columbia.”
“I arrived at Columbia University 21 years ago young, inexperienced, but incredibly enthusiastic,” said Dr. Levine. “Without Jim’s grace, professionalism and patience this could have gone south in a hot second! Jim really liked the former head team medic, but luckily he took me under his wing. and consider myself fortunate to have worked with the accomplished chef. Sports coach for over two decades. He never sought the limelight, but rather knew that his legacy would be to provide the highest quality care. home to Columbia student-athletes – a legacy that will continue long after Jim’s retirement due to his emphasis on excellence, culture and teamwork.
“Our student-athletes, coaches, athletic physicians, coaches and administrators know that we can never replace Jim, but rather we must commemorate his formidable tenure and celebrate the career of a true giant in the field of sports medicine. . ”
?? @GoColumbiaLions” Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Head Sports Coach Jim gossett announces his retirement.
https://t.co/wsQ76dl6KC#RoarLionRoar #GoColumbiaLions pic.twitter.com/zsgb1IbaDn
– Columbia Athletics (@GoColumbiaLions) April 2, 2021
As a well-known athletic trainer in the New York metro area, Gossett has been inducted into the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame and the ’49 Club. In 2004, Gossett received the Dan Libera Service Award for his outstanding contribution to the Certification Board. He was honored by the National Athletic Trainers Association with the Best Sports Coach Award in 2003, for which he was nominated and chosen by his peers, and received the Best Sports Coach Award from the All-American Football Foundation. He has also been honored by the New York State Athletic Trainers Association with the Thomas J. Sheehan, Sr. Award, its highest honor, and by the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association (EATA) with the Joseph A. Blankowitsch Award. Former President of EATA, he was also the recipient of the 1994 Cramer Award for Outstanding Service, presented by Cramer Products in conjunction with EATA.
Previously, he was selected to serve as spokesperson for Gatorade, Inc., and the National Athletic Trainers Association. Her role was to promote healthy practices to prevent heat-related illnesses during the hot months and to serve as a resource, including live interviews with CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox television stations in the New York area. . The New York State Board of Regents returned Gossett to the State Committee for Athletic Coaches. He was appointed for 15 years to the State Board for Professions, which regulates athletic coaches in New York State.
Gossett is very proud of the impact he has had on the next generation of sports coaches. He has worked with or hired nearly 70 athletic coaches in total and has mentored over 20 LIU Brooklyn student coaches.
“Thank you all for allowing me to flourish in this incredible institution,” said Gossett. “I have truly enjoyed my 42 years of service here and I am very grateful for everyone’s support. We have been able to build an incredible service through the efforts of many people, but I thank Drs. Louis Bigliani and William N. Levine for ‘having had the vision and commitment leading to our accomplishments. I have been truly enriched working with thousands of gifted student-athletes throughout my tenure, thank you all. “
On the national stage, Gossett worked as the head athletic coach for the United States fencing team at the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, England, and spent two seasons as the athletics coach of the US National Lightweight Crew. He coached track and field rowing at the 1988 Olympic Sports Festival and track and field at the 1987 Festival and the Pan American Games. He also spent four summers as a sports coach for the ABCD / Nike basketball camps.
Gossett was one of the first athletic coaches selected as an “Eye in Sky” for the National Football League. His role over the past nine years has been to detect the mechanisms of head and neck trauma during home games for the New York Giants. As part of the NFL’s attempt to identify concussions sustained in games, Gossett’s role continued to evolve and the program grew. Gossett had the privilege of being selected to work at both Super Bowl LXVII in New Orleans and Super Bowl LXVIII in New Jersey.
A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Gossett graduated from Indiana State University in 1978. He initially joined the staff at Columbia in August 1979, shortly after graduating from the University of Arizona with a master’s degree. . Gossett was appointed Head Athletic Trainer in 1984. Throughout his career he worked with most of Columbia’s teams, but particularly identified with football, soccer, fencing, rowing and wrestling programs.
For more information on Columbia’s Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Department, click on this link.
