The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today promoted Head Athletic Trainer Bobby Slater to Vice President of Sports Medicine. In his new role, Slater will oversee the team's sports science, strength & conditioning, performance nutrition, and athletic training programs.
Slater, who had been Tampa Bay's head athletic trainer for the past 10 seasons, will help develop a program to optimize player performance and safety while collaborating with the medical services team who will implement evidence-based recovery protocols and evaluate factors to help predict and prevent future injuries.
Slater joined the Buccaneers in 2014 after 15 years with the Chicago Bears, finishing his time there as the team's assistant head athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation. Slater began his career with Chicago in 1999 as an assistant athletic trainer, before being promoted to director of rehabilitation in 2002. He held that position for 10 years before adding assistant head athletic trainer to his title in 2012.
He began his career in the NFL with the Bears as a training camp intern in 1994, serving in the same capacity with the Miami Dolphins in 1995 and again with Chicago in 1998.
Before joining the Bears full-time, Slater worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer from 1997-99 at Mississippi State University. He was also an athletic trainer at Lee Memorial Hospital (1997) and A. Kagan Orthopedics in Ft. Myers, Florida (1995-97).
Slater received a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Southern College and a Master of Science degree from Mississippi State. Slater and his wife, Bridget, have three daughters – Savannah, Natalee, and Brooke – and a son, Ryan.
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