Fresno State Athletics
Countdown to Kickoff: 14 Days
8/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 18, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Some people are just born Bulldogs. One of those Bulldogs has found his way home.
First-year head football athletic trainer Tony Hill was technically born in Salinas, Calif., but earned his undergraduate degree from Fresno State back in 2003 and considers himself a true-bred Bulldog.
"I'm Bulldog born, bulldog bred... that whole mantra," Hill said with a smile. "It's always stuck with me. I've been at some bigger schools in the country, but anybody who has been to Fresno knows how important Bulldog football is to those that are faithful."
Hill, who is not related to head football coach Pat Hill, has traveled throughout the country the past five years with stops at some big-time BCS institutions. After an internship with the University of Florida football and men's tennis teams, Hill completed a graduate assistantship at the University of Kentucky while researching the intertester reliability of a lower extremity functional test and clinically supporting the Wildcats' football team.
There were two more stops along the road back to Fresno as Hill gained valuable experience as an assistant athletic trainer at the then defending national champion Texas Longhorns and later in the same position on the staff of the University of California Golden Bear football team.
"It's been five years," Hill reflected on his journey. "We have been all over the place with the goal to come back to Fresno."
The "we" Hill refers to is his wife, Mandy, who he married in June of 2006. Mandy is also on the Fresno State Athletic Training staff as she is an assistant athletic trainer and works with women's basketball.
"I'm excited to be back," Hill said. "This year with the anticipation level where it is... it's a good time to be back. Hopefully, we can make it happen."
While on-the-field success of student-athletes often garner the highlights and spotlight during the season, Hill notes one of the most rewarding parts of his job comes from the growth of the players and students as individuals.
"The favorite part of my job is to see the guys come in as freshman, wide-eyed and bushy tailed, and having no idea what college is about and then to see them grow and turn into men and turn into professionals," Hill said.
As the head football athletic trainer, Hill oversees a staff of two graduate assistants and 12 student athletic trainers, with three of those students working solely on football and the other nine on a rotating schedule of six week increments.
It helps Hill wake up in the morning knowing that his primary office is under the sun.
"One reason why I picked this job is I get to be outside all day," Hill said. "I enjoy the sunshine."
Sunshine and the outdoors also allow Hill the opportunity to enjoy his time, however limited, away from football.
"I like to golf and go to the lake with some jet skiing," Hill said, yet noted that his day job consumes most of his free time and that golf usually gets relegated as an April to June exercise.
As a Bulldog back in his own backyard, you can expect that Hill knows the terrain both at home and on the road as the `Dogs prepare for a season filled with extensive travel, a tough non-conference schedule, high expectations of a Top 25 national ranking, and an opportunity to win the school's first outright WAC championship.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The first Big Ten team will travel to the Valley on September 13th as the No. 25 `Dogs take on Wisconsin in the home opener at 7:30 pm. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN2. All tickets are on sale now. In the month of August, get your official Wisconsin game day t-shirt at the Bulldog Shop for only $10 with any purchase. To purchase tickets, click on the tickets icon at the top of this page, call the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS, or stop by the Bulldog Ticket Office.
