Nikki Huffman

Last updated
Nikki Huffman
Born (1987-06-07) June 7, 1987 (age 37)
Connelly Springs, North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Averett University
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
Occupation Baseball athletic trainer
Organization Toronto Blue Jays

Nikki Huffman (born June 7, 1987) is the former head athletic trainer for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018 and 2019, and currently serves as a personal trainer for Marcus Stroman. She is only the second woman to be a head trainer in North America's top four sports leagues, after Sue Falsone. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Huffman grew up in Connelly Springs, North Carolina. [2] She watched Duke and Carolina basketball, college football, and NFL games with her dad on TV, which sparked an early interest in a career in sports. [2] While attending East Burke High School, she decided she wanted to be an athletic trainer. [2] She graduated in 2005. [3]

She played basketball and lacrosse during her years at Averett University. [4] [2] She received her doctorate degree in physical therapy, with a focus on manual therapy, from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. [1]

Career

After receiving her doctorate in physical therapy, Huffman was doing a residency and fellowship at Duke University's Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Laboratory. [1] In 2015, while at Duke, she helped Blue Jays' pitcher Marcus Stroman recover from a torn ACL, an injury that was supposed to end his season. [5] Stroman credits Huffman with enabling him to return for the end of the season and the postseason. [5] [6] She worked with Stroman and teammate Aaron Sanchez in the 2015–16 offseason to prepare, which led her to connect with Blue Jays' training staff. [7] In 2016, she joined the Blue Jays' staff as physical therapist and rehab coordinator. [7] [5]

In 2018, she took over as head athletic trainer, becoming the only woman currently a trainer, and only the second ever. [2]

In 2020, she left the Blue Jays to become Stroman's personal trainer. [8]

Related Research Articles

Hazel Mae Barker, known professionally as Hazel Mae, is a Filipino-Canadian sportscaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Lawrie</span> Canadian baseball player (born 1990)

Brett Russell Lawrie is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Jenkins</span> American baseball player (born 1987)

Stephen Chadwick Jenkins is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Sanchez (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1992)

Aaron Jacob Sanchez is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, and Minnesota Twins. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, and made his MLB debut in 2014. In 2015, Sanchez was ranked by MLB as the number 3 prospect in the Blue Jays' organization, and the 44th best prospect in baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Blue Devils baseball</span> Collegiate baseball team representing Duke University

The Duke Blue Devils baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of Duke University, based in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The team has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since the conference's founding in the 1954 season. The program's home venue is the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in 1995. Chris Pollard has been the head coach of the team since the 2013 season. As of the end of the 2019 season, the Blue Devils have appeared in three College World Series and 10 NCAA tournaments. They have won three ACC Championships. As of the start of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, 36 former Blue Devils players have played in Major League Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gallucci Jr.</span> American physical therapist

John Gallucci Jr. is an American physical therapist, athletic trainer, and executive. He is currently the CEO of JAG Physical Therapy, a physical therapy provider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Stroman</span> American baseball player (born 1991)

Marcus Earl Stroman is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs. Stroman’s height is listed at 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), making him one of only six pitchers shorter than 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) to make a start at the MLB level in the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Osuna</span> Mexican baseball player (born 1995)

Roberto Osuna Quintero Jr. is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros.

Sue Falsone is an American athletic trainer. She was the Head Athletic Trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball from 2012 to 2013, and was the first female head athletic trainer in the major American professional sports leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon Travis</span> American baseball player (born 1991)

Devon Anthony Travis is an American professional baseball coach and former second baseman. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers, and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on April 6, 2015 with the Toronto Blue Jays, playing with the team from 2015 to 2018. Travis began his coaching career in 2021 with the GCL Braves.

The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 38th season for the franchise, and the 25th full season of play at Rogers Centre. Pitcher Roy Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Blue Jays before retiring from baseball, citing injuries.

The 2015 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 39th season for the franchise, and the 26th full season of play at Rogers Centre.

The 2016 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 40th season of the franchise in Major League Baseball, and the 27th full season of play at Rogers Centre. They advanced to the playoffs where they defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the AWC Game and for the second year in a row, besting the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, reaching the ALCS, before losing in five games to the Cleveland Indians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 American League Championship Series</span> 47th edition of Major League Baseballs American League Championship Series

The 2016 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the Toronto Blue Jays against the Cleveland Indians for the American League (AL) pennant and the right to play in the 2016 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. The Indians had home-field advantage for the series because the Blue Jays qualified as a wild-card team. The Indians defeated the Blue Jays four games to one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 American League Wild Card Game</span>

The 2016 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 postseason played between the American League's (AL) two wild card teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. As both teams finished with identical 89–73 records, a tiebreaker was used to determine the host team. In accordance with MLB tiebreaking rules, the Blue Jays earned the right to host the game by winning their season series against the Orioles 10–9.

The 2017 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 41st season of the franchise in Major League Baseball, and the 27th full season of play at Rogers Centre. For the first time since the 2014 season, the Blue Jays failed to make it to the postseason, finishing fourth in the American League East with a 76–86 record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Romano</span> Canadian baseball player (born 1993)

Jordan Robert Romano is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).

The 2018 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 42nd season of the franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), and the 28th full season of play at Rogers Centre.

<i>MLB The Show 18</i> 2018 sports video game

MLB The Show 18 is a baseball video game by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, based on Major League Baseball (MLB). It is the thirteenth entry of the MLB: The Show franchise, and was released worldwide on March 27, 2018, for PlayStation 4. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is featured as the cover star for the U.S. version, while Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman is on the cover of the Canadian version. A limited number of people were invited to a closed alpha, which began on December 22, 2017, until December 26, 2017, to test the online servers. Those who pre-ordered the game received access to the game four days early, able to pick up their copy of the game on March 23, 2018.

The 2019 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 43rd season in Major League Baseball, and 29th full season at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays were managed by Charlie Montoyo in his first year as the Blue Jays manager. The Blue Jays began their season at home against the Detroit Tigers on March 28 and ended their season at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, September 29. They finished with a record of 67–95, a worse record than the previous season, and failed to qualify for the postseason for the third consecutive year.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jays' Nikki Huffman becomes 2nd female head athletic trainer in major leagues". Canadian Press. December 22, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nikki Huffman's path to the top of the Blue Jays training staff - Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  3. ↑ Baker, Jason (January 7, 2018). "EBHS grad Huffman named Blue Jays head athletic trainer". The News Herald. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  4. ↑ Nikki Huffman - 2008-09 - Women's Basketball. Averett University Athletics. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Blue Jays promote Huffman to head trainer". MLB.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  6. ↑ McGrath, Kaitlyn. "If that was his last act with the Blue Jays, Marcus Stroman..." The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  7. 1 2 Lott, John. "Blue Jays physical therapist Nikki Huffman uses smiles,..." The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  8. ↑ "'I think I should be dominant': Stro rarin' to go". MLB.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.