University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 1/1995 On the job... training It's said good things come to those who wait. Well, not true for Darryl Conway, Delaware '93, who began his sports career the day after college graduation as an athletic trainer for the National Football League's New York Jets. "You know what they say, 'being at the right place at the right time,'" says Conway. "One of the Jets' assistant trainers took a head trainer's job with the Green Bay Packers. He left and I came in." During the summer of 1993, Conway was the youngest trainer in the NFL. While a student at Delaware, he honed his skills as a summer assistant for the Jets from 1990-92. "I knew I didn't have the physical skills to play in the NFL," explains Conway, who played high school football in his hometown of Beltsville, Md., "but I didn't let that deter me from my goal of being involved with an NFL team. I was at Art Monk's football camp when I was in ninth grade and was impressed with how fast the trainer (San Diego's Kecki Kamau) was able to tape my ankles. I got to talking with Kecki and became interested in the sports medicine end of football." Conway, who had an academic scholarship to attend the University, graduated with a degree in physical education/athletic training, a 3.9 grade point average and a ranking of the top 100 of a graduating class of 4,000. "Spending those three summers with the Jets was the most valuable experience I ever could have asked for," Conway says. "There's just no better way to learn how to become an athletic trainer than to be with a team every day-through minicamps, training camps and during pre-season games. I learned a great deal, and I'm really glad it turned into a full-time opportunity." Jets' head trainer Bob Reese thinks Conway has a real future in the NFL and in the field of sports medicine."He's a bright young man who has a really good relationship with all the players, which is important in this business," says Reese. "Having spent three summers with us, he already knew how the system works. We're glad he's part of our full-time health-care staff." At Delaware, Conway served as head student trainer for the football and baseball teams and helped establish computerized weight-training records. He also interned at the '92 Senior Bowl, a national, all-star college football game.Conway's duties are numerous, but he says he most enjoys the challenges he faces during a game. "On a game day, I'm involved in a number of areas," explains Conway, who now lives on Long Island. "I'm in charge of organizing all the supplies and seeing that everything is set up properly on the field. If a player's injured, I'll take him to the locker room for X-rays or treatment. I don't get the chance to go out on the field when a player is injured, but I'm working my way toward that. "What I've learned is how to develop my work habits and how to present myself. In addition to the techniques you learn, you must be organized and prepared for anything to happen. "There are a lot of little things that go into the production of the games you see on Sunday. I use the analogy of a play production. You practice all week and there's a number of behind-the-scenes things that go on that bring you to the game on Sunday afternoons." Conway's goal is to become a head trainer in the NFL. He currently is finishing up his master's degree in physical education at Hofstra University. In June, Conway and UD head trainer Keith Handling held a summer camp on the campus for high school student trainers from throughout the region. Students learned how to prevent athletic injuries and how to evaluate and provide first aid when sports- related injuries occur. "Darryl's been the driving force behind the camp," says Handling. "He was able to obtain a Joe Montana autographed football and other sports memorabilia that raised $9,400 at an auction held in February, offsetting some of the costs of the summer camp. "But, that's nothing new. I could tell when Darryl first came into the program as a freshman that he was going to be successful. He always took on a lot of responsibilities and was a leader among the other students," Handling says. -Terry Conway