MIAMI (Feb. 28, 2019) – The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society recognized Kevin O'Neill as one of the nation's best in his respected field earlier this week, after the organization honored FIU's Head Athletic Trainer with its Distinguished Alumni Award for 2019.
 
O'Neill, who has worked in the field for over 30 years, has been with FIU since 2016. In May of 2018, O'Neill was named the Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and head athletic trainer. O'Neill has worked primarily with the FIU football program, among his many other duties.
 
"Without a doubt Kevin is one of the most highly respected and gifted athletic trainers in all of sports," Head Coach Butch Davis said. "His mentorship has resulted in preparing seven other trainers to earn head positions in the NFL. We are unbelievably fortunate to have him overseeing our athletic programs here at FIU."

The longtime athletic trainer has twice earned the NFL Athletic Trainer of the Year Award while with the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, while 10 of his former assistants have gone on to become head athletic trainers or assistants in the NFL. 
 
In addition to receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award from PFATS, the organization also named a scholarship in O'Neill's name.
 
O'Neill arrived at FIU after 19 years as the head athletic trainer for the Miami Dolphins as well as a brief stint as an athletic trainer for Broward Health Sports Medicine. O'Neill joined the Dolphins on March 1, 1996, as head athletic trainer after serving seven seasons in a similar capacity with the Dallas Cowboys. Along with Troy Maurer, Noahisa Inoue and Jon Andino, O'Neill was responsible for the day-to-day treatment of Dolphins players in coordination with the club's medical staff.
 
In 2013, O'Neill was named the recipient of the Tim Kerin Award for Excellence in Athletic Training. The award is given annually for outstanding service by an athletic trainer who the selection committee feels best exemplifies the values that Tim Kerin, the former head athletic trainer at University as Tennessee, had for service, integrity and dedication. The award is presented each year as a part of the NATA Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia.

Entering its 18th year of football in 2019, the FIU Panthers are coming off a program-best nine wins a season ago. FIU capped 2018 with a 35-32 victory over Toledo in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl to finish the season 9-4 overall. Under legendary head coach Butch Davis, the Panthers have earned back-to-back bowl appearances and 17 wins in the last two years.
 
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