Utah Athletics Mourns the Passing of Long-Time Director of Sports Medicine Bill Bean

SALT LAKE CITY—The University of Utah Athletics Department mourns the passing of former Director of Sports Medicine Bill Bean, who passed away on June 20. Bean served for more than 30 years with the Utes' athletic training staff, and is a member of both the Utah Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Training Association Hall of Fame.

"Bill Bean was a beloved member of the Utah Athletics family, whose care and expertise touched the lives of so many student-athletes, coaches and staff," said Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics. "Our hearts go out to his family and we join them in grieving the loss of such a special person who gave so much to Utah Athletics, and everybody who was fortunate to know him."

Bean was the Head Athletic Trainer for the University of Utah from 1976-2008, working primarily with the football program. For the entirety of his career he served the student-athletes and student athletic trainers on a daily basis, providing support, encouragement and care for student-athletes while teaching and mentoring student athletic trainers. Thousands of student-athletes benefited directly from his care, and many student athletic trainers went on to successful careers in health care.

"Bill was the athletic trainer for football when I first arrived on campus in 1994," said Head Football Coach Kyle Whittingham. "He was a great person, did a great job for the program and was a valued member of the Utah Athletics family. He will be missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Bean was also instrumental in creating a collaborative environment between the athletics department and the University of Utah Sports Medicine physicians. This collaboration raised student-athletes' access to health care to an elite level.

"Bill Bean made an impression on everyone he worked with," said Trevor Jameson, Utah's Director of Athletic Training. "He cared about people. He helped others in any way that he could. It wasn't just enough to do a job, but to somehow help people grow while we all did the job together. I'm grateful that I am a beneficiary of his mentoring. Bill's legacy is the way he affected others, and we try to honor him by doing our jobs like Bill did."

To honor Bill's legacy, his family has established a Memorial Fund that will be used to recognize athletic trainers and the work they provide. More information on the Bill Bean Memorial Fund can be found here.

"Bill Bean taught me, and countless others, what it truly meant to be altruistic," said Keith Embray Utah's Associate A.D. for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Student Belonging, who starred for Utah's football team during Bean's tenure. "I am forever grateful to Bill for his kindness, his mentorship, and his dedication to so many student-athletes like myself who were blessed to know him and be cared for by him. I'm a firm believer that when we lose someone close to us, they continue to live on through us. They're so connected to us that they become a part of us. Bill will be truly missed, but never forgotten."

Bean was chosen as the 2002 winner of the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the NATA. In 2003, he was inducted into both the Utah Athletic Trainers Association (UATA) Hall of Fame and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Training Association Hall of Fame (RMATA), of which he was a member since 1968. He held numerous leadership positions for UTUA, including vice president and chair of the licensure committee.

Prior to his long and distinguished tenure at Utah, Bean served as a U.S. Army medical officer, an assistant athletic trainer at Washington State University, and the head trainer for the Utah Stars of the ABA. He also worked as a volunteer on the medical staff for the Olympic Games in Lake Placid (1980) and Salt Lake City (2002).

Been earned his bachelor of science degree with a sports medicine concentration from Utah State University in 1971, and received his Master's degree from the University of Utah in 1978. In 1986 he successfully completed an additional bachelor of science degree in physical therapy from the University of Utah, where he continued to work as a part-time staff physical therapist within the Orthopedic Center.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 8, from 2-4:30 p.m., at Rice-Eccles Stadium in the West Tower.

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Utah Athletics Mourns the Passing of Long-Time Director of Sports Medicine Bill Bean

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Utah Athletics Mourns the Passing of Long-Time Director of Sports Medicine Bill Bean

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