McLendon Selected as Chris Patrick Award Recipient

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Performance Mary McLendon was recently honored with the 2020 Chris Patrick Award by the SEC Sports Medicine Committee.

The Chris Patrick Award is given to the outstanding athletic trainer in the SEC as chosen by the directors of sports medicine at each school. The award is named after former Mississippi State head athletic trainer and longtime University of Florida director of sports medicine. The 2020 and 2021 honorees were both recently recognized.

The recipient must possess the following qualities emulating the characteristics of the professional for which the award is named:

• Goes above and beyond for the institution and team he/she works with
• Has a tireless work ethic
• Is loyal to the institution's athletic department and athletic training staff's mission
• Has a passion for the profession and the service of the student-athlete
• Expresses a caring personality in the health-care delivery he/she is responsible for
• Demonstrates examples of being a strong advocate for the student-athlete
• Plays an active role in one or more of the professional associations he/she is a member of (NATA, District, SEC, etc.)

"Winning this award has special significance for me, since Chris Patrick was my mentor in grad school at Florida and was previously the head athletic trainer here at Mississippi State," McLendon said. "For me personally, this award stands for so much, since it is all the traits that CP embodies."

McLendon has served as State's Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Performance since July 2020. She oversees more than 30 full-time staff members in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, counseling and sport psychology, and sports nutrition, while also handling the day-to-day needs of the Bulldog women's volleyball team.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, McLendon has helped lead MSU athletics' response, coordinating with the SEC's Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force, state and local health authorities, and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Congratulations to Mary on earning national recognition as the 2020 Chris Patrick Award winner," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. "Mary and the entire sports medicine and performance team work tirelessly for our university, student-athletes, coaches and staff. This honor is well-deserved, and we are fortunate to have Mary on our leadership team at MSU."

McLendon was the first female to be elected president of the SEC Sports Medicine Committee, a post she held from 2015 to 2017. She shares the mission of Athletic Director John Cohen and the entire department to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for student-athletes, staff and fans.
In addition to her MSU Athletics duties, McLendon has served in other leadership roles on campus and across the country.

McLendon has been involved with the National Athletic Trainers' Association as chair of the District IX Women in Athletic Training Committee and Life Balance Project Team, as moderator for the Life Balance Think Tank, and as a member of the Annual Convention Program Committee Project Team.

She also volunteered in 2000 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

At MSU, she served the President's Commission on the Status of Women from 2007-12, which included a term as chair from 2009-11.

A native of Parker, Colorado, McLendon earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 1994 from the University of Colorado and her master's degree in sports administration in 1996 from the University of Florida.

Chris Patrick Award Winners
Year, Honoree, School
2021, Ron Courson, Georgia
2020, Mary McLendon, Mississippi State
2019, Chad Newman, Tennessee
2018, Jim Madaleno, Kentucky
2017, Micki Collins, LSU
2016, Dave England, Arkansas
2015, Steve Bryant, Georgia
2014, Michele Loftis, Vanderbilt

Mississippi State University Athletics

McLendon Selected as Chris Patrick Award Recipient

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