Men's Ice Hockey
- Title:
- Senior Associate Athletic Trainer
- Email:
- daniel.smith2@qu.edu
Dan Smith was named Quinnipiac’s Head Athletic Trainer in May 2023. Smith oversees the 11 fulltime staff members while also over seeing the the day-to-day care of Quinnipiac’s nationally-ranked men’s ice hockey program.
Smith comes to Quinnipiac after serving as the Head Athletic Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Bridgeport from 2008 until the present. Smith served as the director of the Purple Knight’s sports medicine program and was also responsible for NCAA anti-doping education for student-athletes, student-athlete health care coordination with the university’s health services offices, insurance and referral coordination, scheduling and assigning of assistant athletic trainers as well as budget oversight and inventory management.
As the University's Strength & Conditioning Coach, Smith designed and installed a new strength facility at Bridgeport while also developing in-season and off-season conditioning programs for all student-athletes.
Prior to joining Bridgeport’s staff, Smith was the Head Athletic Trainer / Strength and Conditioning Coach for the United States Luge Association based in Lake Placid, New York from 1995 through 2008. Most notable of his accomplishments with USA Luge was his work with the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Olympic Teams when he served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the luge, while also working with bobsled, skeleton, ski jumping and hockey teams. He also worked extensively with USA Luge’s entire development program, overseeing medical care and conditioning for athletes ranging from 10 years old to Olympic-level individuals.
Before USA Luge, Smith worked at the Center for Athletic Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. His responsibilities included serving as the head athletic trainer for the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, as well as treatment of athletes at the collegiate and professional level including those from the Detroit Lions (NFL), Detroit Tigers (MLB), Detroit Red Wings (NHL), Detroit Rockers (NPSL) and the Detroit Turbos (MLL). He worked extensively with the National Professional Soccer League’s Detroit Rockers as the team’s Head Athletic Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Smith holds certifications and memberships in the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), National Academy of Sports Medicine PES (NASM), College Athletic Trainers Society (CATS), Connecticut Athletic Trainers Association (CATA), New York State Athletic Trainers Association (NYSATA), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), International Weightlifting Association (IWA), USA Weightlifting (USAW), American Red Cross and the American Heart Association.
