University of Pittsburgh student Lindsay Blakney recently achieved a personal and professional goal: working alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Blakney is in her final year of the Accelerated Master of Science in Athletic Training (AT) program within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS). The accelerated option at Pitt allows students to earn both a Bachelor of Science in rehabilitation science and a Master of Science in athletic training within five years.
All students in the Pitt AT program complete clinical education rotations across on-campus facilities and several off-site affiliated settings to gain practical and hands-on patient care experiences. A rare opportunity is working with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a spot that is only granted to one or two Pitt students per year.
Blakney applied and interviewed for this position and was selected, beginning her rotation in May which allowed her to integrate early within the sports medicine staff. In September, she brought her skills on an international trip when she was selected to travel with the team for their game in Ireland. She will continue to work with the team through February 2026.
Read on to learn more about Blakney’s time in Ireland with the Steelers and her plans for after graduation.
Inspired to Become an Athletic Trainer
Where did your interest in athletic training begin?
In high school I took an Introduction to Sports Medicine class in my hometown of Wenatchee, Washington. We learned about anatomy and sports medicine and worked after school as athletic training student aides assisting our athletic trainers. I knew in my sophomore year of high school that athletic training was the career that I wanted to pursue.
What drew you to the Pitt Athletic Training program?
I had my first introduction to the city of Pittsburgh through a video shown by my athletic trainer that highlighted Gatorade’s “First on the Field” initiative. The video featured former Steelers athletic trainers, Sonia Ruef and Ariko Iso, discussing the importance of having female athletic trainers on the field and it left a lasting impact on me. From that moment on, I knew that if I ever had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of women like Sonia and Ariko, I would take it.
I chose Pitt for the Athletic Training program. The program has diverse clinical rotations, an established NFL clinical rotation with the Steelers and they offered an accelerated entry point, which was beneficial for me. I also enjoyed the family atmosphere of the program. Despite having bigger cohort sizes, the faculty all are very personable, treat each of us like family and they want to see us succeed, both as athletic trainers and as people.
Working with the Steelers
How did you feel about being selected to work with the Steelers?
I was very excited! This opportunity was one of the biggest driving factors when I chose Pitt, so to hear that I was selected was something I was not expecting was very humbling, especially because my classmates are all so impressive in their own way and worthy of the position.
What is your day-to-day experience like in your work with the team?
There are two other athletic training students with me at the Steelers, one from Duquesne University and another from Penn State University. Our day-to-day responsibilities include opening and closing the athletic training facility with the other students, setting up the fields for practice, covering practice and assisting in the athletic training facility. In the athletic training room we observe evaluations and are able to assist with treatment and rehabilitation.
It is basically a full-time position. I was treated like a certified athletic trainer schedule-wise. The purpose of the immersive experience is to see what it is like to be fully immersed as a practicing athletic trainer. It is all week and weekends, but the staff and my preceptor are really good at recognizing that we are students and still have schoolwork. Once classes started, I was required to have one day a week off, as well as having time off to go to classes. Time management is definitely a very important skill to have in this position.
Time in Ireland
What was it like to work with the Steelers in Ireland in particular?
Typically, the students rotate who travels with the team, with each of us going to two or three away games. The athletic training staff decided which of the students would be traveling to Ireland. Any of us students could have been lucky enough to go, and we all deserved it. I ended up being the one selected to travel to Ireland and I was so excited! I had never been to Europe, so having the chance to do so with an organization like the Steelers was amazing.
How did the preparations for this game differ from others?
The preparation for this game began a very long time before the actual game itself, which was very different from other games. We had to be very detail-oriented on our medical trunks and our inventory as we would be traveling through customs and flying internationally. We also had to take into consideration that we would need a facility to do treatments and rehabilitation while in Ireland.
The athletic trainers did months of preparation before we students even started our rotation, we were just there to help execute the plans. There was a lot of communication that needed to take place about emergency action plans, resources available such as imaging and liaising between Irish staff and our staff.
What did you learn from this experience?
I learned a lot about teamwork and how much preparation truly goes into something of this level. As a student, we usually only see the set up and execution, not as much planning. I am taking my health care administration class right now and all of the content we are covering is what the Steelers had to go through in order to make this game possible: financial management, emergency action planning, legal considerations and more. It definitely showed me the more behind the scenes aspects of athletic training.
The teamwork that goes into a project this massive was incredible. From the medical staff to the marketing staff to the equipment staff to the coaches and players, this was a huge team effort that really taught me a lot about how every department of a professional sports team is one cog in the wheel that keeps the whole organization functioning.
Are you hoping to work with professional sports and/or football specifically after graduation?
I hope to continue my work with football after graduation, in either professional or higher-level collegiate football. I love the fast-paced environment of football, and the collaboration that is required in this setting. In football you see injuries from head to toe, traumatic and medical related, and it is a sport that requires a lot of knowledge and attention to detail. The skills and experiences I have gained at the Steelers and all of my clinical rotations through Pitt’s AT program will certainly help me achieve those dreams.