Johnathon Millwee, ATC for FC Tulsa
March is National Athletic Training Month, and we’re using this opportunity to highlight the amazing Athletic Trainers employed by Tulsa Bone & Joint. These trainers work in high schools, in our clinic, and elsewhere to help athletes perform at their peak ability and to recover quickly if an injury occurs.
Johnathon Millwee is the Athletic Trainer for FC Tulsa, Tulsa’s professional soccer team. Tulsa Bone & Joint is proud to be the orthopedic provider for FC Tulsa and to sponsor Johnathon as the team ATC.
Here’s what FC Tulsa player Eric Bird has to say about Johnathon:
“Johnathon is our go-to guy. He’s a jack of all trades. He has so many different roles within our team, and he’s a guy that is a glue for us here. He doesn’t just do the athletic training, he does so much more. He’s a blessing for us all, can’t say enough good things about how he treats the guys and what he means to this group as a whole.”
Q&A with Johnathon Millwee
Q: Why did you decide to become an athletic trainer?
A: Becoming an athletic trainer for me was a shot in the dark chance before I dropped out of school. I received a call from a close colleague telling me to go to Mike Catterson (head athletic trainer at Jenks High School) and ask about athletic training as a career. I was given a fanny pack with some gauze and Band-Aids and was told to observe practice. Playing football/baseball was all I ever wanted to do in college, so it was extremely difficult for me to watch something I had spent my whole life playing.
In a split second, a major injury happened, and I was able to watch how everyone worked from the athletic training side all the way up to the surgeons. I went back the next day and asked, “Where do I sign up?” I was fascinated at how a player could recover to go back on the field after such a major injury.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about your job?
A: My favorite part of my job is the ability to be a forever learner. I love learning why the things we did in the past might not have been the best way to do things, and how we could adjust them for the better in the future. This boils down to how we rehab, how we look at movements of the different body parts, how we make adjustments before an injury happens and how we treat acute/chronic injuries.
Q: What has been a career highlight for you so far?
A: Getting the opportunity to work the College Softball World Series and meeting and spending time with Lisa Fernandez between games and also playing as lead body guard for OU after their National Championship as they walked to their buses.
Johnathon, thank you for all you do to make FC Tulsa and Tulsa Bone & Joint a winning team!
