COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Athletics Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine Rex Sharp has announced his retirement from a Hall of Fame career that spans across two-and-a-half decades. In 1996, Sharp was named the third head athletic trainer in school history, and went on to carve out his own place in Missouri history as the man who directed the operation of the Dr. Glenn L. McElroy M.D. Sports Medicine Center, Mizzou’s primary treatment and rehabilitation center and one of eight on-campus, fully equipped athletic health care facilities.
“Rex Sharp has faithfully served Mizzou’s student-athletes, coaches and staff for the last 25 years, and will be greatly missed,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “Not only did he provide tremendous care to our student-athletes and help build some of the nation’s finest sports medicine facilities, but he was also responsible for nurturing several young men and women who have gone on to successful sports medicine careers around the country. We wish Rex well in his retirement and look forward to honoring him when circumstances will allow us to do so.”
The four-time Hall of Fame inductee oversaw a staff of 16 full-time nationally certified athletic trainers, three certified graduate athletic trainers, and approximately 50 undergraduate athletic training students, all of whom combine to provide an integrated and comprehensive athletic health care program for Mizzou Athletics. He earned the title of Associate Athletic Director/Sports Medicine in 2011.
In addition to his oversight responsibilities as Associate Athletic Director/Sports Medicine, Sharp worked collaboratively with the clinical athletic health care staff assigned to Mizzou Football, a welcome change after serving the previous 23 years as the primary athletic heath care provider for Mizzou Football. Sharp also served as adjunct faculty in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Mizzou. In addition, he served an eight-year tenure as one of 10 collegiate athletic trainers in the nation on the prestigious College and University Athletic Trainers’ Committee, and was Chairman of the Big 12 Conference Medical Aspects of Sport Committee. Sharp and his staff were twice recognized (2000 and 2011) as the Big 12 Conference Athletic Training “Staff of the Year.” With Mizzou’s transition to the Southeastern Conference in spring/summer of 2012, Sharp continued a prominent athletic health care role as the Mizzou representative to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Sports Medicine Committee and as the NCAA Athletics Health Care Administrator for Mizzou.
He is also a vital contributor to the Mizzou Integrated Healthcare Team (IHT) formed in 2015 to provide mental health support for Mizzou student-athletes. Other IHT members include a sports medicine/primary care physician, psychiatrist, counseling psychologist, nutritionist and athletic performance team representative. Furthermore, in part due to Sharp’s educational vision, directio, and persistence, in January of 2012 Mizzou approved a new undergraduate athletic training education program. The undergraduate Athletic Training Program began accepting cohort athletic training students and pursuit of national accreditation in January of 2013. National accreditation was granted in April, 2016. The new undergraduate curriculum has further enhanced Sharp’s legacy at Mizzou, which already boasted a number of successful graduates of the MIZZOU clinical athletic training program, and many former athletic training staff members that have ascended professionally following their time working with Sharp at Mizzou.
The native of New Albany, Indiana Sharp spent 11 years as the Head Athletic Trainer at Ball State University where he had primary clinical responsibility for the football program, in addition to coordinating the sports medicine efforts for the 20 sport program at Ball State and serving as the clinical coordinator for the nationally recognized Ball State University Undergraduate Athletic Training Program. He supervised a staff of three full-time assistants, along with a number of graduate assistants and undergraduate athletic training students. During his tenure at Ball State, Sharp mentored well over one hundred athletic training students, many of whom are now practicing athletic health care professionals.
A 1979 magna cum laude graduate of Ball State, Sharp was the 1978 recipient of the Robert H. Gunn Scholarship, presented annually by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association to the nation’s outstanding student athletic trainer. In addition, Sharp received the 1979 Post Graduate Scholarship from the National Football League. He earned a Master of Science degree in Biology (Exercise Physiology) from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan in 1983.
Sharp taught high school Biology in New Albany from 1979-81, was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Michigan Tech from 1981-83, and was the very first certified Head Athletic Trainer in school history for Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State) from 1983-85.
Rex and his wife Eileen have a daughter, Audrey, and twin sons Adam and Jered. Sharp is quick to credit Eileen and the children for providing him the drive and motivation in the pursuit of excellence.
In the summer of 2005, Sharp was named and then initiated into the Ball State University Cardinal “Ring of Honor” in a ceremony at the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. In January of 2017, in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of sports medicine both nationally and in the state of Missouri, Sharp was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mo. In June of 2018, Sharp was inducted into the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association Sports Medicine Hall of Fame, followed by an induction into the New Albany (IN) High School Hall of Fame in September of 2018.
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