David McDonald joined the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in September 2015 as an assistant athletic trainer. He works primarily with men’s basketball while assisting with other sports as necessary.
McDonald comes to UTRGV after serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer at Loyola University Chicago. He was responsible for the men's basketball program and supervision of a sports medicine staff of six certified athletic trainers and two physical therapists.
During the summer of 2014, he worked as an athletic trainer for the Adidas Unrivaled Top 100 Men’s Basketball Camp in Chicago, Ill.
McDonald also spent time at Oregon State University as an assistant athletic trainer, working primarily with the women’s volleyball and men's crew teams.
McDonald began his career with a three-year stint at Lamar University as an assistant athletic trainer. He was also responsible for teaching multiple first aid and athletic training classes in the University's Health and Kinesiology Department.
McDonald began gaining experience in athletic training as student trainer at Oklahoma State, where he worked with several programs, including the men’s basketball and football teams.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in athletic training, McDonald moved on to TCU, where he served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for two years, working with their football team while earning his master’s degree in educational administration.
McDonald also spent the summer of 2006 as an athletic training intern with the Arizona Cardinals.
McDonald is a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and Licensed in the State of Texas. He is also a Licensed Athletic Trainer (LAT) in the state of Illinois and Registered in the State of Oregon. He holds additional Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) and Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) advanced specializations through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
He was the District 4 (GLATA) Chair for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC). Previously he was a member of the District 6 (SWATA) College and University Athletic Trainers Committee (CUATC). Currently, he is an active member of SWATA, NATA, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Originally from Paris, McDonald currently resides in McAllen, with his wife, Gabby, and their dog, Suzie Q.
