The Charlotte 49ers have hired Tony Cordova as director of sports medicine. In this role, he will serve as the head athletic trainer for the football program.
Cordova spent 14 years as an athletic trainer at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he was promoted to associate director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer in January 2019. He directly oversaw the medical services for the Miners football program. He also served as the designated athletics health care administrator for the university and was a member of the Miners senior administrative staff.
A certified athletic trainer for the past 23 years, Cordova worked as a student trainer at UTEP while earning his undergraduate degree. He completed a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from UTEP in 1997 and a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of New Mexico while serving as a graduate assistant with the football program.
Cordova worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2000 as an athletic trainer in the team’s minor league system and stayed with the organization until 2006. His time with the Dodgers included stops in Rookie League Yakima, Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A Las Vegas. He twice served as an athletic trainer in the Arizona Fall League during his time with the Dodgers. In 2006, he was named minor league athletic training coordinator for the organization and was voted Pacific Coast League Athletic Trainer of the Year at the end of the season.
A medical service volunteer for the United States Olympic Committee, Cordova has served as athletic trainer with USA Taekwondo for regional and world events. He was named to the 2011 Pan American Games medical team in Guadalajara, Mexico.