Northeast Texas Community College Athletic Trainer Justin Hargrove will be one of four Athletic Trainers and two Physicians inducted into the East Texas Athletic Trainers Association (ETATA) Hall of Honor on January 11, 2025 at the ETATA Annual Student Athletic Trainer workshop to be held at East Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas.
Justin will join fellow Athletic Trainers Andrew Cage, Stephanie Elliott, and his mentor and former co-worker Randy Nolen as Athletic Trainer inductees. Dr. Randy Williams and Dr. Allison Tobola will also be inducted as Physicians for their many years of service to athletes in East Texas.
Justin is a native of Mount Pleasant, Texas graduating from Mount Pleasant High School in 1994. Hargrove attended Howard Payne University (HPU) in Brownwood, Texas, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in All Level Physical Education in 1998. Justin obtained his Master of Science degree in Athletic Administration from Texas A&M University--Commerce in August of 2019. During his time at HPU, he served as a Summer Intern Athletic Trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994 & 1995 under the direction of Hall of Fame Athletic Trainer Otho Davis, and with the Dallas Cowboys in 1996. Upon graduation in 1998, Hargrove served as a Seasonal Assistant Athletic Trainer for the New York Jets for the 1998 Season. Justin has also worked for an Orthopedic Surgeon in Brownwood, Texas, Dr. Marlen Strefling, in a Physical Therapy Clinic in Longview, Texas and the Secondary School Setting (2004-2017) at Mount Pleasant High School as Athletic Trainer.
Justin Hargrove joined the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) in 1995, and has been a licensed Athletic Trainer since 1998 and obtained his National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification in 2000. Justin arrived at Northeast Texas Community College as the Athletic Trainer and Instructor of Human Performance in 2017. In February of 2019, Justin added the additional duties of Assistant Athletic Director for NTCC. With the completion of his Master’s degree he now he serves as Director of Human Performance in the Associates of Science Human Performance degree program at NTCC.
At Northeast Texas Community College, Justin has built the Athletic Training and Human Performance programs from the start. Both programs had not existed at NTCC prior to his arrival in August of 2017. The Associates of Science in Human Performance has seen tremendous growth since its inception in 2017. The Athletic Training program has grown from working off of couches and the back of his truck to a full athletic training facility and a mobile athletic training trailer under his direction.
In his role as Assistant Athletic Director, Hargrove serves as game day administrator, assist with staff evaluations and hires, writes press releases, works with coaches on NJCAA Compliance, and started and coordinates a weekly coaches show on a local radio station. Justin assist in all aspects of public relations and fundraising for the athletic department and recently worked to bring in digital ticketing for athletic events.
Justin served on the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association (SWATA) Secondary Schools Athletic Trainers Committee from 2015-2018 and joined the SWATA Public Relations committee from July of 2018-July 2021. In 2018, Justin joined the NATA District 6 AT’s Care team as well. Hargrove joined the SWATA Symposium Program Committee in 2022. Starting in June 2024 Justin began serving on the NATA Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Justin served on the Sulphur Springs ISD Health Science Advisory Board from 2020-2024, the Titus County First Responders Respond Organization Board, Secretary/Board Member of the Titus County Firefighters Association and Member of the Mount Pleasant Rodeo Association. Justin volunteers in the sport of Rodeo as well coordinating the medical coverage for the Mount Pleasant PRCA Rodeo, volunteers with Justin Sports Medicine, Rodeo Sports Medicine Team, LLC, and T. Spoon Rodeo Sports Medicine. In his spare time, Justin serves as a Volunteer Firefighter for the city of Mount Pleasant Fire Department and Fire Chief with the Nortex Volunteer Fire Department in Titus County, Texas which services the area around NTCC. In 2022, Hargrove joined the NTCC EMS Program Advisory Board.
“I am greatly humbled and honored to be a part of such a great group of Athletic Trainers here in East Texas. I have had the privilege of working in East Texas almost my entire career. Several of the previous honorees were and still are my mentors whom I still call on today for advice and so to be honored alongside them is something I never imagined would happen,” Hargrove said.
Justin got started in this profession thanks to his parents Randy and Sandra Hargrove who allowed him to explore many different sports as a kid growing up. Randy Nolen was his first Athletic Trainer and later co-worker and boss twice. Along the way Hargrove has worked for many athletic trainers in addition to the fellow student trainers he was able to work alongside with and even the “opposing” athletic trainers he faced yearly whom helped mold him into the athletic trainer he is today.
Another key person he wanted to thank is Richard Davis, Richard came to Mount Pleasant his senior year and really taught him a lot and then was responsible for his journey in the NFL which has led to many relationships and opportunities over the years. Justin was able to work with Richard’s legendary father Otho Davis for two summers with the Philadelphia Eagles moving on in 1996 for one summer with the Dallas Cowboys and a full season with the New York Jets in 1998. Hargrove wants to thank Jim Maurer and Britt Brown of the Dallas Cowboys for taking a chance on him early in their career with Dallas also. According to Hargrove, “While most people think of Professional sports as the pinnacle of the Athletic Training profession, and I did learn a lot in with those Athletic Trainers, I do not look on my time in the Clinical setting, Secondary School setting or the Collegiate setting as any less fulfilling. If anything, I think my role in helping athletes at those levels stay playing the game they love or returning the field after injury is even more rewarding as I have done so with less resources at my disposal”.
The ETATA is an association comprised of professional athletic trainers from around the East Texas area. It was created to promote the profession, educate the students, enhance learning and provide scholarship opportunities. The East Texas Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Honor was established in 2021, with the purpose of providing a highly visible and prestigious means of recognizing individuals who significantly contributed to Athletic Training in the East Texas community.
