CARLISLE, Pa. — Oftentimes, the teams that stay healthy throughout the rigors of a football season usually enjoy long playoff runs.
The athletic training staff for the Kansas City Chiefs has had their work cut out for them, but with many of the staff hailing from Central Pennsylvania, they're up for the challenge.
Julie Frymyer, an assistant athletic director, and physical therapist with the Chiefs is a Warwick grad.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes mentioned her by name when speaking to the media about how the training staff had done a good job in prepping his ankle for the AFC Championship game.
"Julie did a great job in giving me enough range in mobility that I was able to protect myself and at the end of the game there I had a run to get the first down and got us into field goal range," Mahomes said.
Julie was brought to Kansas City by another District Three product, Carlisle's Rick Burkholder, who you could say is in the family business.
"I'm Richie 'Burkie' Burkholder. Most of the people call me 'Burk.' In June, it'll be 63 years that I've been at this position I'm the guy that started the position," said Rick's dad, Rich.
With his 86th birthday on the horizon, Rich Burkholder is still the head athletic trainer at Carlisle High School.
However, 'work' wouldn't be the word he'd use.
"I couldn't have picked a better profession to be in,": exclaimed Rich. "You work with kids, you're around the sports all year, I never have to pay a fee to get into the game. The thing that's great about this, I enjoy doing this and they pay me for it!"
A young Rick would go with his dad to conventions and conferences as a kid and leave with bags full of athletic tape. Rick has come a long way as the Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance for the Kansas City Chiefs. It's a role he took after becoming the Head Athletic Trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid.
"They are very, very close friends now. Andy is about six or seven years older than him and they're like, I guess, brothers," said Rich. "He really depends on Andy to back him and Andy does."
Most times, a phone call between Rich and Rick is about family. But every now and then, some 'tips of the trade' are discussed.
"One day he called me and said, 'Dad, how's that quadricep taping that you did on your athletes? I have Jerome Bettis here and I'm going to give him that taping job because I was really impressed with that," recalled Rich. "That made me feel pretty good."
And this group has made the Chiefs player feel better, as they get ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday.
"Trainers are an exceptional group of people," said Rich. "They don't get much credit."