From 1976 to 2008, Bill Bean served with the athletic training staff at the University of Utah and he became a member of both the Utah Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Training Association Hall of Fame.
“He was a great person, did a great job for the program and was a valued member of the Utah Athletics family. He will be missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.” — Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham on the passing of longtime Utah athletic trainer Bill Bean
Bean, the former director of sports medicine, died on June 20.
During his time at Utah, he helped thousands of student-athletes while he mentored many student athletic trainers.
“Bill Bean was a beloved member of the Utah Athletics family, whose care and expertise touched the lives of so many student-athletes, coaches and staff,” said Utah athletic director Mark Harlan in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family and we join them in grieving the loss of such a special person who gave so much to Utah Athletics, and everybody who was fortunate to know him.”
“Bill was the athletic trainer for football when I first arrived on campus in 1994,” said football coach Kyle Whittingham. “He was a great person, did a great job for the program and was a valued member of the Utah Athletics family. He will be missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Bean played an important role in collaborating with the athletic department and sports medicine doctors.
“Bill Bean made an impression on everyone he worked with,” said Trevor Jameson, Utah’s director of athletic training. “He cared about people. He helped others in any way that he could. It wasn’t just enough to do a job, but to somehow help people grow while we all did the job together. I’m grateful that I am a beneficiary of his mentoring. Bill’s legacy is the way he affected others, and we try to honor him by doing our jobs like Bill did.”
In honor of Bean’s contributions and legacy, his family has established a memorial fund that will be used to recognize athletic trainers and the work they offer.
More information on the Bill Bean Memorial Fund can be found here.
