F. Douglas Reeland

WATERLOO - F. Douglas Reeland, the Coordinator of Sports Medicine at Hobart & William Smith Colleges, passed away Saturday (April 23, 2011) at Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic after a two year battle with cancer. Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday (April 28) at the Palmisano-Mull Funeral Home, LLC, 28 Genesee Street, Geneva. His Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. Friday (April 29) at the Hobart College Chapel, next to 630 Main Street on Hobart Campus.
Contributions in Doug's memory can be made to the Hobart Statesmen Athletic Association Memorial Fund to support Hobart and William Smith Sports Medicine or to the American Cancer Society.
Doug was born on July 10, 1947, the son of Floyd J. and Peg Reeland. He was raised in Bolivar, N.Y. and attended Bolivar Central School, where he starred in football, track, and basketball, playing on county, league and sectional championship teams in each sport, setting records in the high and broad jumps. Wanting to work as a physical trainer from an early age, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1972 with a degree in physical education and began working as an assistant trainer in the Los Angeles Dodger system. He became a certified trainer in 1978. In 1979, he joined the physical training staff of Hobart & William Smith, and he and Shelley made their home in Geneva, later moving to Waterloo. Doug became the Coordinator of Sports Medicine at the colleges in 1981. For thirty years, as the Colleges head athletic trainer, he oversaw the athletic training program, where his good humor, dedication and love of Hobart William Smith athletics benefited generations of the college's students. He was directly involved in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries and other medical conditions for hundreds of Statesman and Heron student-athletes each year. He served as the head trainer for all sports, and directed First Aid and emergency response training of the Colleges' student aides.
In 1986, Doug served as head trainer for the United States Lacrosse Team at the World Championships. He was responsible for bringing several innovations to the Colleges. He championed the purchase of and training on automatic external defibrillators, which in 2003, allowed the schools, staff to save the life of a spectator following a Hobart soccer game. More recently, Doug instituted a comprehensive concussion program to protect student athletes. Today's Statesmen and Herons are administered a computer-based test measuring their ability to concentrate and recall information thanks to Doug's leadership. An active member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, Doug served 18 years on its ethics committee and has been a long time member of the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association. In 2009, Doug was selected as a member of the Allegany County Sports Hall of Fame. At the 2010 Hobart Block H Dinner, he was presented with the Coach Bill Maxwell Memorial Award for his longtime commitment to the Colleges. An integral member of the HWS and Geneva communities, Doug will be greatly missed by the thousands of the alumni, alumnae, students, parents, coaches and friends who relied on his advice and counsel.
He is survived by his wife, Shelley Reeland; daughters, Kelliann and Brittany; his mother, Peggy Riggs; sister, Nancy Gross; nephew, Kyle (Teressa) Gross; niece, Melissa (Steven) Morgan; beloved dog, Casey; in-laws, Dr. Jerry (Lysia) Stonemetz, Kay (Tom) Stonemetz, Linda (Paul) Colbaugh, Paula Stonemetz and several nieces and nephews.
Doug was predeceased by his father, Floyd J. Reeland.