Bancells Honored as Outstanding Alumnus

Richard “Richie” Bancells received the Department of Exercise and Sport Science's Outstanding Alumnus Award at the Department's Honor Awards Day ceremony on April 24. Bancells received his master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1981, where he was a graduate assistant under NATA past-president Bobby Barton for EKU football, basketball and track teams. In 1999 he was honored as a distinguished alumnus of EKU. The Key West, Fla., native began his career with the Orioles’ Rookie League affiliate in 1978 where he served as athletic trainer for the Class A Bluefield Orioles. He served as athletic trainer for the AAA Rochester Red Wings from 1980 to 1983. He has spent his entire Major League athletic training career with the Orioles, the last 24 years as head athletic trainer. Bancells served as athletic trainer for the Major League All-Star Game in 1993 and 2004. He is a member of the Maryland Athletic Trainers Association and their Hall of Fame. In 2011 received the Orioles Advocates Herb Armstrong Award and was named to the Orioles Hall of Fame. Richie is in his third term as the President of PBATS. In 1996, he visited Tokyo to lecture on athletic health care for the Japanese Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (JPBATS). In 2002, Bancells was a part of the Major League Baseball/Japan All-Star Tour. A certified member of the NATA, Bancells was a recipient of the 2011 NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. He is also a two-time recipient of the PBATS Athletic Training Staff of the Year award – 1995 with Jamie Reed and 2011 with Brian Ebel, also an EKU grad. Bancells is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He presently sits on the Major League Baseball Medical Advisory Committee and during the offseason often serves as a lecturer at various seminars. Richie lives in Parkton, Md., with his wife, Carol. They have three children, Christopher, Andrea, Timothy and one grandson, Ryan.

Published on March 10, 2015