Alum is NFL’s First Director of Health and Innovation

Taylor Langon researches and promotes measures to keep National Football League players safe

Sacred Heart University alum Taylor Langon ’16 plays a key role in keeping NFL players safe while performing at their best as the first full-time athletic trainer to be employed through the NFL League Office in her role as director of health and innovation.

Langon’s job, which is the first of its kind for the NFL, comes with a variety of responsibilities, such as overseeing the NFL’s external research. This includes studies with the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) research consortium, which unites the NFL and university athletic programs to explore various health and safety issues. She also works alongside engineering and epidemiology groups to identify key areas for intervention to improve player health and mitigate risks.

In addition, she serves as liaison for the athletic trainers, strength coaches, dietitians and equipment managers for all 32 clubs. She also works closely with the NFL Academy, the league’s football development program for student-athletes, and with the medical planning committee for the NFL Combine, where college football players test their mettle in front of the league’s general managers and coaches.

Langon said her job is a testament to the NFL’s values and concern for player safety. “It shows that the league is continuously striving for improvements in health and safety through research and innovation,” she said.

Langon earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training at SHU, where she augmented what she learned in class by assisting the football, track and field, women’s rugby and men’s volleyball teams. She said the dedicated Sacred Heart faculty ensured that she had the foundation needed to become successful.

“I’m grateful for the athletic training faculty members who designed the program to develop well-rounded professionals with high standards,” she said. “I am forever grateful for the mentorship from SHU athletic trainers Leo Katsetos and Ben Batchelder.”

A longtime football fan, Langon aspired to work with high-profile athletes. To achieve that goal, she continued her education, earning her master’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology from the University of Florida. From there, she accepted a position with Virginia Tech Athletics studying concussions as part of an NCAA-DoD collaboration. After Virginia Tech, she accepted a University of Georgia research position, which was also an NFL and NCAA collaborative initiative focused on making football safer.

When the NFL created a job to help facilitate and expand its NCAA partnership, Langon was a natural choice to fill it. She’d worked on NCAA initiatives for three years, and her experience on the collegiate side was invaluable.

As director of health and innovation, she has worked with various league officials on health initiatives geared toward player longevity and safety. In March, she led the league’s first health and safety conference, which included sports performance support staff from every NFL team.

Her time with the NFL has enabled her to help make football safer for the athletes. “I’m honored because my role is filled with innovation and the ability to positively impact the game,” she said.