McCaughey Fund Expands to Reach Grad Students
The fund’s annual scholarship is the first of its kind in Connecticut
Sacred Heart University’s Patrick McCaughey ’97 Fund, which has awarded scholarships to SHU’s athletic training students since 2008, now provides funding assistance to students seeking master’s degrees in the field.
McCaughey was a SHU alum and a dedicated and popular athletic trainer who died suddenly at age 31 in 2007. His family, friends and classmates established the fund in his memory the following year to assist SHU athletic training students who are in good standing. It is the only scholarship exclusively designated for SHU athletic training students.
As the athletic training program has evolved, so has the fund, which now supports annual scholarships for graduate students seeking this degree. Sacred Heart’s athletic training graduate program is the first of its kind offered in Connecticut.
“Per our educational accreditation body, all professional-level athletic training programs were required to transition to the graduate level by 2022. Now that the transition has been made, we are looking forward to the program’s future growth,” said Stephanie Clines, director of SHU’s athletic training program.
“The scholarship is awarded to a student who, like Patrick, demonstrates authentic enthusiasm and passion toward the athletic training profession and intends to pursue that career after graduation,” she added.
Clines said she never had the chance to meet McCaughey but understands from conversations with his family and friends that he “did not come to SHU with the intention of becoming an athletic trainer. It was here that he found the profession and fell in love with it, making his passion for the field even more genuine. Patrick truly was a devoted athletic trainer who was loved by all who knew him.”
She noted that, in addition to his family’s services upon his death, a memorial service in McCaughey’s honor took place in the auditorium of his alma mater, Jonathan Law High School in Milford, showing the significant impact he had on that school’s community, too.”
Kevin Joyce ’00 and Kevin Vining ‘97 were classmates of McCaughey and co-founders of the scholarship fund. Joyce earned a bachelor’s degree in human movement/sports medicine from SHU and then pursued a career in athletic training. He now serves as head athletic trainer at SUNY Oswego. While an undergraduate at SHU, Joyce was a four-year member of the track and field team and also spent his first two years on the soccer team.
“When I was a freshman, Patrick was a mainstay in the old athletic training room,” Joyce said. “I got to know him through there, and he was always willing to help out even an annoying freshman like myself. News of his passing was a shock, and this scholarship was one way Kevin and I thought we could honor his memory, his work and his spirit.”
Vining is the head football coach, science teacher and former director of athletic training at Hebron Academy in Maine. He received his degree in psychology and athletic training from SHU. Vining also played football for the Pioneers and was among one of the first athletic training students to become licensed and certified. He got to know McCaughey as a student-athlete while he was finishing his fifth year at SHU. “Patrick truly represented the Pioneer spirit. We were devastated to hear of his passing and wanted to do something outside of the traditional flowers or remembrance gift at the funeral service,” Vining said. “I’m proud to have worked with Kevin Joyce and the many, many folks at SHU to bring this scholarship to its current level.”
The Patrick McCaughey Scholarship aligns well with SHU’s mission, said Clines. “Having a scholarship devoted solely to SHU athletic training students enables us to provide opportunities to future athletic trainers who, like Patrick, want to use their professional platform to make a positive impact on the community,” she said.
Scholarship qualification information can be found on the College of Health Professions website.