The Bucs have promoted Bobby Slater, the team’s head athletic trainer, to vice president of sports medicine. Tampa Bay made the announcement about the well-deserved promotion on Friday.

Slater, who was Jason Licht’s first hire in 2014 upon being named general manager, helped the Bucs have one of the team’s healthiest seasons in recent memory. Tampa Bay only had two players wind up on season-long injured reserve in 2023.

“I thought Bobby and his staff did a great job this year,” Licht said.

Center Ryan Jensen never made it back from his devastating knee from the 2021 season and wide receiver Russell Gage suffered a freak non-contact ACL injury during training camp in a joint practice with the New York Jets. Neither of those injuries were preventable by Slater and his staff.

The Bucs only had a few players go on short-term injured reserve, including running back Chase Edmonds, wide receiver Rakim Jarrett and defensive tackle Mike Greene, but all three returned after a month. Tampa Bay also had fewer hamstring injuries this past year than in previous seasons thanks to Slater and his staff.

The Press Release About Bobby Slater’s Promotion By The Bucs

The Bucs issued a press release about Bobby Slater’s promotion on Friday morning. The following is from the Bucs communications staff:

Bucs general manager Jason Licht and VP of Sports Medicine Bobby Slater – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today promoted Head Athletic Trainer Bobby Slater to Vice President of Sports Medicine. In his new role, Slater will oversee the team’s sports science, strength & conditioning, performance nutrition, and athletic training programs.

Slater, who had been Tampa Bay’s head athletic trainer for the past 10 seasons, will help develop a program to optimize player performance and safety while collaborating with the medical services team who will implement evidence-based recovery protocols and evaluate factors to help predict and prevent future injuries.

Slater joined the Buccaneers in 2014 after 15 years with the Chicago Bears, finishing his time there as the team’s assistant head athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation. Slater began his career with Chicago in 1999 as an assistant athletic trainer, before being promoted to director of rehabilitation in 2002. He held that position for 10 years before adding assistant head athletic trainer to his title in 2012.

He began his career in the NFL with the Bears as a training camp intern in 1994, serving in the same capacity with the Miami Dolphins in 1995 and again with Chicago in 1998.

Before joining the Bears full-time, Slater worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer from 1997-99 at Mississippi State University. He was also an athletic trainer at Lee Memorial Hospital (1997) and A. Kagan Orthopedics in Ft. Myers, Florida (1995-97).

Slater received a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Southern College and a Master of Science degree from Mississippi State. Slater and his wife, Bridget, have three daughters – Savannah, Natalee, and Brooke – and a son, Ryan.