Ron Carroll, the head athletic trainer for the Arkansas State University football team, hasn’t missed a game since he was hired in 1976 — a streak currently at 495 games — and the only practice he missed was when he had his gallbladder removed a few springs ago. So he knows a thing or two about who has passed through the program in the past four decades.
On Sundays, the TV in the trainer’s room shows Steelers games. When cameras pan to the sideline, Carroll points out, “He coached at Arkansas State,” and a moment later, “He did, too.