Dr. Quinton Sawyer began his tenure in 2018 as the Associate Head Athletic Trainer for the Charlotte Hornets. Sawyer previously spent two seasons as Assistant Athletic Trainer and Sports Science Coordinator for the Phoenix Suns and has also served for five seasons as the head athletic trainer for the Michigan State University’s men’s basketball team. Prior to his arrival in East Lansing in fall 2011, the Camden, North Carolina native spent two years as the head athletic trainer at Campbell University, where he was responsible for coordination and oversight of all athletic training services for the Division I Athletic Department. Sawyer joined the Fighting Camel program after spending three years at Southeastern Louisiana University as athletic trainer for the Lions’ men’s basketball and volleyball teams. Prior to joining the Southeastern staff, Sawyer spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at North Carolina, working with the Tar Heel men’s junior varsity basketball team along with the UNC swimming and diving teams. Sawyer was also a game day assistant athletic trainer with the Tar Heel varsity men’s basketball team, where he was a part of the 2005 NCAA National Championship run.

A 2004 graduate of UNC, Sawyer spent two summers as a certified intern athletic trainer in the NFL with the Denver Broncos for the organization’s training camp. Sawyer earned his master’s degree in exercise and sport science from UNC in 2006. Sawyer completed his Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) degree through A.T. Still University in 2017 and has served as a clinical preceptor for athletic training students for over a decade. During the summers of 2004-07, he was a research assistant with JUMP-ACL (Joint Undertaking to Monitor and Prevent ACL Injury), a collaborative multi-site prospective cohort study of neuromuscular risk factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries. The study enrolled over 5,000 subjects and was based in the U.S. Military, Naval and Air Force academies. Sawyer completed a two-week volunteer rotation at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York during the summer of 2013 where he was the athletic trainer for the Women’s Junior National Volleyball Team. He has also volunteered on the medical staff for the Boston Marathon in 2010, 2014, and 2015. Sawyer has completed several volunteer experiences with USA Basketball, including serving as the athletic trainer for the Select Team during the ramp up to the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, and serving as an athletic trainer for the Men’s National Team for the 2023 World Cup in Manilla, Philippines. Sawyer also participated in the Basketball Without Borders Africa camp in Cairo, Egypt in the summer of 2022.

He has received several honors throughout his career, presenting his master’s thesis and his doctoral research at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association symposium. Sawyer is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and has attained the Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) and Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Sawyer also has completed his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Quinton and his wife, Lauren, were married in May 2015 and are the proud parents of daughters Laila and Olivia.