Ethan Saliba, associate athletic director for sports medicine, wraps up a 44-year career at UVA as the longest-tenured employee in Virginia Athletics. (Virginia Athletics photo)
For more than four decades, University of Virginia student-athletes have counted on Ethan Saliba.
“Every athlete knows that Ethan has their back and he’s going to be there for them,” UVA men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom said. “He’s going to answer the phone. He’s going to be there early. He’s going to stay late.”
Saliba, associate athletic director for sports medicine, is retiring after 44 years at UVA, where he is the longest-tenured member of the athletics department.
A former college football player, Saliba discovered an interest in sports medicine while rehabilitating from injuries. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Kansas and worked as a physical therapist before his career brought him to Charlottesville.
When he arrived in the summer of 1983, Saliba and Joe Gieck were UVA’s only two full-time athletic trainers. The entire athletics department operated out of University Hall.
Off the court, Saliba is a UVA professor, researcher and author who has contributed to more than 70 scholarly articles and co-written a widely used athletic training textbook. (Virginia Athletics photo)
“It was like a gold mine of growth opportunity,” Saliba said.
Saliba rose through the athletics department while building an equally impressive academic résumé. A UVA professor who earned two doctorates, Saliba has contributed to more than 70 scholarly articles. He also co-wrote “Therapeutic Modalities for Musculoskeletal Injuries” with his wife, Susan Saliba, and Craig Denegar. The textbook became a standard in athletic training programs across the country.
His work has earned recognition, including UVA’s Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for excellence and service to humanity and induction into the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame.
Saliba plans to stay busy with projects, properties and plenty of time outdoors in retirement. “I love nature and that kind of thing,” he said, “and it’s very abundant here.” (Virginia Athletics photo)
It has also required sacrifice.
“I’ve spent more Christmases and Thanksgivings in hotels than I have with family,” said Saliba, whose wife is a professor in UVA’s School of Education and Human Development and whose son, Sami, is a UVA graduate.
What comes next is less certain. Saliba expects projects, properties and his love of nature to keep him occupied.
“I love nature and that kind of thing,” he said, “and it’s very abundant here.”
You can read more about Saliba’s legacy at UVA on the Virginia Sports website.
