The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has honored Kirk Jones of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges with the Distinguished Service Award for 2024-25.
Previous Recipients
Formerly the Head Athletic Trainer with the Sagehens, Jones has been at Pomona-Pitzer since 1980. He established an internship program with Kaiser Permanente Medical Care where residents rotate through the training room for sports medicine exposure and spearheaded additional partnerships with Pomona Valley Sports Medicine, Casa Colina Hospital and Garey Orthopedics. Considered by many as a mentor and expert in injury prevention and rehabilitation, he was honored with the naming of a space in the new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness by an alumna. The training room at Rains Center provided programs for prevention and treatment of athletic injuries, and conditioning and nutritional programs for 21 varsity sports, intramural, and club sports, as well as the college community.
He has served as an ATC with the National Sports Festival in Colorado, the International Swimming and Diving Championship, the Olympic Track and Field Trials, USA Handball Olympic Team, and served as the Head Athletic Trainer at the Track and Field Championship in West Germany.
"Kirk has been a strong foundation for the Pomona-Pitzer Physical Education and Athletics Department," Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education Dr. Miriam Merrill said. "We are deeply grateful and inspired by his legacy, dedication and unwavering commitment to our student athletes. We are honored to celebrate him and this prestigious award!"
Jones earned a B.S. degree in Physical Education from Chapman University in 1978, where he continued as a graduate assistant through 1979. His emphasis was on sports medicine, with a minor in education. He earned an M.S. degree in Physical Education with an emphasis on exercise physiology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1988.
Jones is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, from which he holds his ATC certification. He has been a past member of the American College of Sports Medicine which included presentation of sports medicine related topics. Research has also been published in the Journal of Physicians and Sports Medicine, the Journal of Post-Graduate Medicine, and Essentials of Sports Medicine. His work has also been reproduced in the NCAA Sports Medicine Guide.
Jones is a Full Professor of Physical Education having taught courses and independent study in the care and prevention of athletic injuries. He has had the privilege and honor of having taught numerous students who have gone on to successful careers in the medical profession. He is in his last year of phased retirement.
Pomona-Pitzer and the SCIAC officially will present the award to Kirk at a ceremony on campus from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
Follow the SCIAC on Threads (@theSCIAC), X - formerly Twitter (@theSCIAC) and Instagram (@thesciac) with hashtags #SCIACtion and #SoCalSoGood. Watch all home SCIAC games, matches, and meets online through FloSports: https://flosports.link/SCIAC