A coach isn't the only one monitoring a sports team's every move from the sidelines. Athletic trainers play an important role, too.

As head athletic trainer of Penn State's wrestling and men's lacrosse teams, Dan Monthley's job includes teaching athletes about injury prevention and rehabilitating injured athletes. He is one of a handful of professional athletic trainers for Penn State sports teams.

Monthley also plays a crucial role during sporting events -- he must know when to pull an athlete out of a game or match due to injury. And he often has to make some tough calls.

About a month ago Dave Hart, a Penn State wrestler, hurt his shoulder in the last seconds of a match. Hart wanted to wrestle in the team's next match, so Monthley allowed him, but when his opponent began yanking on his arm Hart lost control of the match and Monthley and Coach Rich Lorenzo pulled him out.

"The coach is coach and I take care of the injuries," Monthley said. "If we think it's going to hurt the kid, we pull the kid out . . . if someone gets hurt, I'm the first person to do the first evaluation."

If the wrestler can't protect himself from injury he'll be pulled from the match, Monthley said. Although he hasn't seen any serious injuries --meaning gross deformities like a dislocated joint --in any matches, Monthley said he always has a plan of action.

Dan Eck, an athletic trainer for the men's basketball and baseball teams, said he looks at three factors when deciding if a player needs to be pulled from a game.

First, he evaluates the injury to see if it is severe enough to pull the player out. Next, he measures the person's reaction to the injury.

"Two players can have the same injury, some can be ready to play in five minutes, others it could take two days," Eck said.

Finally, he looks at the circumstances -- for instance, the amount of time left in the game.

The better he knows his individual players, the better he's able to evaluate the injuries, Eck said.

The athletic trainers' most important role is preventing injuries, said William Buckley, an assistant professor of health education and head of the University's athletic training program.

For example, Monthley periodically tests wrestlers' knee strength. If a wrestler injurs his knee and needs to rehabilitate it, Monthley knows its strength and the level he needs to work toward.

Monthley and Eck combined their interests in sports and science to become athletic trainers. Eck said it gives him a hands-on involvement with athletes.

Monthley says his experience pays off.

"When you see a kid who can't walk on their own power and then beat his opponent and thrash his opponent," Monthley said. "It's very rewarding to see those people and you're a part of that. . . . You remember the thank-yous."