Wilson to honor legendary athletic trainer John ‘Doc’ Moyer before season-opener

When John Moyer was hired as athletic trainer at Wilson in 1979 the position was considered “experimental.”

High schools didn’t have on-site athletic trainers in that era; they weren’t sure what they were getting into when they brought in the West Reading High School and West Chester State College grad.

More than 40 years later it’s safe to say the experiment was a success. Wilson was the first Berks high school to have a full-time athletic trainer; now that is commonplace.

Moyer, who retired in 2020, had an impact on the Wilson athletic program as great as any coach or player.

He’ll be honored for his service Friday during a pregame ceremony, starting at 6:30, before the Bulldogs’ football opener against Roman Catholic.

“When I think of Wilson sports, he’s the first name that comes to my mind,” Wilson boys basketball coach Matt Coldren said in a 2020 Reading Eagle article. “You think of ‘Doc,’ (swimming coach) Roy Snyder and (football coach) Doug Dahms. In terms of longevity, nobody matches them.”

Moyer gained the nickname “Doc” his first year on the job and has been known affectionately in such a manner by nearly everyone since.

“He’s been a great supporter of Wilson sports,” Coldren said. “He cared about every sport, about every athlete, and what’s best about for them and team.”

Moyer gained the unquestioned respect of Wilson’s coaches and athletes because he was, as Dahms said, “on top of the game.”

“You knew whatever was the most modern, accepted practice, he was doing,” Dahms said.

Moyer became the first full-time credentialed athletic trainer to work in a secondary school in Berks County when he was hired in 1979.

Moyer dedicated his career to providing high-quality athletic training services for the secondary school athletes of Wilson and athletes across Pennsylvania.

He was also involved in educating future athletic trainers through his work as a Clinical Preceptor for the Athletic Training professional students at Alvernia University, West Chester University, and Millersville University.

Moyer served as President of the Wilson Football Century Club from 2002-2015, was athletic trainer for the Big 33 Classic in 1994 and head athletic trainer for the Reading Rage from 1996-2002.

Moyer’s excellent work as a secondary school athletic trainer has been recognized with his induction into the Wilson Football Century Club in 1991, the Berks County Basketball Officials Association Community Service Award in 2001, and Sportsperson of the Year by the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

He also was inducted into the Wilson Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and Berks County Football Coaches Association and Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Halls of Fame in 2015.
At the state level, John was a member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society (PATS) for over 40 years, serving as that organization’s President and Past President from 2014-2018.

Moyer’s other PATS activities include serving as a member of the PATS Secondary School Committee, Continuing Education Committee, and Secondary School Sub-Committee on Concussion Education in Pennsylvania, and he has been the PATS Liaison to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee since 2000.

One of Moyer’s most impactful contributions to Athletic Training in the state of Pennsylvania has been through his work as the Chair of the PATS Department of Health Committee on Concussion Education for Youth Sport Coaches, Parents, and Athletes. He led that group’s efforts to secure over $400,000 in grant support from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to promote concussion awareness and training across the Commonwealth.

His dedication to athletic training in Pennsylvania was recognized with the PATS Service Award in 2007 and the PATS Distinguished Merit Award in 2013 for his outstanding contributions and demonstrated dedication to the promotion of athletic trainers in Pennsylvania.

The impact of John’s good work also was recognized regionally and nationally with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Service Award in 2013, the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association (EATA) Henry Schein Award, and the Gatorade Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in 2017, as well as with the NATA’s Excellence in Leadership Award in 2018 and induction into the EATA ’49 Club (Hall of Fame) in 2019.

John and wife Jocelyn have two children, Drew and Kyle. Kyle is the assistant athletic trainer at Wilson.