By Kyle Roberts
Lincoln Parish resident and athletic trainer Chris Brister has again been recognized for his outstanding work with student-athletes, both on and off the field.
This past week, the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association named Brister the 2023 Sports Medicine Person of the Year in a vote taken by his peers throughout the state after being nominated by Ruston High head football coach and athletics director Jerrod Baugh, citing Brister’s commitment and tremendous care for the students of Lincoln Parish.
“To know that your head football coach put you up for a prestigious award; it was pretty nice,” Brister said. “It’s a nice feeling to know there’s folks out there that recognize the hard work.”
Dan Gressett, Ruston High principal, once again spoke to how appreciative the school is for all that Brister has done.
“It’s no surprise to me that coach Brister is being recognized again,” Gressett said. “We are very fortunate to have him on staff here at Ruston High. He’s very good at what he does, and he truly cares about taking care of our athletes.”
When asked to share his thoughts on Brister, Baugh said nearly the same thing.
“He is probably the most important person in our school district in terms of what he does for our kids well being on a day to day basis,” Baugh said. “He is definitely invaluable to us and our athletic programs and more than deserving of any and all awards that he gets.”
Ever humble, Brister is a reminder that the real reward at the end of the day is knowing that students and coaches are receiving the best care they can, and under his leadership, Ruston was named 1st Team Safe Sports School by the National Athletic Training Association after years of work alongside former trainer Raeann Stuart.
