The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Robert “Bob” Tarpey, an Athletic Trainer for the Toronto Blue Jays organization since 2006 and a member of UMPI’s Class of 2003, as the next speaker in its 2016-2017 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Tarpey will deliver his talk—On Your Game: A Life in Baseball as an Athletic Trainer—on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
During his talk, Tarpey will discuss his career in baseball and his unique journey to the ball field. He is the recipient of the 2014 Minor League Athletic Trainer of the Year—a national award—and the Eastern League Athletic Trainer of the Year Award by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society. He also was awarded the University’s 2015 Distinguished Recent Alumni Award. That award is given to a graduate who has been out of college between 2-12 years and has distinguished himself or herself in his or her career or service to community.
Tarpey is a native of York, Maine and graduated from York High School in 1999. Baseball was a big part of his life: he played Little League, high school baseball, and even college baseball at UMPI.
When he graduated from the University in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training, he quickly landed an internship with the Toronto Blue Jays as an athletic trainer. He continued to pursue an education and received his Master’s in Athletic Training in 2005 from California University of Pennsylvania. He spent half of a season in the same year with the Mesa Minors, an Independent League team in the state of Arizona. He then began his long-term career with the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2006, serving as an athletic trainer for the Pulaski Blue Jays, a rookie team associated with the Appalachian League. For the past seven seasons, he has served as an Athletic Trainer for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
He has returned to his alma mater several times to guest lecture for the Athletic Training Program, and he visits with UMPI alumni and students during the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association District conference.
Tarpey and his wife Erin reside in Watertown, Mass., and are the proud parents of twins born in August.
The University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series was established in 1999. Each year, the UDLS Committee sponsors four to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. While the emphasis tends to be on featuring visiting academics, it is not exclusively so. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture.
All are invited to attend Tarpey’s Nov. 16 talk. For more information about this event, contact the University’s Community and Media Relations Office at 207-768-9452.