Dr. George J. Davies, PT, DPT, MEd, SCS-E, ATC, LAT, CSCS, PES, CSMS, FAPTA currently serves as Professor of Physical Therapy in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at The University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley and with the Rehab Specialists in the Athletic Department. He is an internationally known speaker who has presented hundreds of conferences throughout the world on sports physical therapy, athletic training, shoulder, knee, orthopaedics, rehabilitation, and isokinetics. George is a clinician, educator, speaker, researcher, author, editor, and consultant. He has been involved in the clinical practice of sports physical therapy and athletic training since beginning as a student athletic trainer more than 60 years ago.
George was the original co-founder and co-editor of The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy in 1979, serving for approximately 10 years. He was also Co-Founder and Co-Editor of Isokinetics and Exercise Science from 1991 to 1996 and one of the founders and original Associate Editors of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach from 2009 to the present.
He served as President of the Sports Physical Therapy Section (AASPT) of the APTA from 1992 to 1998. He received the Peyton Award in 1999, the highest honor from the Sports Physical Therapy Section, recognizing outstanding contributions to the profession. George was the 1994 recipient of the American Physical Therapy Association’s prestigious Baethke-Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching. He was selected as a Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (FAPTA) in 2005 and received the Hall of Fame Award from the Sports Physical Therapy Section in 2006. In June 2007, he received the NATA President’s Challenge Award for Outstanding Contributions to Sports Medicine and was named the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in June 2009. George received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia University in May 2012 and the Lifetime Education Achievement Award from the SPTS in January 2013. In July 2013, he became the first non-orthopaedic surgeon elected to the AOSSM Hall of Fame, the highest honor awarded by AOSSM. In recognition of his role as a co-founder of JOSPT, the George J. Davies–James A. Gould Excellence in Clinical Inquiry Award was established at the journal’s 25th anniversary. Most recently, he was honored with the Federal Section Award for Research at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Boston, MA, in February 2024.
George has authored textbooks, more than 50 book chapters, and hundreds of peer-reviewed articles, along with hundreds of poster and platform presentations at professional meetings including APTA, AASPT, AOSSM, NATA, ACSM, NSCA, ASSET, and SOMOS. His research H-index is 44.
He was one of the original co-founders and co-directors of the first publicly credentialed (by ABPTS) Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program in the United States at Gundersen Health System over 30 years ago and continues to serve as a consultant and clinical mentor. The program maintains a 100% first-time pass rate on the Board Certification Sports Clinical Specialist (SCS) examination. His sports medicine experience includes work at high school and university athletics, four Olympic Games (1980 Lake Placid, NY; 2002 Salt Lake City, UT; 2008 Beijing, China; 2012 London, UK), and 12 years as a consultant, athletic trainer, and physical therapist with the NFL New Orleans Saints during their summer camps in La Crosse, WI.
George has taught in Physical Therapy programs for more than 50 years and continues to maintain an active clinical practice while presenting and publishing research and providing service to the university, community, and professional societies. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, La Crosse, WI.
Through the Davies Family Educational Foundation, George has established annual scholarships at every school and university he attended, including Middle Township High School, NJ; The College of New Jersey (BA, MEd); Columbia University (PT); and MGH Institute of Health Professions (DPT). These scholarships support students pursuing careers in physical therapy, athletic training, or sports medicine. George is widowed and has two sons with MBAs, three grandchildren in graduate school or college, and one grandchild in middle school.
He has been an active athlete throughout his life, participating in multiple sports in high school, serving as captain of the gymnastics team in college, competing as a runner, sub-three-hour marathoner, ultramarathoner, and triathlete at all distances including Ironman. He earned a black belt in karate, worked as a sensei for several years, and is a United States Marine Corps veteran with more than 57 years since service.
