It’s football season and locally, most people are excited about the Dallas Cowboys season (especially so far). There is one person at Brookhaven College who has seen many a Cowboy season roll by up close and personal. Norm Burgess, new radiologic sciences professor, has another job as the radiologic technologist at Texas Stadium.
The National Football League requires that each stadium have a radiologic technician onsite to handle any emergencies or injuries. Burgess has to be present at all home games and has a seat on the field at the 30-yard line. In his almost 20 years, he has taken X-rays of most of the Cowboys major players, though he won’t mention any names because of HIPPA. In addition to players, there have been a number of celebrities who were injured during half-time shows that Burgess has X-rayed.
Burgess has had this position since the mid-1980s, beginning two years before Tom Landry retired as head coach. He started as the back-up technician at the stadium and plans to hold on to the position until the Superbowl comes to Dallas in 2011.
Burgess began his teaching career in January after retiring from work at the health group for Kodak. He was familiar with the program from his time at Kodak and was encouraged to apply for a position in the program. “I love teaching,” says Burgess, “now I’m really doing what I enjoy doing.”
Burgess received his training from the Brackenridge Hospital School of Radiology in Austin and served as an X-ray technician and medic at the 8th field MASH unit Vietnam. He received the Bronze Star almost 30 years after his service ended when he inquired about some paperwork he found as he was cleaning up around his home.
Ask him about the story and welcome him to the college sometime, but don’t ask for tickets to the Cowboys games; he already told me he didn’t get tickets.
