NFHS Hall of Famers: Multi-Sport Experience Makes Major Difference
By
The NFHS Voice
National Federation of State High School Associations
July 28, 2026
The theory that athletes in high school need to specialize in one sport in an out-of-school program to progress to the next level was not the theme from the five athletes inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame last month in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At a press conference preceding the 43rd Hall of Fame induction ceremony, five former extraordinary high school athletes – all of whom later excelled at the college, professional and for a few Olympic levels – delivered resounding messages about the importance of playing multiple sports within school-based programs.
Joe Carter, who was a four-sport standout in football, basketball, baseball and track at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, long before his stellar pro baseball career, said he might never have been a successful pro baseball player without his multiple sport career at Millwood.
“If I had played baseball all year long, I wouldn’t have been a professional baseball player because I would have burned out,” Carter said. “Coaches will tell you that if you don’t come out for football in the spring instead of playing another sport, you will be passed up. This is not the case because if you’re good they will find you. I will take an athlete who played two or three sports over an athlete who just played one sport because those guys know how to take advantage of a situation and know how to adjust.”
Jordan Larson, a three-sport participant at Logan View High School in Hooper, Nebraska, before settling into volleyball and leading the University of Nebraska to an NCAA championship and playing in four consecutive Olympics, also pointed to multiple sports as a reason for success.
“I can’t emphasize it enough – playing multiple sports helped me personally,” Larson said. “It helped me adapt and adjust as I got older. I can’t recommend it enough from a young age.
“Playing multiple sports helped shape me health-wise from a longevity standpoint. There’s something to be said for the mind. If you’re on the grind in the same sport, burnout will come.”
Another volleyball standout in the 2026 class was Alisha Glass Childress, who also played basketball at Leland (Michigan) High School and who would later lead Penn State University to three consecutive NCAA volleyball titles and team with Larson on the U.S. squad at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
“Playing for your high school team is so important – it’s such a different experience,” Childress said. “Being in the same program for four years and getting to know the athletes you’re with, I felt like it was family.
“High school was a beautiful time and the beginning of a love affair with sports. I fell in love with the sport of volleyball but also tried a lot of different sports. I played basketball as well. For me, high school is when you start to have an understanding of yourself – reflecting on who you want to be or what you want to achieve.
“The life lessons you learn along the way are so important. The majority of the athletes on our team did not continue on to play past high school. The life lessons you learn as a high school athlete – being a leader, accountability, goal-setting – carry with you the rest of your life.”
Patrick Willis was one of Tennessee’s top two-way football players at Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School who also played basketball and baseball before his hall of fame football career with the San Francisco 49ers.
“Coming from a small town with two red lights, I would say the most fun I had growing up was playing sports,” Willis said. “Life can throw a lot of things at you, and to be able to adjust is amazing. In sports, we’re able to learn these things – the discipline, the toughness, the perseverance. I wanted to be a representative that anything is possible, and it’s not just the ones from the big cities or towns, but ones from small towns also.”
Another proponent of playing multiple sports was Krissy Wendell Pohl, the most dominant player in girls ice hockey in Minnesota history and the national record-holder in goals scored in a season who went to a stellar career at the University of Minnesota and won a silver medal at the 2002 Olympics. In addition to her excellence in ice hockey, Wendell Pohl also played tennis, baseball and softball.
“It was so special for me to be able to play multiple sports,” said Wendell Pohl. “For me, playing baseball, softball and hockey, you had different groups of friends, different roles on different teams, and all of that had an impact and you don’t realize it until later.
“High school is the purest form of sport. What you learn in high school, as you’re learning and growing and developing, those things stay with you. The people who impact you in high school – you will never forget that.”
We urge coaches today to take the message from these five outstanding athletes about playing multiple sports to heart and make that option available to athletes in their schools.
These vital programs help to shape young student-athletes into successful parents, citizens and leaders of our nation for years to come.
Women & ACL Injuries: Know Risks, Steps for Prevention
August 10, 2021
Whether you’re a casual jogger or elite athlete, you’re at risk for an injury to your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). If you’re a woman, you are at even greater risk for these injuries.
But there are steps you can take to prevent them.
“Among athletes, women are more than twice as likely to have an ACL injury than men,” says Nithin Natwa, M.D., a sports medicine specialist and primary care physician at Henry Ford Health System. “Once you have an ACL injury, you are at greater risk for having further soft tissue injuries in the future. That’s why it is important to prevent these injuries and follow your treatment plan if injured.”
What Is An ACL Injury?
An ACL injury is a strain or tear in the ACL, one of the four major ligaments that support the knee so it can flex and bend. The ACL is a strong band of tissue that helps connect your thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (tibia). “An ACL injury usually occurs without contact when you turn suddenly while running or land off-balance on one leg. These actions overload the knee joint and cause the ACL to be torn,” says Dr. Natwa.
In the United States, 100,000 people have ACL injuries each year. Anyone can experience an ACL injury, though athletes participating in sports like football, basketball, soccer and gymnastics are at highest risk. And summer is a peak time for outdoor sports injuries.
Seek immediate care if you have any of these signs of an ACL injury:
• An audible “pop” in the knee
• Intense knee pain and rapid-onset swelling (within hours)
• Loss of range of motion
• An unstable feeling or locking of your knee
The most common treatment for ACL injuries is surgery followed by physical therapy. After treatment, you can expect to return to normal activities in 6 to 9 months. However, peak athletic performance can take up to two years.
Why Are Women At Higher Risk For ACL Injuries?
According to Dr. Natwa, the differences in athletic training techniques for males versus females have left women at greater risk for ACL injuries. “There has been more emphasis on overall conditioning and mechanics for boys participating in sports compared to girls,” he says.
As a result, women are at greater risk for ACL tears and sprains due to:
• Differences in neuromuscular control: Without conditioning from an early age, women may not have the same ability to land and perform athletic motions that men do. For example, women are at higher risk for an ACL injury after landing from a jump.
• Strength imbalance for muscles that support the knee: Female athletes tend to have more defined quadriceps muscles but weaker hamstrings than men, putting them at greater risk for injury.
According to Dr. Natwa, there are many theories about women’s risk for ACL injury that lack scientific evidence, including:
• Width of the pelvis: Some people have suggested that the wider width of a woman’s pelvis puts more pressure on the knee joint and increases the risk for injury. However, this difference has not been shown to impact a women’s risk for ACL tears or sprains.
• Knee anatomy: The ACL runs through a section of the femur called the intercondylar notch. Women tend to have a narrower notch than men. Regardless of gender, individuals who possess smaller notch dimensions appear to be at greater risk for injury than individuals with larger notches.
• Hormones: Men and women have different hormone levels. But there is currently no concrete evidence that female hormones place women at higher risk for ACL injures.
Steps To Prevent ACL Injuries – Conditioning Early, Often
“The best way to prevent ACL injuries is to begin and maintain regular conditioning exercises at an early age,” Dr. Natwa says. “The more frequently you engage in proper exercises, the lower your risk for injury.”
Consult with a sports medicine specialist, physical therapist or athletic trainer to develop a training routine to prevent ACL and other injuries. Your training program should include exercises that:
• Strengthen the muscles that support your knee: Add strength training to build up your calves, hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. These muscles help stabilize your knee as you move. By strengthening these muscle groups evenly, you can lower your risk for injury.
• Improve overall neuromuscular control: Focus on adding neuromuscular exercises that train your nerves and muscles to react and communicate. For example, you may work on your balance by standing on one leg or sit upright on an exercise ball for short periods of time. And core exercises can strengthen the muscles that support your abdomen and back and help improve your posture as you move. These moves can strengthen your joints and help you learn appropriate balance and technique.
“Exercise really is the best medicine. It can improve your balance and agility as you participate in a sport or prevent injury as you move through your daily activities,” says Dr. Natwa. “Consider adding these exercises to your wellness program.”
Dr. Nithin Natwa is a sports medicine doctor who sees patients at Henry Ford Macomb Health Center in Chesterfield and Henry Ford Macomb Orthopedics and Wound Care in Clinton Township.
Want to learn more? Henry Ford Health System sports medicine experts are treating the whole athlete, in a whole new way. From nutrition to neurology, and from injury prevention to treatment of sports-related conditions, they can give your athlete a unique game plan. To find a sports medicine physician at Henry Ford, visit henryford.com or call 1-800-436-7936.