Bruce Fishbach will return for his sixth season as the Head Athletic Trainer for the X’s during the 2024 season. Fishbach, a certified athletic trainer, served as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at the University of South Dakota from 1987 until he became Director Emeritus in 2021. He also served 34 seasons with the South Dakota Coyotes before retiring in the summer of 2021. As the Head Trainer for the USD Men’s basketball team, he led a staff of nine certified trainers.
Since 1984, Fischbach’s services have been utilized at a wide variety of athletic events. He has worked as a special-events athletic trainer at the College World Series, the NCAA Division II Indoor National Track Meet, the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, the Orange Bowl, and the South Dakota High School Football Championships. He is currently the head trainer for the U23 Team USA Wheelchair Basketball Team and is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Fischbach was inducted into the South Dakota Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Hall of Fame in June of 2014. He has served as president, vice president and secretary/treasurer for the SDATA and has been on the Mid American Athletic Trainers’ Association’s board of directors.
Over the years, he has continually advocated for the athletic training profession. Prior to his arrival at USD, Fischbach was a trainer for the Kinston Eagles, formerly of the Carolina League. While a student at the University of Nebraska, he worked as a student trainer for the Cornhuskers. Fischbach received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984 from Nebraska, and in 1991 he obtained his master of sport science degree from the United States Sports Academy. He and his wife Kelly have three children: Ryun, Kylie, and Dylan. Fishback resides in Vermillion, South Dakota.
