Former UNL trainer develops football collar to help prevent concussions

The marching band, the cheerleaders, the fans – they’re the sounds of a football game that Americans love to hear. 

But under the bright lights of a Friday night contest, there’s one sound that many parents have come to fear. 

It’s the pop of those big collisions that can cause concussions. 

Studies by the Institute of Medicine and Journal of Athletic Training show that every year around 300,000 high school athletes suffer concussions. 

Around 20% of those concussions come in high school football games. 

Jeff Chambers worked as athletic trainer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1979-83. 

With over 35 years of certified athletic training experience, Chambers has seen player after player go down with injury – and he decided to try and help change that.”

“Concussions are something that is keeping athletes at all levels from playing the game they love and want to play,” Chambers said. 

Chambers founded the company Guardian Athletics, which recently rolled out a new product he hopes will prevent head injuries called the Kato Collar. 

It’s installed inside a player’s shoulder pads, and Chambers says it can reduce the speed of a player’s head after impact by 30%. 

Experts say concussions are caused when the brain makes contact with the inside of the skull, most often while the head is spinning. 

Chambers says by slowing down the head and neck, the Kato Collar reduces the likelihood of injury. 

Since going to market in April, Chambers says the collar is in 40 universities and colleges across the United States, including the University of Oklahoma, Florida State University, and the University of Virginia. 

He says five NFL teams have also ordered the collar, including the New England Patriots. 

Two players in Friday night’s Lincoln High-North Platte football game wore Kato Collars during the game. 

Chambers sent one to UNL to try ahead of Saturday’s contest with Purdue, but said Friday he didn’t know if it would be worn during the game. 

Chambers says dozens of parents have ordered collars for their kids, and that he’s working to get the product into all levels of the game by 2019. 

Growing up around the game of football, including watching his father coach, Chambers says he has always had a passion for keeping players on the field and healthy. 

“I did this because I wanted to protect the head beyond where the helmet could go,” he said. “Football is America’s game – and we wanted to make the game safer.”

You can find more information about Kato Collars on Guardian Athletics website: https://guardianathletics.com.