Mayer to be honored at Anderson football contest
Aug. 18—One of the all-time giants of Madison County sports has already lived quite a life and received myriad well-deserved kudos.
At an upcoming Anderson football game, 1969 graduate Dr. Thom Mayer will receive another.
On Sept. 9 at Anderson's home game against Marion, Mayer will be recognized for his induction into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies.
He played three sports at Anderson, earning All-North Central Conference honors in football, wrestling and baseball. He went on to study at Hanover College and Duke University before going on to be the Medical Director for the National Football League Players Association. He has been nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and USA Today has named Dr. Mayer as one of the 100 most important people in the league.
Mayer won the first Red Haven Award in 1969 and returned as the keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary of the award in 2019.
On Sept. 11, 2001, he led the Pentagon Rescue Operation and has served on three Defense Science Board Task Forces in an advisory capacity to the Secretary of Defense.
Highly sought after as a speaker, Mayer has also published hundreds of articles and book chapters and edited or written 20 textbooks.
He may be best known on a national level as the originator of the NFL's concussion guideline program. Mayer fundamentally changed the way concussions are diagnosed and treated, and the topic is a frequent subject of his lectures.
He certainly made his mark on the football field, and his talents helped him achieve greatness in the medical field.
He played on a football scholarship at Hanover, where he graduated with bachelor's degrees in theology, biology and chemistry. He was an All-Hoosier College Conference linebacker and was elected to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015. He was invited to free agency camp with both the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears and was offered a contract by the Bears but chose to continue his education instead.
He then earned his medical degree from Duke, where he has been a Senior Lecturing Fellow. He is considered an expert in emergency medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, trauma and healthcare and is currently a pediatric emergency medicine doctor in Fairfax, Virginia.
He and his wife Maureen have three sons, and Mayer volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the Georgetown Holy Catholic League, Little League and Youth Lacrosse League. Mayer also traveled to Ukraine earlier this year as a part of Team Rubicon and worked as a battlefield physician.
He was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame officially in June, just the latest in a long line of awards and recognitions for Mayer.
Talk about a life well lived. Congratulations to one of Anderson's favorite sons.
Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.
