Professor Project: Neal Dutton
By: Carlo Holmberg | Multimedia journalist
Neal Dutton is the the Athletic Training Program Director and associate professor of human kinetics and applied health science. He has his BA in education with a specialty in physical education. Dutton also has a master’s degree in science in health, physical education and recreation with an emphasis in exercise physiology. He has been at Bethel for 37 years. Dutton grew up in northwestern Montana and currently resides in White Bear Lake.
“In a span of about eight days, I found out about the job, was interviewed, and was offered a job.”
Why Bethel?
“It was pretty much a God thing. I didn’t even know what Bethel was when I applied for the job. I found out about the Bethel job from my mentor who saw the job posted on a job board. I called Bethel and I told them I was interested in the job but they said they already closed the applications. He asked me if I knew what Bethel was, and I think he was going to share the Gospel with me. He told me about Bethel and what they were looking for and I said I’m the guy that you’re looking for. He laughed and said send me your stuff. They called me a couple days later and asked me to come in for an interview. In a span of about eight days, I found out about the job, was interviewed and was offered a job. It was pretty much a God thing. Why Bethel? Because Bethel is a place where, not only do we learn our discipline but also learn how to integrate that discipline with our faith.”
What was one success and/or failure in your career?
“I’m not going to take credit for successes because that’s God using us for where he has called us. What Bethel wanted me to do was build and develop an education program in athletic training. It took a while to make it happen, but eventually, with the help of administrators, other faculty and obviously God orchestrating things, we got an education program. What we hope and what want it to do is to educate athletic training students to not only be good athletic trainers but also to see athletic training as a ministry opportunity. We want them to go out and have an impact for the Kingdom. From a career standpoint, I think our program is a success. But I don’t take any credit for it because again, it was a God thing.
“(My failures are) too numerous to count. As an athletic trainer there have been multiple decisions in my 37 years where I would go back and do something over again. I had a JV hockey player who came up to me right before the beginning of a varsity game. I was on my out to the bench and he asked if I could take a look at his ribs. I told him I had to go out to the bench, but I could look at him between periods. I asked what was going on and he said it hurt back here (back of lower ribs.) The only thing I said to him, which I’m thankful I did, was to go to the hospital if there is any blood next time he used the bathroom. Turned out, if I had examined him at that time, I would have seen that he had a lot of tenderness over his kidney. He had contused his kidney pretty bad. He did have blood in the urine. He went to the hospital and ended up staying overnight. That is one situation where I look back and say, ‘yeah I could have taken a few more minutes and been late going out to the bench.’ At the time it didn’t seem like he was in trouble but he certainly could have been. That was a failure I think.”
If you weren’t a professor, what would you do as an occupation?
“I have two that come to mind right off the bat. I love playing music. I would have loved to be a really great guitar player and go on tour. I’ve also always wanted to fly jets. I love flying. I have a friend that had a plane. He took me up and let me fly his plane and I loved that and the idea of yank and bank.”
“God brings people in and out of our lives, that for a season, will have an influence. There is a lot of great people here at Bethel.”
Who or what has influenced you the most? What are your other influences?
“Obviously both my parents, but my dad had a huge influence on me in my younger days. He influenced me in the kind of man that he was and the kinds of things the he liked to do. He got me interested. These, skiing and hunting and fishing, are still things I like to do. Those are things I did with my dad.
“I don’t want to over-spiritualize this but just being at Bethel is an influence. The people that have come in and out of my life throughout my career at Bethel have had a lot of influence on me. God brings people in and out of our lives, that for a season, will have an influence. There is a lot of great people here at Bethel.”
“My wife Beth is also a pretty profound influence on me.”
“My daily walk with God. Hopefully that’s the most important influence.”
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
“Omniscience. To know what’s coming. As an athletic trainer, it would a real advantage to know what’s coming.”
What is your most embarrassing teaching story?
“I had students come and tell me that I gave the same lecture twice in the same week. It was a few years ago. They sat through it, I guess that’s their fault. It was a good review.”
What is the best advice you have been given?
“The thing that comes to mind are the Five Vows for Spiritual Power by A.W. Tozer. It is really practical advice that fits into a lot of what we face; even now on a daily basis. I can look back on these five things and see in my life where I was able to practice them. The Five Vows are: deal thoroughly with sin, never own anything, never defend yourself, guard your words about others and never accept any glory. I read this about 25 or 30 years ago and it’s really been pretty good stuff to follow.”
“I love Bethel’s mission. We want to have an influence on the lives of young people for the Kingdom’s sake.”
What do you love about Bethel?
“I love Bethel’s mission. We want to have an influence on the lives of young people for the Kingdom’s sake. It doesn’t matter what major it is. There is an integration of faith within the content of the major. Hopefully our students leave here with a stronger faith that has been challenged. We want them to be well prepared to go out in their career and in their life. Those two aren’t the same.
“I also love my colleagues and the students that we get at Bethel. I love to see that change in students that occur from the time that they’re freshman to the time they’re seniors. I love to see maturity the occurs in most of them.”
What do you wish to change about Bethel?
“The idea that this a bubble and that we are not the real world. Bethel is closer to what God intended than what’s out there for us. Bethel isn’t perfect, we have our issues.”
What is one critique you have of the Bethel student community?
“ A critique I have, for all of us really, is to work hard and know that nothing is going to be given to you. Give your gifts away for free. You have been given a lot. Give it away and don’t expect anything back. Give your talents and your gifts without the expectation of receiving as a result of what God has given you. Have a servant mentality. Pour into the lives of those around you without expectation of receiving back.”
What is the best moment you’ve had here in your time at Behel?
“I’ve had a lot of good moments after 37 years. When we got notice that our athletic program was accredited was one the best moments. The joy of seeing the hard work that all of the people put in to get to that point was great. We also had failure in there. on our first attempt of verification, we got beat up really bad by the first accreditors that came through. They said we weren’t ready. It was rough. But we circled around and went through the accreditation again and got that letter that said congratulations.
“Having my daughter graduate from Bethel in athletic training was pretty cool too.”
“I have had students who have graduated from the program send emails saying they had opportunity pray with their patients. It gets me choked up.”
What is the best part of working with athletic training students?
“The best part is the day to day interaction and when you see the light bulb go on and you realize they are getting it. I have had students who have graduated from the program send emails saying they had an opportunity to pray with their patients. It gets me choked up.”
How have you or are you making the athletic training program better?
“We have changed the we get our sophomore students involved. They are doing engagement activities now. It is different and in the end I think it will be better because it gives more direction to what they’re doing. One of the engagement activities is to be in along with the doctors in the athletic training room and take notes. It gives them more focus as part of their clinical.”
How has your relationship with your athletic training students changed from when they were freshmen to when they are seniors?
“When they are freshman, and even when they are sophomores, they are scared of me or weary with me. I think when they start to get to know me they realize I’m not scary at all. By the time they graduate and pass the Board of Certification exam, we will have gone from them being afraid of this ‘program director figure’ to us being colleagues.”
