Just days ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Monday Night Football matchup, two Barnett College of Public Health students found themselves in the company of Philly sports legends.
Doctor of Physical Therapy students Mekhi Vance and Erin Fitzpatrick were honored at the Otho Davis Scholarship Foundation’s 2025 Awards Dinner on November 4, joining a lineup that included Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, who attended the event just weeks after his surprise announcement that he would be coming out of retirement to return to his team—and playing his first game of the season tonight, Monday, November 10.
The scholarships honor the late Otho Davis, the longtime Eagles Head Athletic Trainer and one of the pioneers of athletic training in the NFL. Since 1999, the foundation named for him has supported students pursuing careers in sports medicine, athletic training, physical therapy, and sports marketing—continuing Davis’s mission to uplift the next generation of professionals dedicated to keeping athletes at their best.
For Vance, the award was both validation and motivation. “Becoming an Otho Davis Scholarship recipient means the world to me,” he said. “It not only proves to myself that I can achieve my dreams despite the adversity life has thrown at me, but it also shows that every hour of hard work, every single sacrifice I have made, and every moment of dedication to this field has been worth it.”
Fitzpatrick, who reflected on the legacy of longtime Temple educator and ODSF co-founder Jim Solano, added, “It was an absolute honor to receive this scholarship from the Otho Davis Scholarship Foundation. Mr. Solano was a Temple graduate who was dedicated to his profession and giving back to the community. The gift of this award will create possibilities for me to continue pursuing my same passion of serving Philadelphia through volunteerism and my future career as a physical therapist.”
From the training rooms of the Eagles to the classrooms and clinics of Temple, the Otho Davis Foundation’s legacy runs deep. And as Philly fans settle in for tonight’s game against the Packers, these future PTs are already proving that the city’s resilient spirit extends far beyond the field.