Geoff Kaplan is in his 12th season with the Houston Texans and serves as the director of medical administration. He spent his first 10 years with the team as the senior director of sports medicine / head athletic trainer after 14 seasons as an assistant athletic trainer with the Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers. The 2020 season marks Kaplan's 28th year in the NFL.
In his role, Kaplan serves as the Texans' infection control officer and is responsible for all aspects of the implementation of the COVID-19 safety and hygiene guidelines in the team facility. He also oversees a variety of the organization's medical processes and spearheads research into innovative rehabilitation and recovery techniques.
Kaplan and his staff were recognized by the Pro Football Athletic Trainers Society as the 2013 Athletic Training Staff of the Year, an annual award voted on by all NFL athletic trainers. It was the second time Kaplan has won the award, first doing so following the 2000 season as a member of the Tennessee Titans training staff.
Kaplan joined the Houston Oilers full-time in 1995 after serving as a season-long intern in 1994. Prior to joining the Oilers, Kaplan was a season-long intern with the Green Bay Packers in 1993.
A native of Parsippany, N.J., Kaplan earned his degree in physical therapy and a certificate in athletic training from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He continued his education by becoming a certified strength and conditioning specialist in 1997 and completed his master's degree from Tennessee State University in the summer of 2003.
In 2005, Kaplan was certified as a clinical specialist in sports physical therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists. Kaplan frequently lectures on a variety of sports medicine topics, including the rehabilitation of athletic injuries, to local and national organizations, hospitals and universities.
Kaplan has continued to advance his education, becoming certified in Graston soft tissue mobilization (2009) and Functional Dry Needling (2013).
Geoff and his wife, Shelly, have two sons, Everett and Sawyer. They reside in Missouri City, Texas.
