The San Francisco 49ers have added to their Health and Performance staff under Ben Peterson, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Denver Broncos assistant Dustin Little will replace Jeff Ferguson, whom the team fired in January, as the new head athletic trainer.
As Klis points out, Little served the past five seasons as director of rehab under Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos.
The "Greek" tree has sprung another branch.
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) March 19, 2019
Dustin Little, an assistant under Broncos' trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos the past 5 seasons as director of rehab, is the new head trainer of the SF 49ers. Little is a good guy and knows his stuff. 49ers got a good one. #9sports
The 49ers officially announced the move shortly after Klis reported the news.
"We are excited to add Dustin to our health and performance team and believe he is a tremendous fit for our group," said general manager John Lynch via a statement. "A wide net was cast for this search, and we simply kept coming back to him. Our due diligence and a great recommendation from the Broncos organization, which is highly regarded for the care its players, made us extremely confident in bringing Dustin aboard."
Below is a rundown of Little's professional background, as provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
Little joins the 49ers after spending more than five years with the Denver Broncos as an assistant athletic trainer/physical therapist (2014-15), director of rehabilitation/assistant athletic trainer/DPT (2016-17) and director of rehabilitation/assistant athletic trainer (2018). He also spent the summer of 2013 as an intern with the team's medical department.
Little earned his bachelor's degree from the University of South Dakota where he played for the school's basketball and football teams. He went on to earn his master's degree from South Dakota State and later his doctor of physical therapy (DPT) from South Dakota. A member of the professional football athletic trainers society, Little is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and has a certification in applied functional science (CAFS).