Jim Covert
Encyclopedia
James Paul "Jimbo" Covert (born March 22, 1960 in Conway, Pennsylvania
) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine and a former American football
offensive tackle in the National Football League
for the Chicago Bears
.
, west of Pittsburgh
. In football, Covert led the 1977 Freedom Bulldogs, with an undefeated 11-0 record, to the Midwestern Athletic Conference (MAC) Championship. The Bulldogs eventually lost to Laurel High School in the second round of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL)
playoffs. Covert earned UPI First-Team All-State honors his senior year and became a highly recruited player.
as a defensive lineman. He played in every game his freshman season, primarily in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Covert received a medical red-shirt in 1979 due to a persistent shoulder injury that required surgery. In the spring of 1980, Covert was switched to offensive left tackle where he started for the next three seasons.
Coached by legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore, the 1980 Panthers offensive line featured Covert, Rob Fada, and Paul Dunn sharing the left guard duties; Russ Grimm
at center; Emil Boures at right guard; and Mark May
at right tackle. The Panthers finished the 1980 season with a record of 10-1 and ended the season with a Gator Bowl
victory over South Carolina
. The 1980 Pitt Panthers
also featured four future College Football Hall of Fame
inductees: Covert, Dan Marino
, Hugh Green, and May. The following year, 1981 Pitt Panthers
finished 10-1 again and beat Georgia
in a last-minute victory in the Sugar Bowl
in New Orleans. In both 1980 and 1981 the Panthers finished the season ranked number 2 in the national polls.
In 1982, Pitt finished a disappointing 9-2 despite being ranked number 1 in the preseason. The Panthers eventually lost to Southern Methodist University
in the Cotton Bowl 7-3. An Outland Trophy
candidate in 1982, Covert earned first team All-America
honors in both his junior and senior campaigns, achieving consensus All-America as a senior. Covert played in both the Hula Bowl
and Senior Bowl
, which capped his college career.
Covert was named to the University of Pittsburgh All-Time Team. He was also elected to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2003.
with the sixth selection of the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
. He became an immediate starter at the critical left tackle position and anchored the Bears offensive line throughout the 1980s.
The Bears went from 26th in total offense in 1982 to sixth in the league in 1983. Covert’s addition to the Bears starting lineup began a string of record-setting rushing titles – the Chicago Bears led the league in rushing a record-setting four consecutive seasons, from 1983–1986, which tied the all-time mark, set by the 1939-42 Chicago Bears. The Bears finished second in rushing twice, 1989 and 1990, and third once, 1988, during Covert’s career.
In Covert’s second year in the league, he was elected by his teammates to be the Bears offensive captain, along with running back Walter Payton. That year, he was named All-Pro by Sports Illustrated and was ranked by many as one of the best tackles in professional football. In Covert’s third year, he was named consensus All-Pro, made first-team All-NFL, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and was named 1985 National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year. The 1985 Chicago Bears also won Super Bowl XX
.
During Covert’s career, he was named to an All-Pro team four straight years (1984–1987), a first- or second-team All-NFC selection four times (1985–1987, 1990), and a first- or second-team All-NFL selection three times. Covert was a consensus All-NFL and All-Pro pick in 1985 and 1986. He was selected to two Pro Bowls, in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, he was selected as the Miller Lite NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year.
In 1990, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors selected Covert to the NFL All-Decade Team. With Covert on the team, the Bears won six NFL Central Division titles and played in three NFC Championship games, along with the Super Bowl win.
Covert’s last season was 1990. In 1991, he was placed on injured reserve for the entire season following back surgery, and he announced his retirement from the NFL soon after.
Covert’s healthcare career began at Baxter International
in their Physical Therapy Division, where he served as Director of Sales and Development. In November 1992, Baxter spun out the alternate site business called Caremark into an independent publicly traded company, and Covert served as Vice President of Development for Caremark Physical Therapy from 1992–1995. Covert expanded Caremark’s Physical Therapy presence from 50 to 127 sites in 14 states increasing revenue to more than $120 million.
Caremark Physical Therapy was acquired by HealthSouth Corporation in 1995. Covert was Senior Vice President of Development for Horizon/CMS Healthcare Corporation from 1995–1998. In that position, he was responsible for the merger and acquisition effort as well as all sales and marketing related initiatives. Covert led the growth effort for the Physical Therapy Division as they rapidly grew from 20 to more than 200 sites in a 16-month time frame. Horizon/CMS was ultimately sold to HealthSouth in February 1997.
In 2000, Covert started Keystone Strategies, LLC, a healthcare consulting group focused on assisting emerging healthcare companies with their sales and marketing strategies. In June 2004, Covert joined the turnaround team at HealthSouth Corporation at its corporate headquarters in Birmingham
, Alabama
. As Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Development, Covert had responsibility for all sales, marketing, public relations, sports sponsorship, sports medicine, and acquisition initiatives for the outpatient therapy division. HealthSouth’s Outpatient Division was acquired by Select Medical Corporation
in April 2007.
In May 2007, Covert was named President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine, one of the nation’s foremost non-profit organizations specializing in transfusion medicine and related services, and the leader in transfusion medicine in both the Pittsburgh and Chicagoland regions. Its two blood centers, Central Blood Bank in Pittsburgh and LifeSource in Chicagoland, provide nearly a million units of lifesaving blood products annually. ITxM Diagnostics is a leading source of therapeutic and coagulation reference testing services while ITxM Clinical Services focuses on the pre-transfusion testing and delivery of vital blood products to patients.
Conway, Pennsylvania
Conway is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on the Ohio River. At the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 2,290.- Geography :Conway is located at 40°39'48" North, 80°14'10" West ....
) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine and a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive tackle in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
High school
Covert excelled in both football and wrestling at Freedom Area High School in Beaver CountyBeaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
, west of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. In football, Covert led the 1977 Freedom Bulldogs, with an undefeated 11-0 record, to the Midwestern Athletic Conference (MAC) Championship. The Bulldogs eventually lost to Laurel High School in the second round of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL)
Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...
playoffs. Covert earned UPI First-Team All-State honors his senior year and became a highly recruited player.
College
Covert entered the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
as a defensive lineman. He played in every game his freshman season, primarily in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Covert received a medical red-shirt in 1979 due to a persistent shoulder injury that required surgery. In the spring of 1980, Covert was switched to offensive left tackle where he started for the next three seasons.
Coached by legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore, the 1980 Panthers offensive line featured Covert, Rob Fada, and Paul Dunn sharing the left guard duties; Russ Grimm
Russ Grimm
Russell Scott Grimm is a former American football guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. As a collegian, he was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh. As a professional, Grimm had multi-selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was...
at center; Emil Boures at right guard; and Mark May
Mark May
Mark Eric May is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN.-Football career:...
at right tackle. The Panthers finished the 1980 season with a record of 10-1 and ended the season with a Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
victory over South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
. The 1980 Pitt Panthers
1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 1980 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980 college football season. Despite losing one game, the Panthers were named National Champions by several selectors of national championships including the College Football Researchers Association, the New...
also featured four future College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
inductees: Covert, Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, Hugh Green, and May. The following year, 1981 Pitt Panthers
1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 1981 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1981 college football season. Despite having one loss, the Panthers were selected as National Champions by the National Championship Foundation and Montgomery Full Season Championship, although a national...
finished 10-1 again and beat Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
in a last-minute victory in the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
in New Orleans. In both 1980 and 1981 the Panthers finished the season ranked number 2 in the national polls.
In 1982, Pitt finished a disappointing 9-2 despite being ranked number 1 in the preseason. The Panthers eventually lost to Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in the Cotton Bowl 7-3. An Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
candidate in 1982, Covert earned first team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors in both his junior and senior campaigns, achieving consensus All-America as a senior. Covert played in both the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
and Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
, which capped his college career.
Covert was named to the University of Pittsburgh All-Time Team. He was also elected to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2003.
NFL career
Covert was drafted by the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
with the sixth selection of the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
. He became an immediate starter at the critical left tackle position and anchored the Bears offensive line throughout the 1980s.
The Bears went from 26th in total offense in 1982 to sixth in the league in 1983. Covert’s addition to the Bears starting lineup began a string of record-setting rushing titles – the Chicago Bears led the league in rushing a record-setting four consecutive seasons, from 1983–1986, which tied the all-time mark, set by the 1939-42 Chicago Bears. The Bears finished second in rushing twice, 1989 and 1990, and third once, 1988, during Covert’s career.
In Covert’s second year in the league, he was elected by his teammates to be the Bears offensive captain, along with running back Walter Payton. That year, he was named All-Pro by Sports Illustrated and was ranked by many as one of the best tackles in professional football. In Covert’s third year, he was named consensus All-Pro, made first-team All-NFL, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and was named 1985 National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year. The 1985 Chicago Bears also won Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
.
During Covert’s career, he was named to an All-Pro team four straight years (1984–1987), a first- or second-team All-NFC selection four times (1985–1987, 1990), and a first- or second-team All-NFL selection three times. Covert was a consensus All-NFL and All-Pro pick in 1985 and 1986. He was selected to two Pro Bowls, in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, he was selected as the Miller Lite NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year.
In 1990, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors selected Covert to the NFL All-Decade Team. With Covert on the team, the Bears won six NFL Central Division titles and played in three NFC Championship games, along with the Super Bowl win.
Covert’s last season was 1990. In 1991, he was placed on injured reserve for the entire season following back surgery, and he announced his retirement from the NFL soon after.
Post-NFL Career
Jim Covert’s career after retiring from the NFL has been focused on healthcare sales, marketing and acquisition initiatives.Covert’s healthcare career began at Baxter International
Baxter International
Baxter International Inc. , is an American health care company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat hemophilia, kidney disease, immune disorders and other chronic and acute medical conditions...
in their Physical Therapy Division, where he served as Director of Sales and Development. In November 1992, Baxter spun out the alternate site business called Caremark into an independent publicly traded company, and Covert served as Vice President of Development for Caremark Physical Therapy from 1992–1995. Covert expanded Caremark’s Physical Therapy presence from 50 to 127 sites in 14 states increasing revenue to more than $120 million.
Caremark Physical Therapy was acquired by HealthSouth Corporation in 1995. Covert was Senior Vice President of Development for Horizon/CMS Healthcare Corporation from 1995–1998. In that position, he was responsible for the merger and acquisition effort as well as all sales and marketing related initiatives. Covert led the growth effort for the Physical Therapy Division as they rapidly grew from 20 to more than 200 sites in a 16-month time frame. Horizon/CMS was ultimately sold to HealthSouth in February 1997.
In 2000, Covert started Keystone Strategies, LLC, a healthcare consulting group focused on assisting emerging healthcare companies with their sales and marketing strategies. In June 2004, Covert joined the turnaround team at HealthSouth Corporation at its corporate headquarters in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. As Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Development, Covert had responsibility for all sales, marketing, public relations, sports sponsorship, sports medicine, and acquisition initiatives for the outpatient therapy division. HealthSouth’s Outpatient Division was acquired by Select Medical Corporation
Select Medical Corporation
Select Medical Corporation is a leading provider of specialized health care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Select Medical has 27,300 employees throughout the United States. The company was co-founded in 1996 by Rocco Ortenzio and Robert Ortenzio...
in April 2007.
In May 2007, Covert was named President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine, one of the nation’s foremost non-profit organizations specializing in transfusion medicine and related services, and the leader in transfusion medicine in both the Pittsburgh and Chicagoland regions. Its two blood centers, Central Blood Bank in Pittsburgh and LifeSource in Chicagoland, provide nearly a million units of lifesaving blood products annually. ITxM Diagnostics is a leading source of therapeutic and coagulation reference testing services while ITxM Clinical Services focuses on the pre-transfusion testing and delivery of vital blood products to patients.