DAYTON -- Dr. Sean Convery builds bonds with all the student-athletes he treats as the head physician for all sports at the University of Dayton. But in the last year or so he had grown especially fond of Josh Cunningham while helping him come back from knee and shoulder surgeries after the sophomore forward transferred from Bradley.

That's why the gruesome injury Cunningham suffered in the Alabama game in early November was not only devastating to the player, but a blow to Convery and the UD Sports Medicine staff, too. 

"We really love all the kids, but when Josh Cunningham went down at the beginning of the year, we were depressed," Convery said. "He had worked so hard after his surgeries and had come so far. I was at the office, and we had the game on TV , and it was just like, 'Oh my God. Don't tell me.'

"I knew it wasn't good. When (trainer) Mike Mulcahey got out there to him, I was SURE it wasn't good."

Cunningham suffered a torn ankle ligament that required another surgery, and the prospects for playing again this season looked grim. But he embraced the rehab plan devised for him and made it back ahead of schedule to bolster the Flyers as they captured their first outright Atlantic 10 title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season.

"That's what's really cool — when you see these kids recover from this stuff and play again," Convery said.

After 16 years of helping wounded Flyers mend, the 61-year-old Convery is stepping aside as head team physician later this year and will transition into semi-retirement, turning the reins over to Dr. Jeff James.

Convery's medical duties have included virtually everything but surgery. And he'll be remembered for how invested he became in seeing injured athletes have a positive outcome.

"He's cared about the players from day one. He's very trustworthy, and he's always been a friend to the program," basketball coach Archie Miller said.

"He's a true Dayton Flyer guy. That's the one thing that's really good. He's not a guy who's an outside doc. He's living and dying with the games and the players as well."

Convery, who came to UD after long stints as team doctor for Kettering Fairmont High School and then Wright State, doesn't hide his love for the Flyers.

He can rattle off plenty of big wins under coaches Oliver Purnell, Brian Gregory and Miller — though some stand out more than others.

"When we beat Ohio State, I gotta tell you, that was one of the greatest games I've ever been at in my life," Convery said of the 2014 NCAA tournament win, which was a springboard to an Elite Eight trip. "It was just such a huge win. Nobody gave us a chance.

"A lot of the wins were great. You try to forget about the losses — I guess like coaches do."

But as much as Convery revels in the momentous victories, his biggest joys have come from working side by side with high-character athletes like the oft-injured Kendall Pollard and, before that, Chris Wright — along with top-notch coaches.

His career spans the last two seasons of Purnell, eight with Gregory and six with Miller.

"I saw Oliver when we were at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando (in 2011), it was like Old Home Week," Convery said. "I was close to BG and keep in touch with him.

"Archie is an intense guy. He's great to work with. He's very demanding, but he also puts everything into it, too."

Miller joked that he'd prefer never to have contact with Convery, which would mean the Flyers went through a season injury-free. That hasn't happened yet.

As Miller pointed out: "Doctors and trainers can make or break a coach. That's what a lot of people don't understand. Injuries and proper care and proper diagnosis can change a coach's future.

"Doc understands, maybe more so than a lot of people, how important it is to have your guys on the floor as far as winning and losing. The treatments they give, the medicines they give, the thought that goes into surgery — everything is centered around what's best for the kid. But you also have to find a way to get those guys on the floor if they can."

When it comes to when an athlete is cleared, though, Convery doesn't hesitate to assert his authority. And the coaches know who's in charge.

"They do want them back, and we have to explain sometimes that we're going to get them back as soon as possible when it's safe," he said. "But they've all been really good about that. I can't even think of someone who ever tried to interfere with something we were trying to do or rushed it.

"They want them all back tomorrow. That's normal. I'd worry about them if they didn't."

While Convery generally doesn't travel to away basketball games, UD football always has a physician on the road, which is not the norm at the FCS level. And coach Rick Chamberlin recalls a time when Convery had a direct impact on a Flyer win.

"We were playing at Robert Morris in 2011. On the field, it had to be 150 degrees. It was the hottest game I've been involved in," Chamberlin said. "But we knew it was coming, and Dr. Convery was having people hydrating before that game.

"During the game, we had things set up through (equipment manager) Tony Caruso for hydration. And we ended up not getting any cramps, nobody needing IVs."

Chamberlin laughed and added: "It was the first time I felt like Doc kind of patted himself on the back after a game. Their players were going down — cramps, guys being taken off the field. But we didn't have a single problem. It was a well-oiled machine that day."

Convery, who has three grown children with wife Cheryl, plans to stop seeing patients at his Miami Valley South office in June, which should free up time to pursue one of his passions.

"I want to be a better golfer. I've got to work on my game," the Moraine Country Club member said. "I try to play three times a week in the summer if I can, but that goes away when September rolls around."

Though he still plans to help out UD in some capacity, he won't be involved on a regular basis.

He'll be missed.

"He has expertise on the medical side, but he also has the personality to be able to establish a rapport with people that exudes confidence," said Nate Seymour, manager of sports medicine at UD. "With Dr. Convery, you know he has your best interests at heart."