D1 Sports Training & Therapy began in 2003 an is based in Franklin, TN. CEO Will Bartholomew, a former NFL and Division I football player, recruited former teammates and other athletes to launch a sports-related business network in the industry of athletic training. The idea of D1, which means Division I Athlete, came from Bartholomew's desire to offer the same sport specific training to athletes that he experienced at the University of Tennessee.