1888 – 1957

Roland Bevan, a pioneer in the physical conditioning of athletes, was the New York Touchdown Club’s 1942 College Football Man of the Year. Hailed as the “Muscle Man of the Maumee,” Bevan cared for athletes at Dartmouth University and West Point after making his name as one of the most successful football coaches in the nation.

1893 – 1972

Samuel “Doc” Bilik was one of the earliest medical doctors to devote his time to athletic injuries; at age 21 he wrote “The Trainers Bible,” one of the first texts dealing with athletic training. Bilik also manufactured a line of athletic training supplies. He was an early recipient of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Citation Award.

1894 – 1971

Wilbur Bohm, the Washington State University head athletic trainer before becoming an osteopathic surgeon, helped define sports medicine by writing books and filming a 1941 documentary on charley horses and sprained ankles. Bohm – with Jake Weber, Billy Morris and the Cramer brothers – was a member of the first athletic training squad to serve a U.S. Olympic Team, in 1932 in Los Angeles.

1886 – 1953

From 1913-47 David “Matt” Bullock saw to it that football stars like Red Grange, George Halas, Buddy Young and other Fighting Illini stayed healthy. During his 34-year career at the University of Illinois, Bullock cared for more than 40,000 athletes.

1897 – 1973

Mike Chambers compiled a long and distinguished career as the first athletic trainer at Louisiana State University. Chambers, who worked at several all-star games in the south, was so popular during his stint at LSU that the school’s mascot – a live Bengal Tiger – still bears his name.

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It isn’t exactly true that Earl “Click” Clark was Washington University’s athletic trainer all of his life; he was there for just 32 of his XX years. During this tenure at WU, Clark gained a reputation as a deft, intelligent athletic trainer. Clark played and later coached football before joining the Washington athletic training staff in 1927.

1892 – 1984

When Chuck Cramer concocted a balm to ease his sprained ankle, he launched an industry that has complemented sports medicine since 1922. Cramer went on to produce a number of athletic training products with his brother, Frank. They served on the first-ever Olympic athletic training staff, in 1932, and they organized and funded NATA in its early years.

1888 – 1971

Frank Cramer, who – along with his brother, Chuck – nurtured NATA through its infancy, helped shape the profession. The brothers’ company produced The First Aider publication and hosted Cramer Camps, attracting hundreds of people to the profession. They are recognized in the elite Sporting Goods Hall of Fame and are heralded as cornerstones of sports medicine.

1884 – 1962

Oliver DeVictor served as athletic trainer at Penn State, Pittsburgh, Washington-St. Louis and Missouri universities long enough to make 10 bowl trips, including three visits to the Rose Bowl. He retired as head athletic trainer at Missouri in 1958 after 23 years of service.

1887 – 1970

Well-known Texas politician and coach Lilburn Dimmitt turned his attention to athletic training at Texas A&M, serving the Aggies from 1934-48. It was during his years as a coach, however, that he earned his greatest claim to fame: coaching Olympic track star Babe Didrickson.

1874 – 1969

Carl Erickson, a legend to many generations of Northwestern University athletes, was best known by his nickname of “Gloomy” because of his sullen facial expression. Yet Erickson is remembered for his affection for Wildcat athletes, whom he cared for from 1928-51.

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From 1947-57 Bill Fallon was head athletic trainer at the Naval Academy, previously serving athletes at Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, California, St. Mary’s and the Navy Pre-Flight School. Fallon also cared for the 1920, 1932, 1936 and 1952 U.S. Olympic Teams.

1884 – 1965

Every Sunday for years, Tad Gormley hosted the “Gormley Games,” a track meet staged at City Park near Loyola University. Gormley, whose first love was track and field, served at Tulane, Loyola and Louisiana State as head athletic trainer and track coach. An outdoor stadium in New Orleans still bears his name.

1891 – 1974

Michigan State athletes remember Jack Heppinstall as a morale booster and father figure. During his 45 years at MSU, he used an estimated 900 miles of tape and tended approximately 15,000 athletes. Heppinstall, who returned to his native England as a U.S. Olympic Team athletic trainer in 1948, was a leader in the first NATA.

1908 – 1954

Thomas “Fitz” Lutz is remembered for inventing a facemask that saved a season for a Georgia Bulldogs star and kept the team rolling through its Golden Era. Lutz, UGA’s head athletic trainer from 1938-42, was the Baltimore Colts’ head athletic trainer for three seasons before going to the University of North Carolina in 1950.

1886 – 1957

Frank Mann, who served for almost 25 years as athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky, is the original advocate for college athletic trainers. In 1906 he started his athletic training career at the University of Indiana, working next at Iowa, the University of Chicago and Purdue before landing at Kentucky.

1824 – 1956

Larnard “Lon” Mann served for 24 years as athletic trainer for Purdue, joining the Boilermakers after gaining athletic training experience with Chicago Major League Baseball clubs and Penn State University. Mann helped develop facemasks, knee braces and taping techniques.

1861 – 1913

Michael C. Murphy is generally acknowledged as the first athletic trainer in the nation, caring for Olympians in 1900, 1908 and 1912. Murphy also is credited with developing many track champions at Yale and Pennsylvania universities. Of his 21 track teams, Murphy’s men won 15 intercollegiate championships.

1890 – 1970

When he was 16 years old, George “Doc” Nelson worked as a cabin boy on a ship bound from Sweden to the U.S. He gave up life at sea and landed at Utah State University in 1921 to become the first athletic trainer in the school’s history. Nelson, a top wrestler in his prime, also coached Utah State grapplers to 10 Rocky Mountain Conference championships before retiring in 1958.

1882 – 1954

Einar Nielsen sailed to the U.S. from Norway in 1904 at age 22. Signing on as an athletic trainer for Utah in 1914, Nielsen is remembered as a man of quick wit, total dedication and impeccable skills. He is credited with launching athletic scholarship efforts on campus, and a fieldhouse bears his name as a reminder of his legacy.

1902 – 1963

Herb Patchin, who studied with Matt Bullock at the University of Illinois, became the head athletic trainer at Virginia Military Institute in 1929, remaining at VMI the rest of his life. In addition to being a member of VMI’s Sports Hall of Fame by special citation, the baseball field bears Patchin’s name.

1890 – 1960

Erastus Pennock joined the Springfield College faculty in 1925 and quickly established a reputation as an excellent wrestling coach and athletic trainer who pioneered athletic training education. During his 33 years at Springfield, Pennock gained widespread recognition for making the school’s physical education department one of the best in the nation. /p>

1889-1971

Michael Ryan, a distance runner on two U.S. Olympic teams and three times an Olympic coach, won virtually every major long distance race in the world from 1910-12, setting a time of 2:21:18 in the Boston Marathon (a record that stood for nearly a decade). In 1934 Ryan became track coach and athletic trainer at the University of Idaho; he later worked at Wyoming and was co-coach of the 1962 American men’s track team.

1887 – 1943

Claude “Big Monk” Simons, head athletic trainer at Tulane University from 1921 until his death in 1943, has gone down in history as one of the great names in intercollegiate athletics. Simons was head coach for basketball, baseball, track and boxing at Tulane and president of the Southern Amateur Athletic Union.

1894 – 1974

Stanley Wallace is remembered as the little man with the big grin who served the University of Maine at Orono for 38 years, from 1921-59. He was a professor of physical education and longtime head of the men’s physical education division.

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Frank Wandle was athletic trainer at Army, Louisiana State University and Yale, where “The Major” revolutionized conditioning and wrote a rules book for the football team. Among Wandle’s advice: “Of course there will be days of sunshine and days of darkness. Think of the bright side of life. Tomorrow the sun will be shining again.”

1903 – 1988

Elvin “Ducky” Drake retired from coaching the UCLA track teams at the end of the 1964 season to concentrate on his duties as athletic trainer. In 1973 UCLA honored him by naming the home of its track and field/soccer teams Drake Stadium.

1905 – 1986

Mickey O’Brien went to work for the University of Tennessee in 1938, just in time to help with three successive perfect seasons and trips to bowl games. He helped form the Southeastern Conference Trainers Association and served as its first president. O’Brien is the namesake for an award that recognizes college athletic trainers.

1905-1984

Henry “Schmitty” Schmidt was an athletic trainer at the University of Santa Clara from 1927-77. In addition to working with Bronco athletes he spent time helping with the Los Angeles Rams summer sessions. A park in Santa Clara now bears his name.

1899 – 1987

Walter “Doc” Bakke was one of the most familiar figures in University of Wisconsin athletic history. He served as head athletic trainer from 1936 until retiring in 1966. Bakke also was the athletic trainer for the St. Louis Cardinals for a brief time during the “Gas House Gang” era.

1895 – 1966

Mention track and field at the University of Northern Iowa, and Art Dickinson’s name will eventually come up. During his 18 seasons as head track coach and athletic trainer at what was then State College of Iowa, Dickinson’s teams won 18 conference titles. He also was considered an exceptional teacher of anatomy, kinesiology and physiology of exercise.

1910 – 1982

A. C. “Whitey” Gwynne devoted his entire career to the advancement of athletic training. A graduate of West Virginia University, Gwynne was an athletic trainer for the Mountaineers for 30+ years. He also worked with two Olympic basketball teams, including the 1972 team that lost to the Soviet Union in one of the most controversial Olympic moments.

1915 – 1985

A founding member of NATA, Frank Medina served on the first Board of Directors. He was the head athletic trainer for the University of Texas from 1945-78. In addition to being twice named “Trainer of the Year” by the Rockne Club Foundation, Medina served on the Texas Governor’s Commission on Physical Fitness and as consultant for the President’s Counsel on Physical Fitness in 1964.

1908-1992

Jules Reichel joined the Syracuse athletic training department in 1931. After a four-year hiatus for World War II, during which he sometimes taught athletic training techniques to soldiers, Reichel returned in 1947 to become head athletic trainer. Reichel helped design a custom-built mouthpiece for football players.

1907-1987

Lloyd “Snapper” Stein worked with every great University of Minnesota football player from Bronco Nagurski to Carl Eller. Stein spent virtually all of his life at MU, arriving on campus in 1928 as an undergraduate student and retiring in 1975 as head athletic trainer. Stein was served as the president of the first NATA in 1940.

1911 – 1967

A founding member of NATA, Eddie Wojecki was active in the profession for more than 50 years. His longest stint as head athletic trainer was at Rice University, 1945-67. An author of several magazine articles on athletic training techniques, Wojecki was the head athletic trainer for the 1952 U.S. Olympic Team in Helsinki. He chaired the committee that instituted a Hall of Fame. .

1902 – 1969

Edward G. Zanfrini’s fame reached beyond Princeton University, where he began his career in 1933. Described as “the conscience of Princeton football,” Zanfrini was a member of the U.S. Olympic athletic training staff four times. In 1970, the Edward Zanfrini Memorial Room was dedicated to house trophies and awards given to the Tiger athletic trainer.

1903-1983

Jay Colville tended to what he called “the acres of athletes” at Miami University, starting as an undergraduate student in 1922 and not stopping until his retirement in 1969. Colville, a founding member of NATA, served a term as board chair and was an athletic trainer for the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team in Australia.

Died 1970

Charles “Smokey” Harper graduated from Mercer College in 1923 – still carrying the nickname he earned in high school when he set his baseball uniform on fire by hiding a lit cigar in the back pocket. Beginning his career in 1926 at Clemson, Harper worked at Vanderbilt, Florida and UCLA before teaming with Paul “Bear” Bryant and eventually retiring in 1964 from Texas A&M.

1903-1999

The longtime University of Michigan head athletic trainer, Hunt designed the fiberglass “Michigan Heel Cup,” which has since been duplicated by various manufacturers. He also helped develop facemasks for hockey goalies and was an early proponent of the safety device, pushing for goalies to wear facemasks as early as 1951.

1904 – 1978

James “Doc” Littlejohn was key to the success of the athletic training program at St. Lawrence University. Littlejohn, who joined St. Lawrence in 1926, was named to the prestigious list of Who’s Who in American Education in 1964. The athletic training room at St. Lawrence is named in Littlejohn’s honor.

1901 – 1967

Allan Sawdy worked with high school, college and professional teams during his 38-year career, mostly at Bowling Green State University. In addition to his athletic training duties, Sawdy taught courses in first aid and prevention of athletic injuries.

1907 – 1973

Steve Witkowski was a youngster helping build tennis courts at Wesleyan University when he met his mentor, Dr. Edgar Fauver. Over the next several years, Witkowski learned from the university physician and became Wesleyan’s athletic trainer, a post he held for 30+ years. He was an athletic trainer for the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and the 1955 Pan-Am Games.

1906 – 1968

Alfred “Duke” Wyre, head athletic trainer at the University of Maryland from 1947-67, was a founding member of NATA and was president of the Southern Conference Trainers Association in 1948. Wyre invented the “Duke Wyre Shoulder Vest” protective pad for football players, and he was among the earliest to use the precursor equipment to laser therapy.

1909-1967

From his first job at William & Mary in 1932, William Ferrell went on to serve under four football coaches – Otis Douglas, Bowden Wyatt, Jack Mitchell and Frank Broyles – at the University of Arkansas. A speaker and author of athletic training practices and techniques, Ferrell was a Major League Baseball player prior to becoming an athletic trainer.

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James “Doc” Johnston, an NATA founding member, inspired many students to pursue the profession. He got his start in athletic training in 1910 in the Oklahoma high school system. Johnston worked for Tulsa and Oklahoma State University as well as a number of semi-pro football teams, AAU tournaments and boxing clubs.

1913 – 1984

William Linskey was the first athletic trainer at Northeastern University. Linskey, a member of the athletic training staff for the 1959 Pan American Games, produced the monthly newsletter of the EATA for 17 years. He also served as the head athletic trainer at City of Cambridge Public Schools.

1902 – 1977

Werner “Dutch” Luchsinger was associated with sports in the South for 48 years. After graduating from Tulane, where he was a standout in three sports, Luchsinger coached high school athletes for many years before becoming head athletic trainer at Mississippi State, where he stayed until retiring in 1965.

1911 – 1991

Naseby Rhinehart became the University of Montana’s first athletic trainer in 1935, just one month after he graduated. As a student at UM, he earned nine letters in football, basketball and track – picking up knowledge of injury prevention and treatment first-hand. Rhinehart remained at UM for 47 years, and the Rhinehart Athletic Treatment Center was named in his honor.

1905 – 1991

Howard Waite joined Colorado College in 1930 as the athletic trainer, wrestling and golf coach. He built his legacy at the University of Pittsburgh, where he and the university physician – both suffering impaired mobility – developed a line of patented knee and ankle braces. A keen clinician, Waite was known among athletes for his willingness to listen.

1909 – 1999

Bob Bauman never pitched a no-hitter for the Cardinals, yet he’s one of the most beloved sports personalities in St. Louis. He cared for St. Louis University athletes from 1928-79, and he was athletic trainer for St. Louis professional baseball teams from 1938-84. Arenas, fan days, scholarships and awards now bear Bauman’s name to honor his nearly 60-year career.

1916-1971

NATA founding member Ernest Biggs was head athletic trainer at Ohio State University from 1942-72. Biggs, who graduated from OSU in 1941 with a master’s degree, built the Buckeye athletic training room into a model of efficiency. He conducted comprehensive studies of athletic injuries and held a patent on a special knee support and ankle brace. Biggs was the first athletic trainer ever inducted to the Ohio State Varsity “O” Hall of Fame.

1904 – 1982

Carl “Bud” Jorgensen was with the Green Bay Packers during the team’s most prosperous years. He joined the Packers in 1924 as assistant equipment manager and in 1940 became the Packers’ head athletic trainer. He retired in 1970. During his tenure, the Packers captured 10 World Titles under the leadership of coaching legend Vince Lombardi.

1912 – 1979

From the day of his arrival at Oklahoma University in 1953, Ken Rawlinson was respected for his burning ambition and total dedication. Rawlinson, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 1942, was the original author of “Modern Athletic Training,” a comprehensive athletic training reference for daily care of athletes.

1909 – 1983

During his 28 years at Ole Miss, Wesley “Doc” Knight served as president of the SEC athletic trainers and of his NCAA district association. After he retired in 1975, Knight held an emeritus title at Ole Miss and was active in coaching for the Special Olympics.

1914-1976

James Morris’ athletic training career spanned more than 40 years at Butler University and Indianapolis area clinics. Morris graduated from Butler in 1937 and spent the next 18 years as head athletic trainer there. In 1964, he became one of the first athletic trainers to work in the clinic setting.

1917-1971

Richard Wargo was a near-constant presence among University of Connecticut athletics from 1941 until his retirement in 1969. A good golfer and inventor of protective equipment for athletes, Wargo served on the athletic trainer’s staff for the U.S.-Pan American team games at Chicago in 1959.

1912 – 1981

Always seeking to promote the profession, Joe Abraham wrote articles, facilitated seminars and conducted surveys to make the New York State Education Department realize the importance of athletic trainers in the school system. Abraham, who began his athletic training career in 1942, worked at Ithaca College, the U.S. Air Corps and Hobart College before retiring from athletic training to become an athletic director.

1914 – 2003

Delmer Brown spent his entire career in Texas, where he helped build the profession’s credibility. After earning a degree in 1938 from North Texas State, Brown was a coach and athletic trainer for three Texas high schools as well as Baylor, East Texas State University and Texas Tech.

1914 – 2005

Elmer Brown, like his twin brother Delmer, was widely known in Texas. Between his first coaching job at Laredo High School in 1938 and his position at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth, he worked at six high schools and universities. A graduate of North Texas State, Brown landed at Texas Christian University in 1951 and worked there until his retirement.

1908 – 1978

Richard Cole’s legacy is one of public relations: he was a frequent speaker and author, educating others about the profession. Cole, who graduated from Iowa State in 1931 was head athletic trainer and associate professor of physical education at Rhode Island from 1946-75.

1915 – 1986

Dwayne “Spike” Dixon was a fixture in Indiana University’s athletic training department beginning in 1946. In 1961 he began to focus on teaching athletic training skills and developing curricula. In addition to his lectures, classes, consulting and athletic training duties, Dixon wrote “The Dixonary of Training Techniques.”

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Samuel Lankford, who worked at the University of Florida and later at Virginia Tech, was associated with athletic training publication as early as 1930. For several years Lankford was an editor for the National Athletic Journal. Among his professional contributions are two books and numerous articles on athletic training and conditioning.

1905 – 1993

An athletic trainer for numerous All-Star games and U.S. track events, Ed Byrne also wrote for professional publications. Byrne, who spent 20+ years as athletic trainer at the University of California at Berkley, was one of three athletic trainers for the junior AAU team in its 1973 track and field meets.

1908 – 1984

Roland “Kickapoo” Logan, the founder, editor and publisher of “Athletic Training News” from 1949-58, started in 1930 at the University of Kansas, later working at George Washington, Pittsburgh, West Point, North Carolina, Navy, Pasadena College and the Boston Red Sox. Logan invented more than 20 athletic training products, lectured at 400+ clinics and was an accomplished artist, winning the American Institute of Fine Arts medal for his original oil paintings.

Listen to Roland "Kickapoo" Logan singing. (mp3)

1918 – 1999

Charles Medlar taped, wrapped, rehabilitated and befriended Penn State University athletes from 1946-82. He also was the university’s head baseball coach and an assistant professor, mentoring up-and-coming athletic training students. Medlar provided coverage for the Olympics in 1964 and 1968.

1914 – 1985

Dean Nesmith became a legend during his long tenure at the University of Kansas, from 1938-83. He administered to some of the world’s greatest athletes, including Gale Sayers, Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Ryun and Jo White. Nesmith served as athletic trainer at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

1915-1980

Bill “Ropes” Robertson, who served for 35 years as the Oregon State University athletic trainer, was the first full-time athletic trainer for the Beavers. Robertson was also an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1964 Games in Tokyo and returned to the Far East in 1967 to do a series of clinics for the U.S. Department of Defense.

1911 – 1984

Joseph Blankowitsch spent 32 years on the athletic training scene at the high school or college level in Pennsylvania, beginning in 1945. He gave lectures and demonstrations to athletic training groups and held offices in EATA and NATA.

1920 – 1984

William “Pinky” Newell was Purdue University’s chief athletic trainer from 1949-76; he also was an assistant professor at Purdue. Acknowledged as the Father of NATA, he was Executive Secretary for more than a decade, and many subsequent leaders credited him for their success. A former football player for the Boilermakers and 1947 graduate, Newell served as an athletic trainer at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics and coordinated all athletic training coverage for the 1984 Olympics.

1914 – 1983

Ed Block was a friend, confidant and healer for the Baltimore Colts from 1954-77. The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation now advocates for children in crisis. In addition to caring for the Colts, Block worked with area Baltimore hospitals and with the in-space conditioning program for NASA.

1909 – 1999

A respected athletic trainer, lecturer, teacher and author, Tony Dougal made a name for himself throughout New England. After playing professional baseball and football, Dougal was head athletic trainer at Boston University from 1962-76. He cared for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team in Montreal.

1923 – 1980

After graduating from Stanford University, Lincoln “Link” Kimura helped establish the Pacific Coast Athletic Trainers Association. He was head athletic trainer at San Jose State University from 1948-63 and then spent many years with the San Francisco 49ers. He was an early proponent of certification and served on the NATA Board of Certification.

1911 – 1977

When he died, Ross Moore had been a member of the University of Texas-El Paso campus for more than half of its existence. He came to UTEP in 1936 as a football and basketball player. After graduating and serving in the Navy, Moore returned to UTEP to coach and teach before becoming the head athletic trainer. Moore created fiberglass pads for specific injuries, and he was proud of mentoring students who followed him into the profession.

1916 – 1980

Laurence “Porky” Morgan, a former NATA president, became Kansas State University’s first athletic trainer in 1951 and served in that capacity for the Wildcats until his death. Morgan received several awards during his career at KSU, but he took the most pride in the Porky Morgan Scholarship Fund for Wildcat athletic training students.

1916 – 1994

A member of several world record-setting relay teams in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Wayne Rideout went on to become an athletic training leader in Texas. He spent 30+ years caring for high school athletes, inspiring many of them to become prominent athletic trainers and leaders in their own right.

1920 – 2009

A founding member of NATA, Wayne Rudy used the characteristics he acquired as a major in the U.S. Air Force to keep athletes motivated and focused. He was with Southern Methodist University from 1947-59; when the Dallas Texans (now known as the Kansas City Chiefs) were founded in 1960, Rudy was their first athletic trainer. He stayed with the team until retiring in 1983.

1924 – 2007
NATA President #1

From his first job as assistant athletic trainer at Rice Institute in 1947, Bobby Gunn made an impact on the profession. A respected lecturer and author, Gunn was head athletic trainer at Lamar University before working for the Washington Redskins and Houston Oilers. Gunn served on the NATA board from 1965-69. In 1970, he became the first elected president in NATA history.

1910 – 2007

Rod Kimball became a legend while serving at Brigham Young University from 1937-75. Known as the man with the Midas touch, he developed treatment techniques and prevention procedures still in use at BYU. Kimball also was a trusted mentor and confidant for athletes, students and even coaches, reminding them to “strive not to be the best in the world, but the best for the world.”

1920 – 1989

Edward Sulkowski impacted the amateur boxing world, not with his powerful left hook, but with his skill in providing care. He began his career in 1948 as a student under Chuck Medlar at Penn State, where he remained. Sulkowski officiated Army boxing championships and was president of the NCAA Boxing Coaches Association.

1895-1983

Starting in 1920, Charles Turner spent 60 years as an athletic trainer; in 1942 he also earned a chiropractic degree and designation as a naturopathy physician. Turner cared for Olympians, Harlem Globetrotters, college athletes; he also played, coached and provided athletic training services for the Negro National League. He lectured in Israel, Venezuela, Jamaica and throughout Europe. Turner finished his career at Long Island University.

1924 – 1998

In 1957, Lorain “Tow” Diehm came to the University of New Mexico as head athletic trainer and held that position for 40 years. After being wounded in the invasion of Normandy, Diehm started his athletic training career in 1948 at Santa Rosa Junior College. He later worked at his college alma mater, Kansas State Teachers College, and Michigan State University. Diehm was a respected lecturer and mentor.

Milford “Kenny” Howard, head athletic trainer of Auburn athletes from 1949-80, built one of the first athletic trainer/team physician relationships in college sports, working closely with Jack Hughston, MD. He was one of seven Olympic athletic trainers in 1952, and he was selected for several All-Star games as well as the 1975 Pan-Am Games. Howard is now retired.

1925 – 1988

Victor Recine was an early advocate of athletic training legislation, prompting a bill to license athletic trainers in New Jersey. He spent his career caring for high school athletes; after 19 years at New Brunswick High School, he became head athletic trainer at Sayreville High School in 1962. During World War II he was athletic trainer for the Sampson Naval Training Station Yellow Jackets.

1916 – 1991

Gayle Robinson served his alma mater, Michigan State University, from 1959-82. A 1940 graduate, Robinson lectured on the care and prevention of athletic injuries. He was a member of the athletic training staff for U.S. teams in the 1967 Pan American Games and the 1972 Olympics.

After 42 years tending to hundreds of University of Nebraska athletes, including dozens of elite stars, George Sullivan earned the inaugural Tim Kerin Award for Excellence in Athletic Training. He belongs to the Nebraska football, basketball, and baseball Halls of Fame, and the Nebraska athletic training room bears his name. He is retired but remains the consummate Cornhuskers fan.

1913 – 2003

For more than 30 years John Lacey was successful with championship teams and great athletes. From 1956-83, as head athletic trainer at the University of North Carolina, Lacey and the Tar Heels football team made it to six bowl games. In 1972 he was an athletic trainer for the Olympic Games in Munich. Lacey also served as an athletic trainer for the gold medal-winning 1964 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team in Tokyo.

Eddie Lane has come a long way in the athletic training profession since he earned $100 for the entire school year as a student athletic trainer at Waite High School in Toledo in 1943. He went on to work at Southern Methodist University, the U.S. Army Medical Corps, North Texas State University and as the head athletic trainer for the Dallas Independent School District. He is retired but remains active.

1925 – 2007

Founding member Jack Rockwell combined his academic, athletic training and business experience into a fruitful career. Rockwell got his start as an assistant at Kansas and ended up with the St. Louis Football Cardinals. Active in NATA, he was the association’s Executive Secretary from 1968-71, guiding efforts surrounding certification.

1903 – 1990

Francis Sheridan was in the athletic training profession for more than 30 years, working as an athletic trainer at Phillipsburg Catholic High School (NJ) and Lafayette College. Sheridan also worked for the 1967 U.S. Olympic and Pan American teams. In 1973 and 1976 he was selected as the head athletic trainer of the U.S. AAU track team.

1904 – 1984

Bob White, Wayne State University’s athletic trainer for more than 30 years, was known as the school’s “Ambassador Deluxe.” After coming to WSU in 1951, White spoke to athletes in other countries about athletic training and represented District Four on the NATA Board. He also served as a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

1916 – 1999

Mel Blickenstaff’s 30-year career was punctuated by awards, speeches and recognition. Blickenstaff, the head athletic trainer at Indiana State University from 1962-78, wrote more than 15 articles for professional publications, delivered 50+ speeches and served on several research committees to advance athletic training. He also cared for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team in Montreal.

1919 – 2003

Marty Broussard’s athletic training career spanned six decades at Louisiana State University. An exceptional baseball and track athlete as an undergrad at LSU, he found his true calling when he served as a student athletic trainer for the football team. He was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympics in 1960 and for the 1955 Pan American Games.

1922 – 1985

Several generations of Tulane athletes benefited from the knowledge of Earl “Bubba” Porche. During his 36 years as head athletic trainer, he became an important part of athletes’ lives; Porche was attending a former athlete’s wedding when he suffered a fatal heart attack. During his career, Porche cared for the U.S. Track team in 1967 and served at the 1971 Pan-American Games.

Tom Wilson always said he was lucky to have studied under fellow Hall of Famer Frank Medina for two years. From that solid beginning, Wilson became the head athletic trainer at the University of Houston from 1953-93. Taking Medina’s example to heart, he focused on being a mentor and encouraging students to join the profession. Wilson is retired and living in Houston.

1923 – 1987

Byron Bird’s name became synonymous with athletic training at Oklahoma State University almost from his first day as a student there in 1946. Bird, who graduated in 1949, became his alma mater’s football athletic trainer in 1950. He spent his career developing the program on campus and promoting the profession in Oklahoma.

1919 – 1989

Robert Weingart made a strong impression at Marquette University, serving as head athletic trainer from 1946-84. Marquette retired the number 38 in Weingart’s honor in recognition of his 38 years of service to the school. He cared for the 1972 Olympic team and for the College All-Star football teams from 1950-52.

1929 – 1984

Bobby Brown was one of the best-known athletic trainers on the Houston professional sports scene. Brown got his start as a student working with the Houston Oilers. As the sole support for his mother, he was forced to drop out of school and take a series of full-time jobs that eventually led him back to Houston, where built a legacy of tough love and success.

1924 – 1999

Under head athletic trainer Jim Conboy’s leadership, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s athletic training program expanded to serve the Academy’s 41 intercollegiate athletic teams and 17 intramural sports. Conboy, who was with the Academy when it opened its doors in 1955, retired in 1998.

1917 – 2006

Eddie Coppola has become part of the bedrock of Seton Hall University, where he served for more than 30 years. He was so well respected that he became the first athletic trainer inducted to the university’s prestigious Athletic Hall of Fame. Seton Hall also honors his legacy by funding the “Edward A. Coppola Award” for an athlete who has overcome medical adversity.

Bruce Melin joined the staff at Washington University (St. Louis) in 1949 as an athletic trainer and faculty member and worked there until his retirement in 1977; after that he worked there another 11 years on a part-time basis. Melin was a consultant for the St. Louis Football Cardinals.

Sayers “Bud” Miller made his greatest contribution in the form of scholarly advancement. He was a prolific author (with a doctorate in English from Stanford), a productive researcher and a national leader in athletic training education. He established an education framework through his program at Penn State University.

1919 – 2007

Ed Pillings played football for Washington State University before World War II sent him to the South Pacific. Upon his return, Pillings became a student of Pinky Newell, who introduced him to the career that would become his lifelong pursuit. Pillings split his time between the classroom and the athletic training room, serving a 20-year stint at West Point.

1934 – 2000

When he was named NATA’s first Executive Director in 1971, Otho Davis had been in the profession for almost 20 years. He was a fixture with the Philadelphia Eagles, as head athletic trainer from 1973-95. Under his leadership, NATA secured professional liability insurance for athletic trainers, welcomed its first corporate sponsors and established a national office in Dallas.

1914 – 2000

O. William “Bill” Dayton began his at the University of Miami in 1938. After serving as athletic trainer at several various universities, Dayton became head athletic trainer at Yale University in 1956, staying there for 22 years. Dayton, a founding father of the NATA, gave more than 40 years of his life to the athletic training profession.

1920 – 1995

Affectionately known as “Rooster,” Don Fauls treated Florida State athletes from 1954-86. Fauls came to Florida State after serving as athletic trainer for professional baseball teams in North Carolina and Nebraska. He was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Pan American team and was a member of the Olympic Training Selection Committee.

Tom Healion began his athletic training career with the Toronto Argonauts in 1954. After athletic training stints at the University of Pittsburgh, Northwestern University and the University of Indiana, Healion was appointed head athletic trainer for the New England Patriots in 1972 and remained there until 1986. Healion is retired and lives in Colorado.

Fred Hoover graduated from Florida State University and worked as an athletic trainer there before taking a job at Clemson University in 1959. He remained at Clemson until his retirement in 1998. Hoover, who was chair of the NATa board from 1964-67, remains a professor emeritus at Clemson.

Warren Morris was named head athletic trainer at the University of Georgia in 1965. He was the first licensed athletic trainer in the state of Georgia and later became the chair for the Georgia License Examination of Athletic Training. He now owns and operates Morris Technologies LLC.

Ed Motley excelled in football and baseball as a student at William & Mary University. After a stint in the Army, he coached for 10 years at the high school level and eventually came to Virginia Tech in 1952 as athletic trainer in charge of all sports. Motley served as athletic trainer for all women’s athletics at Virginia Tech from 1978 until his retirement.

Bob Peterson got his start in athletic training in 1929 at Northwestern University under fellow Hall of Famer Carl Erickson. After 13 years at Northwestern, Peterson was appointed head athletic trainer at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he set up the first athletic training room. Peterson went on to Indiana University, the University of California - Berkeley and the University of Washington.

1929 – 2003

An athletic trainer since 1948, Buddy Taylor got his start with the Richmond Rams semi-pro football team. He served as head athletic trainer and assistant professor at Winston Salem State University beginning in 1974. Taylor made a name as an excellent lecturer, author and teacher of athletic training skills and served as athletic trainer for various international athletic teams.

1903 – 1972

By the time he retired in 1968, Francis “Packey” Boyle had devoted 32 years to the profession. Boyle, a doctor of osteopathy, was head of physiotherapy at Sun Valley, Idaho, from 1936-52, during which time he also supervised the athletic training of the Olympic ski team. He moved on to become an athletic trainer for the University of Arizona and then head athletic trainer for the University of Idaho.

1932 – 2005

Bobby Lane never limited himself to one job during his 28 years at the University of Texas at Arlington. He first joined UTA as an athletic trainer and assistant track coach in 1953; throughout his tenure he added instructor to his title as well. Lane worked tirelessly to promote the profession in Texas and abroad, serving as an athletic trainer for various international games.

In his 40 years at Bowdoin College, Mike Linkovich earned the respect of students and colleagues alike. He was an athletic trainer for the Olympic Organizing Committee at the 1980 Winter Olympics and served at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1981 National Sports Festival. Linkovich, a former president of the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association, is retired but still leads by example in giving back to his profession.

Leo Murphy became a legendary figure with the Cleveland Browns, working with the team from 1950-89. After graduating in 1948 from Notre Dame, where he was an athlete, Murphy cared for the Chicago Rockets and the New York Yankees before joining the Browns. He has been a sought-after speaker and was the first recipient of the Cleveland Touchdown Club’s Meritorious Service Award. He is retired.

1919 – 2001

Joe Romo’s 38-year career was filled with diversity. An active athlete, Romo played for (and helped coach and train) five AAU basketball teams and four professional football clubs. After stints as athletic trainer and coach at three small colleges, he was head athletic trainer at Brown University (1959-64) and the University of San Francisco (1964-69). Romo ended his athletic training career by working for 13 years as head athletic trainer for the Oakland A’s baseball club; he retired in 1982

1913 – 2005

Bruce Vogelsong retired after 34 years, leaving an impressive record of service as a state and conference leader. He got his medical training during World War II and served for the next 16 years as athletic trainer at a Pennsylvania high school. Vogelsong also served more than a decade at Dickinson College and as a part-time athletic trainer for the Washington Redskins.

1918 – 2006

Jack Aggers was a familiar figure in his home state of Wyoming and in NATA. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1950, returning as head athletic trainer eight years later. Aggers concentrated on generating interest among students, participating in a student workshop for 23 years. He was an NATA board member and an ambassador for athletic training in Canada and Europe.

1924 – 2006

Hal Biggs made it a point to stay active and involved during his career. Following a three-year stint in the Army, where he was a medical corpsman, Biggs completed his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University in 1948. In August of that year, he became head athletic trainer and instructor of physical education at Bucknell University, where he remained until retiring.

In 1953, Charles Demers graduated from the University of Massachusetts and went to work for several minor-league baseball clubs. In 196r, he became head athletic trainer at Deerfield Academy, where he has remained until retiring. He was coordinator of athletic therapy for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and for several other international competitions. He now lives in Massachusetts.

1929 – 1989

Kerkor Kassabian graduated in 1952 from Northeastern University in Boston, where he developed an undergraduate curriculum program in athletic training. In 1979, Kassabian helped found the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts and was elected as the group’s first president. He led negotiations for state licensure. Kassabian co-directed the Boston Marathon Sports Medicine Seminars in 1977-82 and was a head athletic trainer for the marathon from 1978-82.

1922 – 1984

Gene Paszkiet is remembered as a dedicated and concerned athletic trainer who spent 31 years at the University of Notre Dame. A native of Indiana, Paszkiet entered Notre Dame as a student in 1946. After playing freshmen football, he joined the Irish athletic training staff as a student assistant. In 1952, he was named athletic trainer of all teams at Notre Dame. Paszkiet helped five Heisman trophy winners stay healthy. He also was a recipient of numerous awards during his years at Notre Dame.

1927 – 1986

John Sciera logged a progressive and influential career. He graduated from Cortland State Teacher’s College in 1952, landing at SUNY-Cortland in 1965. Under Sciera’s leadership, Cortland became the first college in New York to offer an athletic training curriculum. He was also a driving force behind the movement to ban spear-tackling and other harmful practices from football. In 1976 he founded the New York State Athletic Trainers’ Association and served as its first president.

Lew Crowl’s Sports Injury Center was one of the first in the country. From 1961 until he opened his clinic in 1969, Crowl was the head athletic trainer at Sacramento State University. After beginning his career as a student under Ernie Biggs, he was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1968 Games in Mexico City and at the 1972 Games in Sapporo, Japan. Now retired, he works occasionally for HealthSouth in California.

James “Doc” Dodson’s first athletic training job was at Midland (Texas) High School. He accepted it in 1959 and remained there until his retirement over 30 years later. The first high school athletic trainer to serve in the World Olympics (Munich, 1972), Dodson received the prestigious Frank Medina Award in 1984. His family was chosen as Midland’s “Family of the Year” in 1982, and he now works at West Texas Orthopedics.

1930 – 1999

Jim Goostree, a diversified college athlete, signed on as head athletic trainer at the University of Alabama in 1957, one year before the arrival of Paul “Bear” Bryant. After 27 years as head athletic trainer, Goostree assumed the role of assistant athletic director at the university. In 1987, he was promoted to executive athletic director and helped create Alabama’s donor program, Tide Pride. Additionally, he supervised the building and upgrading of athletic facilities including Bryant-Denny Stadium before he retired in 1993.

When Louis Grevelle retired in 1984, Lubbock’s (TX) Coronado High School lost an institution. Since the school opened its doors in 1965, Grevelle had been there as athletic trainer. He is a past-president of the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association, served two terms on the Texas Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers and covered three Texas High School All-Star football games. He is retired and lives in Lubbock.

1920 – 2006

After 37 years, the name Walt Grockowski has become nearly synonymous with Wesleyan University and its athletic training staff. A resident of Middletown since 1926, Grockowski joined the Wesleyan staff in 1947 and worked for nearly 26 years under head athletic trainer Steve Witkowski before assuming leadership upon Witkowski’s death. He was one of four athletic trainers to serve the U.S. Olympic Team during the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

1927 – 2007

The career of Fritz Massmann, head athletic trainer for the New Jersey Nets basketball team from 1970-92, can best be described as varied. Before joining the Nets, Massmann worked for almost 20 years at Iowa College, Brown University and then Boston College. He was an athletic trainer for numerous pro basketball All-Star games. Massmann was also active in the NATA, serving as District One director for six years and as president for two years.

1921 – 2006

Joe Stanitis was born and raised in Amherst, Mass., making it only fitting that he serve out his athletic training career at Amherst College. Stanitis joined the Amherst staff in 1947 and stayed until retiring in 1984. In the early 1960s, he collaborated on an article about lateral neck sprains that spurred the development of protective cervical collars in football. He was also a member of the committee that helped attain licensure for Massachusetts athletic trainers in 1983.

1921 – 2008

By the time he retired in June 1984, Ray Ulinski had spent 34 busy years as a teacher and athletic trainer at Penn State University. After his education was interrupted by World War II, Ulinski earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State in 1950 and was immediately hired as assistant athletic trainer and an instructor in physical education. He supervised 14 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men and women.

1921 – 1998

It was during his undergraduate days at the University of Texas that Joe Worden became interested in the care and prevention of athletic injuries. He had a good teacher: fellow Hall of Famer Frank Medina. In 1949, Worden was hired by Vanderbilt University, where he remained until retiring in 1986. Worden, who handled all sports until 1971, served as head athletic trainer for the Commodore basketball team and assisted with the football team and club sports.

1924 – 1992

Known as a tireless worker who demanded perfection, Larry Lohr began his athletic training career in 1958. He worked for numerous high schools in Texas and was inducted into the Southwest Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame in 1985. For many years, Lohr held three-day sports injury clinics in Mexico, helping the profession grow internationally.

A true Texan, Wilford “Billy” Pickard Jr. was an athletic trainer at his alma mater, Texas A & M University, 50+ years before retiring in 2009. In the same year, the school honored him by naming October 10 “Billy Pickard Day.” Before starting at Texas A&M, Pickard was athletic trainer for several Texas high schools. He is retired but still active in the Aggie community.

NATA President #5

Jerry Rhea entered the profession in 1958 as a student at Texas A&M. He was NATA president from 1986-87 and was instrumental in laying the groundwork for growth. Rhea was head athletic trainer for the Atlanta Falcons from 1968-94, when he became assistant to the president of the Falcons. Now retired, Rhea mentors young professionals and new leaders.

1915 – 1990

One of the more colorful personalities in Nebraska athletic history, “Schnitz,” as he was known to thousands of Cornhuskers, served on the Nebraska staff for 33 years before retiring in 1981. He received the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Merit Award in 1978. In 1956, Schneider was made a lifetime member of the Nebraska Coaches Association for his service to high school athletics.

Eddie Abramoski was head athletic trainer for the Buffalo Bills from the team’s inception in 1960 until he retired in 1997. A native of Erie, Penn., he turned to sports medicine after a promising football career was cut short by a back injury at Purdue University. Abramoski was an assistant at West Point before going to the University of Detroit and the Detroit Lions. He is retired and lives in New York.

After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgia Tech, Henry “Buck” Andel was the head athletic trainer from 1948-69, taking the football team to 14 major bowl games. He also worked as an athletic trainer for the 1960 Olympic Games and was a founding member of NATA, serving on the original board of directors in 1950.

Founding member George Anderson was the head athletic trainer for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders from 1960-94; he was part of the original Raiders staff. Before joining the Raiders, Anderson served in athletic training positions at USC, Odessa (Texas) High School and the University of California. Known for his “tell-it-like-it-is” style, he achieved nationwide recognition in 1978 for the revolutionary design of a protective knee brace. He is retired and lives in New Mexico.

NATA President #3

A strong proponent of service, Bill Chambers helped build NATA. He served two terms as president, two terms on the board, chaired four national meetings and managed exhibits for many district meetings. Chambers built the Foundation scholarship program into a multimillion-dollar endeavor. He began as a student under Ken Rawlinson at the University of Oklahoma. In June 1962, he became head athletic trainer at Fullerton Junior College, where he remained until retiring in 1998. He now works with rodeo and motor sports.

1906 – 1982

An assistant athletic trainer for more than 30 years at North Carolina State University, Chester Grant was considered a model example of professionalism, compassion and expertise. In 1974, North Carolina State presented Grant with a Distinguished Service Award and has since named its athletic training facility in Reynolds Coliseum in his memory.

Beginning while he worked for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Eugene “Doc” Harvey continuously enhanced his skills as a dedicated rehabilitation specialist. Before moving to Brooklyn and later Los Angeles with the Dodgers, was an athletic trainer in Colorado and Montreal, Canada. Known as a hard worker who kept his players in excellent condition, Harvey supervised the athletic training and rehabilitative facility at Grambling State University until retiring in 1998. He is living in Louisiana.

Carl Nelson worked at Colby College from 1959-93, serving students as an athletic trainer, associate professor and director of health services throughout his career. Nelson cared for Olympians in 1972, 1976 and 1980 winter games. He is retired and lives in Maine.

1920 – 2008

A native of Brooklyn, Roy Rylander proudly served college athletes. He joined the University of Delaware in 1946 and was named head tennis coach in 1953. He retired as head athletic trainer in 1988 but continued as tennis coach until 1993. Rylander earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart during World War II and served as a unit training officer during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of Kappa Phi Kappa, the national professional education fraternity.

One of the founders of the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts Association (ATOM), Bill Samko began his athletic training career as a student athletic trainer at Holy Cross College under Bart Sullivan. In 1946, after a brief time in military service, he returned to Holy Cross to serve as an athletic trainer until 1966. At that time, he entered his current position as head athletic trainer at Worcester Academy. The same year, the New England Basketball Association named him Trainer of the Year. In 1983, Bill headed the committee for the Licensure of Massachusetts athletic trainers.

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Only the second head athletic trainer in the history of the University of Missouri, Fred Wappel worked at the school for 41 years before retiring in 1996. He had the longest tenure of any Missouri athletic staff member and was the dean of Big Eight athletic trainers. He was a charter member of the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame in 1984. Wappel is retired and living in Columbia, Mo.

Joe “Snapper” Altott, who helped write the first NATA certification exam, was head athletic trainer for the Hartford Whalers Professional Hockey Club from 1972-82. He was also on the NATA Board of Directors for four years and covered several international events. Altott was the subject for “The Recruit,” a Normal Rockwell painting. After retiring, he opened a sports shop in Massachusetts.

Earnest “Doc” Harrington wore many hats at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was head athletic trainer from 1958-94. He was a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and a popular speaker at many seminars. Harrington was also the first director and project coordinator for the athletic training specialization program at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is now retired.

1905-1979

Sandy Sandlin was head athletic trainer at the University of Chattanooga from 1938-75, during which time he also spent a year as athletic trainer at Georgia Tech (1944-45). An All-Star athletic trainer for the Southern Baseball League, Sandlin was known for his gentle manner and skill as a healer. The Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society honors him by bestowing an annual Sandy Sandlin High School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.

1912 – 1992

Frank Wiechec was the chief physical therapist at Hazelton (Penn.)-St. Joseph Hospital and had a varied career in athletic training. He was athletic trainer at Temple University (1939-48), for the Philadelphia National League Baseball Club (1948-62), for the Philadelphia Eagles Professional Football Club (1950-58) and at the University of Pittsburgh (1962-66). Wiechec invented Ank-L-Aid, a patented ankle support, and was president of the EATA.

Gary Delforge is a premier educator, founding the graduate program at what would become the Arizona School of Health Sciences after developing one of the first NATA-approved graduate curricula at the University of Arizona, where he spent the bulk of his career. Delforge was a member of the NATA Professional Education Committee for over 17 years; he also served on the board, keeping education at the center of his focus. He is now retired and living in Arizona.

Lindsy McLean began his career as a student in 1956 at Vanderbilt. By 1963 he was head athletic trainer and director of physical therapy at the University of California. He was head athletic trainer for the San Francisco 49’ers from 1979-2003. McLean’s legacy is the certification exam and requirements, which he helped establish. He is retired and living in Tennessee.

1923 – 1998

For four decades, Leonard “Mack” McNeal was an integral part of the University of Richmond. He began as head athletic trainer in 1947 and eventually became chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education. He was active, serving on the NATA board and later leading efforts to organize NATA’s archives.

1936 – 1987

Although he was only 5’2” tall, Dick Vandervoort will be remembered as a giant in the field. At the age of 14 he attended the first NATA Annual Meeting and later became the association’s first student member. He was the first athletic trainer for the Houston Rockets. Vandervoort helped restructure NATA in 1969 and led the National Basketball Athletic Trainers’ Association for a decade.

Larry Gardner began his distinguished career as an assistant at the University of California at Berkeley. He worked with several universities, two professional football teams and a sports medicine clinic, retiring from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2009 after helping establish its program. Gardner pioneered care for rodeo athletes and was president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society from 1969-72. He remains active in mentoring and contract work.

Fred Kelley got his first taste of athletic training during his service in the Marines. After obtaining his undergraduate degree at Springfield College, Kelley became an assistant at the Virginia Military Institute. From there, he moved to the head athletic trainer position at Dartmouth College, where he served for over 30 years. He is retired and living in New Hampshire.

1934 – 1988

Charlie Martin went into the profession after being discharged from the Army. Best known for researching the effects of heat and humidity on athletes, Martin spent most of his career at Northeast Louisiana University. He was a founder of the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association, and he also worked to promote drug testing in sport.

Chris Patrick established his career in the college setting, becoming a visible member of the University of Florida community. The Florida Boys Club in Gainesville elected him Volunteer of the Year in 1977, and he was honored with nearly every NATA award. Patrick has consulted for Bike, Johnson & Johnson and Nike, helping to broaden and enhance the image of the profession. He is the assistant athletics director for sports medicine at UF.

James “Al” Wilson dedicated his life to advancing the profession, focusing his efforts in Texas. After graduating from Howard Payne University, Wilson became the first high school athletic trainer in the state of Texas at Killeen, where he continues to care for athletes. He was appointed to Texas’ Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers in 1976 and served as chair from 1977-87.

Paul Zeek, longtime athletic trainer at Lamar University, has pursued a life-long commitment to the profession at the community, state and national level. Zeek began his career as a high school athletic trainer in El Paso and ended as a senior administrator for a college athletics department. His commitment to excellence and devotion to athletes set him apart. Zeek is retired, after 35 years at Lamar.

Robert Behnke has held numerous teaching and athletic training positions throughout Indiana and Illinois. His extensive list of honors includes the NATA Educator of the Year in 1987 and the NATA Service Award in 1989. Behnke’s career in athletic training has taken him from an assistant student athletic trainer position at the University of Illinois to head athletic trainer and professor at Indiana State University. He is retired.

Cash Birdwell worked at West Point, the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Rams before settling in as head athletic trainer at Southern Methodist University. He was on the NATA board of Directors and served as vice president. Birdwell chaired the Annual Meeting in 1989 and served on the Ethics Committee. In 2005 he retired from SMU; he continues to work part-time on a contract basis.

Joe Gieck was an educator and athletic trainer at the University of Virginia for 43 years before retiring in 2005. He served on the Advisory Board of Physical Therapy for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sport. A scholarship is endowed in his name, as is a teaching position. He is a professor emeritus at UVa.

1927-2005

Duke LaRue worked as an athletic trainer at Michigan State University, Purdue University, Western Illinois University and the University of Nebraska. He also served as a member of the NATA Board of Directors from 1970-74 and as a member/chair of the Nebraska Board of Health Examiners in Athletic Training.

Phillip Donley was a teacher and athletic trainer at West Chester University from 1965-91. He was a founding member of the American College of Sports Medicine and authored the first NATA guidelines for development and approval of NATA-approved Education Program Directors Council. Donley, a colonel in the Army Reserves, now works at Chester County Sports Medicine.

NATA President #2

Frank George became the head athletic trainer at Brown University in 1966 and remained at the school until he retired in 2004 as director of sports medicine. He was NATA president from 1974-78, after serving as vice president. George was instrumental in winning a five-year struggle to bring licensure to athletic trainers in Rhode Island. He continues to live in Rhode Island.

Getting his start in the profession at New Mexico State University, Frank Randall was active as a national leader. He worked at New Mexico Military Junior College, the University of Idaho and Iowa State University. Randall served on the NATA board was the District Five secretary and historian. He retired in 2007.

Dick Malacrea spent 20 years at Princeton University as head athletic trainer before retiring in 1998. He was instrumental in founding the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey in 1975. Through this society, Malacrea was appointed by the governor to chair the Legislative Committee of Advisors to the Board of Medical Examiners. He continues to live in New Jersey.

1928-2008

Al Ortolani served as head athletic trainer and professor of HPER at Pittsburg State from 1955 until his retirement in 1995. Throughout his career, Ortolani was a quintessential role model for others in the sports medicine field. He was first baseball coach at PSU and the baseball field is named in his honor.

Troy Young was head athletic trainer for Arizona State from 1979-91. He served on the NATA board from 1977-80 and was NATA liaison to the NCAA from 1978-80. Young is a co-founder of the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association and a charter member of the Sports Medicine Committee of the Arizona Medical Association. He is retired and living in Arizona.

1947-1992

Thomas “Tim” Kerin spent most of his career as head athletic trainer at the University of Tennessee, where he started in 1977. In 1986 he was a founding member of Knoxville’s Metropolitan Drug Commission. Kerin received a Chancellor’s Citation from the University of Tennessee in 1990 and the SEATA Award of Merit in 1991. Gatorade continues to bestow an award in his name, recognizing outstanding service by an athletic trainer.

Gordon Stoddard joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison as head athletic trainer in 1969, a position he held until 1986. In addition to his athletic training duties, he created the curriculum for “Professional Preparation of Athletic Trainers” at the university. Stoddard, who amassed an array of awards and recognition, is retired and living in Wisconsin.

Gary Craner was the head athletic trainer at Boise State University from 1972 until his retirement in 2008. He was the first athletic trainer in the state of Idaho to be certified by NATA and was a primary force behind Idaho state licensure. Craner’s other contributions include service as president of the Idaho Athletic Trainers’ Association, vice-president and president of the Northwest Athletic Trainers’ Association. He continues to mentor athletic trainers around the country.

1921-2003

Garnett Detty founded Pro Orthopedic Devices in 1975 and ran the company until his retirement in 1994. While working for the Philadelphia Eagles he invented the neoprene rubber knee sleeve. He was owner of 22 patents on sports medicine products. His awards included the Professional Football Trainers Association Outstanding Alumnus Award and Sports Medicine Person of the Year Award.

Gordy Graham developed one of the first three NATA approved athletic training curriculums in 1969 and was head athletic trainer and curriculum director at Mankato State until his retirement in 1993. He helped organize and was first president of the Minnesota Athletic Trainer’s Association, and he served on the NATA board. Graham is now retired.

1937-2002

Wes Jordan served as the head athletic trainer at the University of Maine for more than three decades, beginning in 1965. He served two terms on the NATA Board of Directors and served on the NATA Ethics Committee and the NATA Honors and Awards Committee. His dedication and loyalty to the University of Maine and to the athletic training profession are well known throughout the State of Maine and the New England area.

Dean Kleinschmidt’s fundraising efforts helped build the NATA Foundation scholarship program. He has served three terms as president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society and he has been a member of two NFL advisory committees to the commissioner. He is coordinator of athletic medicine for the Detroit Lions, after spending most of his career with the New Orleans Saints.

Dale Mildenberger is a senior associate athletic director at Utah State University, where he has worked since 1975. He spent 1969-70 as head athletic trainer with the Harlem Globetrotters. He then served a stint in the Army as assistant athletic trainer at West Point, on Ed Pillings’ staff. Mildenberger has been active on a local, state, regional and national level with the NATA.

Ken Murray, whose parents were missionaries, was raised in Africa with a focus on service. He has worked for the Atlanta Falcons, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky and University of Southwestern Louisiana. Murray has worked in many capacities in district, state and national athletic training programs. He now is the senior associate athletic director for sports medicine at Texas Tech University.

Mike Nesbitt was head athletic trainer and associate professor at Northern Arizona University when he retired in 2006. During his tenure at NAU, he promoted and justified athletic trainers in numerous Arizona high schools. He was a leader at the state, district and national levels, representing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association on the NATA Board of Directors from 1986-92. He now serves as president of Jonesco Trucking.

Denis Isrow was dubbed the “Father of Athletic Training in North Dakota” in the late 1980s. He was the first full-time athletic trainer in state and North Dakota State University history and remained a full-time faculty member there for 39 years. Isrow, who continues to teach part-time at North Dakota State, has built a reputation as a teacher, listener, friend and healer.

1951-1991

Gail Weldon was the second woman to join NATA and one of the first 10 women ever certified. Her other “firsts” include being the first female athletic trainer hired by the U.S. Olympic Committee, first female head athletic trainer for the 1979 Pan American Games and first female chief athletic trainer for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. She was director of athletic training and physical therapy for the 1984 Olympic Games and was the first woman inducted to the NATA Hall of Fame.

NATA President #4

Bobby Barton spent 27 years as the head athletic trainer and program director at Eastern Kentucky University, turning his gift for leadership into a motivating force. After serving as NATA president, he helped get the NATA Research & Education Foundation underway and co-authored the athletic training certification law for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He continues to mentor students and professionals as a professor emeritus at Eastern Kentucky.

1925-2003

Bill Buhler was head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for over 44 years. He conceived and initiated a method of icing pitchers’ shoulders and elbows to minimize the effects of micro trauma, began the practice of having outfielders throw between innings to keep loose and patented safety equipment to protect catchers from head to toe.

Paul Grace’s legacy to the profession lies in the credibility of the credential. Grace chaired the Board of Certification and later served as BOC executive director. He was president of the EATA and the National Organization for Competency Assurance, and he worked as the coordinator of sports medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a clinical instructor in athletic training at Northeastern University. He is now an executive with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.

1947-1997

Dan Libera was an athletic trainer and educator at the University of Northern Colorado for 26 years. He was a founding member of the Colorado Athletic Trainers’ Association. He held several offices in the NATA, including District Seven Research and Injury Committee, Membership Committee, Board of Directors and Board of Certification. In 1995, an award bearing his name was established by the Board of Certification.

NATA President #6

Mark Smaha was the head athletic trainer at Washington State University from 1978 until retiring in 1999. As NATA president, he guided the association through economic challenges and changes in staff leadership. As an athletic trainer, he guided Marshall University through the worst fatality in college sports history. Smaha received three President’s Commendations for Life Saving Emergencies and was nominated for the NCAA Award of Valor in 1982. He currently works as a consultant and speaker.

Jim Booher retired in 2009 after 42 years at South Dakota State University as head athletic trainer, professor and program director. Booher served on the NATA Board of Directors from 1990-93 and chaired the NATA Governance Task Force from 1992-95. He was a charter member and first president of the South Dakota Athletic Trainers’ Association.

John Schrader rose through the ranks into administration at Indiana University. He served on the NATA board and was co-chair of the Education Task Force that was instrumental in education reform. He continues to mentor athletic training educators and is IU’s graduate athletic training program director, coordinator of the athletic training education program, and associate chair of the kinesiology department.

Jim Whitesel worked as an athletic trainer for the Seattle Seahawks from 1976-98. He served on the NATA board and assisted in designing injury prevention devices, including a therapeutic knee brace. His staff was named NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year in 1988. Whitesel has since opened a private practice, Whitesel ProTherapy.

NATA President #11

Majorie Albohm was one of the first women certified by NATA and the first women’s athletic trainer at Indiana University. She was an original member of the NATA Foundation board and was Foundation president before becoming NATA president. Albohm helped increase job opportunities for athletic trainers in clinics and physician extender roles. She is manager of Customer Education and Fellowship Programs for Ossur Americas.

Ronnie Barnes was the first president of the NATA Research & Education Foundation and was president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society. He has devoted his career to promoting the athletic trainer and improving the profession. Barnes joined the NFL’s New York Giants in 1980 and now works as vice president of medical services.

NATA President #8

Kent Falb was the head athletic trainer for the NFL’s Detroit Lions from 1967-99, after gaining experience at West Point, University of Iowa, Minnesota Vikings and Boston College. Active since joining NATA, he became president and focused on establishing a global presence for athletic training and guiding the changes in athletic training education. Falb now works as an executive for the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society.

Joe Godek was the first chair of the department of sports medicine at West Chester University in 1992. He is a former president of the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association and served two terms on the NATA board. He chaired the NATA Finance and Convention committees and was an on-site evaluator for the NATA approval and CAAHEP accreditation of athletic training curriculums. He is with DevTay Enterprises.

Dale Googins was head athletic trainer and associate professor at Denison University when he retired in 1997. He served as a test site administrator for the NATA Board of Certification and was a member of the team that produced test questions for the certification exam.

Phil Hossler co-authored New Jersey’s Athletic Training Practice Act and led the way for the creation of the state’s landmark Department of Education certification for high school athletic trainers. He owns five copyrights related to athletic training and a patent on a first aid splint. Hossler served two terms as president of the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey. He is an athletic trainer at East Brunswick High School.

Donald Lowe was instrumental in forming the New York State Athletic Trainers’ Association and served as president of that association from 1984-86. Lowe helped obtain professional regulation of athletic trainers in New York. After many years at Syracuse University and a stint at Georgia Tech, Lowe launched Sports Medicine Management Consultants in 2003.

Doug May worked for 20 years at the McCallie School before retiring in 2007. May was vice-president of NATA and was a District Nine director. In addition, he was a charter member of the Mississippi Athletic Trainers’ Association and served as its first president.

Karen “Toby” Toburen established the first athletic training curriculum in the state of Wisconsin while at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. She served as chair of the NATA Convention Committee and vice-chair of the Joint Review Committee for Athletic Training education. Toburen is now retired.

Earlene Durrant was the first woman to be elected as president of the Utah Athletic Trainers’ Association and was the first female athletic trainer at Brigham Young University. Durrant developed athletic training programs for secondary school districts in Utah as well as BYU, where she has served as chair of the Department of Physical Education.

Jim Gallaspy has been teaching students in high school and college throughout his career. He was president of the Mississippi Athletic Trainers’ Association, Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association and served on the NATA board from 1994-97, focusing on building jobs in the profession. Gallaspy worked at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, for 26 years before retiring in 2000.

Dick Hoover was an early developer of outpatient sports medicine practices and was instrumental in opening 100+ outpatient clinics. The original PR chair for NATA, Hoover was involved in consulting and implementing rehabilitation and sports medicine programs at rural hospitals and high schools. He also served on the Boards of Directors of various corporations. Hoover is retired and lives in Indiana.

Kent Scriber has served for years as a professor and supervisor of athletic training as well as clinical education coordinator at Ithaca College. Scriber, a past president of EATA, won the NYSATA Sheehan Award and the EATA’s Cramer Award.

Originally known for his work in sports rehabilitation, Don Chu developed an extensive reputation in the areas of fitness and conditioning. He has been credited with bringing plyometric training to the attention of the athletic world. Chu served on the NATA board and led the National Strength & Conditioning Association. He is the clinic director of Athercare Fitness & Rehabilitation.

Andy Clawson has been the head athletic trainer/director of sports medicine at The Citadel since 1973. Throughout his career he has served at the state, district and national levels. Additionally, Clawson chaired the advisory committee that oversaw the Legal Practice Act for Athletic Trainers’ employment in South Carolina.

Ken Knight has amassed a career of firsts: he was Weber State’s first full-time athletic trainer in 1969 and was the inaugural chair of the athletic training department at Indiana State. He is a past editor of the Journal of Athletic Training and was instrumental in launching the NATA News and the Athletic Training Educators Journal. Knight has been a professor at BYU since 1996.

Kenneth Kopke opened doors for athletic trainers in the industrial setting. Kopke created the Healthletics Programs after many years consulting for General Motors on in-house rehabilitation, fitness/wellness programs and ergonomics. Work-Fit now directs its attention toward lowering health care costs for manufacturing, business, health care and educational institutions. Kopke is retired.

Carl Krein began his athletic training career in 1964 when he was hired as the head athletic trainer at the State University of New York at Potsdam. As an NATA board member, he focused on helping athletic trainer network and mentoring young professionals. Krein was the head athletic trainer at Central Connecticut University from 1966 until his retirement in 1996.

NATA President #7

As a former student of Pinky Newell, Denny Miller knows volunteers make or break an association. He got involved in national athletic training issues and eventually completed two terms as NATA president. He directed initiatives that improved sports medicine in the collegiate setting. Miller is the director of sports medicine for Purdue University.

Peggy A. Houglum’s service centers on education: she has chaired the Continuing Education Committee, helped develop programming for the Annual Meeting and became the first woman to serve as an associate editor of the Journal of Athletic Training. She is an associate professor at Duquesne University.

Ken Kladnik has been active in District Ten, chairing several committees and editing the district newsletter. He served on and later chaired the NATA Foundation Scholarship Committee before returning to the role of student himself, earning a doctorate. He is the director of rehabilitation services at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital. Kladnik

Pete Koehneke’s goal is to prepare students well enough that he would trust them to care for his daughters. He has chaired the Competencies Committee of the NATA Education Council and the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Athletic Training, and he helped ease the transition to accredited curricula. Koehneke is the athletic training education program director at Canisius College.

Ken Locker has focused on revenue and scholarship initiatives for the profession, serving numerous NATA and Foundation committees. He raised the profession’s public profile, working with the Dallas Cowboys from 1973-90 (including three Super Bowls and two Pro Bowls). In 1991, he was an athletic trainer in the movie “Necessary Roughness.” Locker now works with Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.

Sandy Miller has served as Texas athletic trainers throughout his career and was a six-year appointee to the Texas Athletic Training Licensure Board. As an NATA board member, Miller was known for promoting the interests of college and high school athletic trainers. Currently he is assistant athletic director for sports medicine at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Jack Redgren, a strong proponent of professional education, got into athletic training after serving in the Army, 1965-67. Getting his start with Lindsy McLean at the University of Michigan, Redgren has worked in the private sector treating varsity, professional and recreational athletes since 1981. He continues to work part-time with Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance.

Jack Baynes spent two years as Peace Corps volunteer before pursuing a career of service. Baynes was head athletic trainer at Northeastern University for 23 years before moving to Arizona as the first athletic trainer for Santa Rita High School. A charter member and former president of Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts, Baynes was closely involved with the state’s successful licensure effort. Baynes is now retired.

Bob Beeten, a championship track and field coach, designed the medical program in which athletic trainers became core providers for Olympic Training Center operations, sports festivals and Pan American games. He has been honored by the American Dental Association and the American Optometry Association. After a career that spanned high school, college, professional and Olympic sports, Beeten is now retired.

Ron Carroll was the first certified athletic trainer at Arkansas State University and has been head athletic trainer since August 1976. He has been active in continuing education, governmental affairs and reimbursement. He has also served as chair of the Arkansas State Board of Athletic Training.

Robert Moore epitomizes service, having cared for athletes at the University of Illinois, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, 1979 Pan American Games, 1982 World University Games and the US National Rugby Team. He spent 25 years, active and reserve, in the U.S. Air Force and Army, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. Moore currently is a professor and clinical coordinator for the athletic training education program at San Diego State University.

David Perrin is a longtime advocate of clinical research, having been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Athletic Training and founder of the Sports Medicine and Athletic Training Research Laboratory at the University of Virginia. Perrin’s name now graces an award for doctoral dissertations. He is provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Al Green has been chair of the NATA Public Relations Committee and a member of the Board of Certification. He serves his community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT and received the Certificate of Valor in 1994 from the Kentucky Department of Fire Prevention. Green is assistant athletic director and head athletic trainer at Florida Southern College.

Bill McDonald was the director of sports medicine at Georgia Tech for 15 years before returning to his alma mater, the University of Alabama, in 1987. McDonald was an early advocate of legislative recognition, and he continues to mentor students in his current role as director of sports medicine for the Crimson Tide.

William Prentice is a prolific author and educator, now serving as the second editor of the Athletic Training Educators Journal and the namesake of a doctoral scholarship for athletic training students. Prentice works as coordinator of the athletic training specialization in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina.

1934-2001

Ted Quedenfeld, while working at Temple University, developed the first hospital-based sports medicine center and the first clinic-based outreach program for high school athletes in the U.S., creating jobs for athletic trainers outside the traditional setting. Quedenfeld also contributed significantly to secure Pennsylvania’s first state legislative act for athletic trainers in the early 1980s.

Charles Redmond, who served two terms on the NATA board, is a proponent of clinical education and worldwide sports medicine, having lectured in Aruba, Ireland and China while caring for athletes at the college, professional and Olympic levels. He is dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Springfield College, where he has worked more than 30 years.

Kathy Schniedwind’s career was spent at Illinois State University, where she worked from 1976-2006. She was the first female athletic trainer at Illinois State and the first female board member for the state association. Schniedwind served on the NATA Foundation board and the Foundation Scholarship Committee; now retired, she still lectures and is a sought-after mentor.

Sue Stanley-Green was the first woman to cover football full-time in the Southeast Conference, as associate head athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky. Currently, she is program director of the athletic training education program at Florida Southern College. She served on the NATA board and was a two-time director on the Board of Certification.

Clint Thompson’s focus has been on professional development. He was editor of the Journal of Athletic Training from 1972-85 and associate editor until 2003. His 31 years of Journal work was recognized by the creation of the annual Clint Thompson Award for Clinical Advancement. Now retired, he was the head athletic trainer at Northeast Missouri State University from 1985-2001.

Jerry Bell helped develop the athletic training education program at the University of Illinois. He was instrumental in securing state regulation of athletic trainers in 1985 and licensure in 1995. Now a professor emeritus for the University of Illinois, Bell has 80+ presentations and 45 publications to his name, and he has traveled the world with the U.S. Swimming Sports Medicine Society.

Pete Carlon is a valued voice for the profession among college sports administration. Now the director of athletics at the University of Texas at Arlington, he has focused on integrity and leadership, serving on the NCAA Competitive Safeguards Committee, NCAA drug testing committee and the NATA board.

Kathleen Laquale was the first female athletic trainer at Providence College and is half of the first father-daughter duo to work in athletic training. She also is a licensed dietary nutritionist. Laquale’s work strongly influences her students at Bridgewater State College, where has been associate professor and the program director of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum programs.

As a college athlete, Tony Marek found his calling when injury sent him to Gary Craner’s athletic training room. Naturally inclined to fix things, Marek took up the profession, eventually spending 13 years as head athletic trainer at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is in private practice and spends his weekends caring for professional bull riders. Marek was a two-term member of the NATA board.

Rod Walters, a former NATA board member, has served as a product development consultant for Nike, Riddell, 3M Healthcare and United Pacific. He also has worked with Donjoy to successfully launch the Velocity, an off-the-shelf rigid ankle brace. He was an assistant athletic director at the University of South Carolina until 2007, when he launched his own consulting business.

Richard Ray serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Athletic Training, was co-chair of the NATA’s Education Task Force and chaired the association’s Nomenclature Task Force. In 2008 Ray directed NATA: Involve & Evolve! initiative to restructure NATA’s volunteer processes. He is the dean for social sciences, professor of kinesiology and assistant athletic trainer at Hope College.

Tom Abdenour has been in the National Basketball Association since 1987, tirelessly advocating for proper terminology and polishing the public image of athletic trainers. He has organized the NBATA/NATA student cadaver workshop for many years, and he is a founder of a guidance center for homeless or underprivileged men in Oakland, Cali. Abdenour is head athletic trainer for the Golden State Warriors.

Steve Bair has been a champion of accreditation, credentialing and legislation throughout his career. He leads by example, having served on the NATA board, Foundation board and Board of Certification, in addition to state and district offices. Bair, a member of the New Jersey Secondary School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, has worked for 20+ years at Overbrook (NJ) Senior High School.

Sam Booth has long been an advocate of educational excellence. As a leader in District Four, she served on the NATA board during the transition to accredited curricula. During 11 years as head athletic trainer at Minnesota State University Moorhead Booth created a model athletic training program. She now works at Rochester General Hospital in New York.

NATA President #9

Julie Max became the first woman elected as NATA president, in 2000. She has spent her career developing students and promoting the profession. Since 1979 Max has worked at California State University Fullerton, where she was the driving force behind the development of an athletic training education program that has received national acclaim.

DC Colt takes pride in being a member of the first curriculum class at West Virginia University, where he graduated in 1977. He has been active with the NATA board, Foundation and Board of Certification – all while becoming a treasured member of Northwest Missouri State University, where he worked for 27 years. In 2008 Colt became an athletic trainer for the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Dave Pursley played a pivotal role in getting licensure adopted in the state of Georgia, and he is a founding member of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers’ Society. After caring for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves for 52 years – 44 of them in the Major Leagues – he retired in 2002.

Michael Ferrara has taken athletic training to the global scene. He was the founding president of the World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy, and in 2010 he earned distinction as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching athletic training in Ireland. Ferrara has also been active in providing care for Paralympic athletes and the U.S. Disabled Sports Team. He is a professor and program director at University of Georgia.

Joe Iezzi has been an athletic trainer for 30+ years, and his proudest achievements center on motivating students. A leader in Pennsylvania and a former NATA board member, Iezzi introduced changes in the Pennsylvania law and initiated a new law to be directly under the Medical Practice Act. He has been at Downingtown High School since 1988.

Tom Koto’s legacy centers on legislative recognition and job opportunities for athletic trainers. He helped get athletic trainers hired by the Boise, Idaho, school district and played a key role when the Idao legislature adopted registration in 1989 and licensure in 2003. He currently works at Intermountain Orthopaedics and volunteers as a physician extender at a free clinic for the homeless.

Bill Lyons has been at the University of Wyoming since 1978, were he has served as head athletic trainer and athletic training education program director. After working under Wyoming legend Jack Aggers, as well as Gary Delforge and Warren Lee, Lyons has made it a point to pass on the lessons he learned by mentoring students throughout his career.

Chad Starkey has carved a niche as an educator and visionary. As the first chair of the NATA Education Council, he led the transition to accredited curriculum. Now an associate professor and coordinator of the division of athletic training at Ohio University, Starkey has served on the Board of Certification board and is author of several textbooks and articles.

As early as the late 1970s, Randy Biggerstaff began advocating for athletic trainers in the clinic setting. An entrepreneur at heart, the Mizzou graduate has spent 30 years opening, directing and growing sports medicine clinics and consulting businesses. Now the education program director at Lindenwood University, Biggerstaff remains a key voice in clinical and emerging practice settings.

As a student at Kansas State Teachers’ College, Lynn Bott quickly made a name as a fast study, a hard worker, a gifted healer. Those traits have endured throughout 20+ years at the University of Kansas and decades of volunteer service, including a successful push to gain licensure in Kansas. Now an instructor and director of sports medicine at Baker University, Bott finds his greatest job satisfaction in mentoring students.

Brooklyn native Frank Walters learned a key lesson from his first athletic training mentor, Bill Chisolm: think big-picture. He has spent a career doing exactly that – and challenging others to do the same. He has impacted ethnic diversity in athletic training, education, job improvement, athlete health care. Well known for building the athletic training program in the District of Columbia public schools, Walters now runs an outreach program in Broward County, Fla.

Many athletic trainers have fought for governmental recognition, but Keith Webster stands out in the crowd. Early on, Webster saw the value of legislative affairs and effectively lobbied NATA to make it a priority. He led the Governmental Affairs Committee for a decade and continues to push for legislative initiatives. Webster is an assistant professor and head athletic trainer at his alma mater, the University of Kentucky.