NATA Hall of Fame

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.