NATA Hall of Fame

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.