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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.