NATA Hall of Fame

1954 - 2014

Tina Bonci revolutionized health care delivery for elite student-athletes, particularly female athletes, during her nearly 30 year tenure with the University of Texas. Bonci was one of the first in the profession to research women's predisposition to specific injuries and urged companies to create athletic shoes and apparel specifically designed for women. Ever focused on the total care of her athletes, she pioneered a wellness program to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs among student-athletes, and served as lead author of an NATA position statement on the detection and prevention of eating disorders in athletes. Bonci was named the U.S. women's basketball athletic trainer for the gold medal-winning 1984 team under Coach Pat Summit. Bonci's contributions to athletic training will benefit the profession for years to come.

Dave Carrier is recognized for his remarkable career accomplishments both in leadership and in practice. A volunteer for many years, Carrier served on both the NATA College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee and the Honors & Awards Committee. He also served as the Chair of the NATA Research & Education Foundation Golf Classic for eight years, which raised thousands of dollars to help support the Foundation's efforts. He served as President of the Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society and was Chair of the MATS Golf Outing for twenty three years, which contributed financial support for state licensure. Dave was Head Athletic Trainer of the 1988 U.S.A. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, the 1990 World Ice Hockey Championships, and the 1992 Olympic Ski Jumpers/Nordic Combine teams. His contributions to the profession are many, which include teaching Fundamental Techniques of Evaluation and Management of the Spine and Pelvis to athletic trainers from around the country. He also invented the “Carrier Technique” for Pelvic Superior Shears. Carrier is currently the Associate Head Athletic Trainer at Michigan State University, where he has worked for more than 30 years.

Malissa Martin is a renowned educator and researcher whose work in professional development has dramatically improved the athletic training profession. A nationally recognized presenter with more than 200 presentations to her credit, Martin has authored several books and more than 100 publications. She developed the first home study programs in athletic training and chaired the first NATA Athletic Training Educators' Conference, where she has been a key presenter since 1996. Martin was the first woman to be elected as president of the South Carolina Athletic Trainers' Association and her service and career accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards. Currently, Martin is a Professor, Associate Vice Provost and Graduate Program Director of Athletic Training at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.

Russ Richardson is a leader of the profession, recognized for his tireless service and commitment to athletic training. Active at the state, district and national levels, Richardson served on the NATA Board of Directors and was named chair of both the 2012 Nomenclature Workgroup and the Executive Committee for Education, leading the Association through controversial issues. An advocate for athletic trainers, Richardson contributed to licensure in California, Washington and Alaska. Currently, Richardson is an athletic trainer and associate professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Montana Western.

Sandra Shultz is a celebrated educator, researcher and clinician whose impact on the profession is immeasurable. She is considered a national leader in ACL research and her focus on the underlying sex-dependent factors that contribute to a female's higher risk knee biomechanics and increased susceptibility to ACL injury is recognized throughout the medical and scientific communities as benchmark work in the field. Shultz has served the profession through numerous leadership positions, including service as chair of the Convention Program and Fellows Committees, and as a member of the NATA Research & Education Foundation Research Committee and the NATA Pronouncements Committee and Strategic Planning Task Force. Shultz, who is currently a professor at UNC- Greensboro, has influenced the profession through the countless students she has educated and mentored.

Terry Noonan has dedicated his career to advancing the profession and improving the education of athletic trainers. A former NATA district five director and one-time chair of the Finance Committee, Noonan's decades of service, advocacy and leadership have made an immeasurable impact at the local, state and national levels. Through passionate campaigning and activism, Noonan was instrumental in obtaining licensure for athletic trainers in his home state of Iowa. He is also credited with singlehandedly saving the athletic training program at the University of Northern Iowa, where he served the program for 16 years. He is the current director of Athletic Training Services at the University of Iowa.

Thomas Weidner is a national expert in research on upper respiratory illness. His work includes the influence of exercise on the duration and severity of a cold, and the effect of a cold on athletic performance and exercise. Weidner has also provided benchmark research in athletic training education, particularly clinical education. He has authored an athletic training clinical education textbook, several textbook chapters and numerous papers and abstracts. His upper respiratory illness research continues to be cited in countless publications and television programs worldwide. An advocate for athletic training education, Weidner chaired the Clinical Education Committee and was instrumental in the training and development of clinical instructors. Weidner was a member of the board of editors of the Journal of Athletic Training for 18 years. He has been with Ball State University since 1991, where he is currently a George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Athletic Training and Chair of the School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science.

One of the professions' trailblazers, Catherine “Katie” Grove began her career as an athletic trainer when there were relatively few women in the profession. Since then, Grove has been a leader, example and advocate for female athletic trainers, serving as chair of the NATA Women in Athletic Training Committee. Grove is the Athletic Training Director at Indiana University, where she was recognized with the Excellence in Support of Women's Athletics, Health and Wellness Award. A former president of the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association and the Indiana Athletic Trainers' Association, Grove is a committed leader at all levels of the profession.

As an educator and researcher, David Draper has had an immeasurable impact on the field of athletic training. Through more than 100 publications and 300 presentations and seminars, Draper has introduced therapeutic modality principles and applications based on research and scientific evidence to athletic trainers, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other professionals. He is recognized as a pioneer of research in ultrasound and diathermy. Dedicated to the profession in all settings, Draper is a former president of the Utah Athletic Trainers' Association, former chair of the written examination committee of the BOC and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Athletic Training. He is currently a professor of sports medicine and athletic training at Brigham Young University.

Recognized for elevating athletic training at the secondary school level, Jon Almquist has served the Fairfax County Public Schools System as an athletic trainer, teacher and administrator for more than 30 years. Dedicated to addressing and reducing sports-related concussions, Almquist has improved secondary school athletic training through his research and instruction. Through his service to the Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association, he has worked to pass legislation in his home state. An avid volunteer, Almquist served the NATA as a member of the Pronouncements Committee, the NATA Inter-Association Task Force for Appropriate Care of the Spine, and as chair of the Secondary School Athletic Trainers' Committee.