NATA Hall of Fame

William “Bill” Tessendorf's legacy as an athletic trainer will be his efforts to advance the profession and create more opportunities for his colleagues. Tessendorf has worked as an athletic trainer in the National Football League for nearly four decades, including more than 20 years with the Cleveland Browns and a Super Bowl win with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001. Tessendorf has shown his commitment to his profession by serving as president of the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association. He was the first to represent athletic trainers on the NFL Injury & Safety panel, advocating for player safety and injury prevention for nearly two decades.

Throughout his decades as an athletic trainer, Jeff Stone has been known for his devotion to colleagues and to the profession. A past president of the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts, “Stoney” remained active with District One and the EATA, and has been the recipient of both the EATA Henry Schein/MBM and Cramer Awards. He represented District One for two terms on the NATA board of directors, and has been a long-time medical volunteer with the Bay State Games. Stone was instrumental in establishing the Rebecca Payne Memorial District One Scholarship, honoring the memory of the late athletic training student from Northeastern University. Currently, he is the head athletic trainer at Suffolk University in Boston.

Throughout John Spiker's career as an educator at West Virginia University and as a clinic owner, he has focused on improving the athletic training profession and creating opportunities for students and young professionals. Spiker was selected as Collegiate Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1980 and Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 1994. He was honored by the WVU School of Physical Education as the Outstanding Alumnus in 2007 after being named to the Hall of Fame in 1993. He has served as the president of the WVU Fellowship of Christian Athletes board and has received many local civic and business awards.

Kip Smith's career started at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by nearly 30 years at Indiana University, where he is currently the head athletic trainer. Smith was a Board of Certification examiner and an active NATA Ethics Committee member, helping re-write the national association's code of ethics, and currently serves on the NATA Foundation Board of Directors. A committed member and past president of the Indiana Athletic Trainers Association, Smith was heavily involved in Indiana licensure and reimbursement efforts. He helped develop and pass the Indiana State House Enrolled Act 1467, which allows licensed athletic trainers to be reimbursed by insurers and health maintenance organizations.

Jay Shoop is known for his keen interest in the history of the profession and reimbursement. As head athletic trainer at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, he developed and implemented an international medical poly-clinic model within the Olympic Village and established a communication process that has been utilized since at the Games. Shoop was active with instituting Georgia's favorable licensure bill and is a member of the East Tennessee State University and Georgia Athletic Trainers Association halls of fame. Formerly head athletic trainer for the Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions, Shoop is currently director of sports medicine at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. John W. Powell is a distinguished athletic training educator, researcher and clinician whose sports injury epidemiology work has made sports safer at all levels. Powell has conducted injury surveillance studies for NATA, Big Ten, NCAA, NHL and NFL and served on the NFL Injury & Safety Panel, NHL Injury Panel and Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. He developed the Sports Injury Monitoring System, an injury tracking software for athletic trainers and was the first NATA Research and Education Foundation president. Powell is currently an athletic trainer and faculty member at Michigan State University.

Dr. Robert “Bobby” Patton has served his alma mater, Texas State University, as athletic trainer and educator for half a century. A strong and committed proponent of education, Patton has developed over 30 courses in athletic training, more than 50 lectures and presentations, and created one of the first athletic training degree programs to receive national accreditation. Texas State University recently honored Patton with a scholarship in his name. In addition to his academic pursuits, Patton has been active in the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association, the Texas Athletic Trainers' Association and NATA. In 1971, he testified on behalf of the Texas licensure bill, the first athletic training practice act in the country.

Nick Pappas, known for his legislative efforts, crafted the language for the Tennessee Practice Act and the creation of the state's Board of Athletic Trainers. He served as the charter president of the Georgia state association and president of the Tennessee association. He was instrumental in the formation of the Arena Football League Physicians and Athletic Trainers Association and has been involved as a volunteer and leader for many professional organizations and causes. Pappas works for the Florida State University Department of Athletics and teaches in the athletic training curriculum.

Nearly 30 years at Michigan State University, Dr. Sally Nogle is an outstanding educator and professional who is an inspiration to students, athletes and colleagues. She presents regularly at athletic training meetings, is a textbook chapter author and product developer. Nogle chaired the NATA International and International Games Committees and served on the NATA Foundation board. Named a San Diego State University Robert J. Moore Distinguished Alumnus, Nogle has received the MSU Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award, GLATA Outstanding Educator Award, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award and Gail Weldon Award for Excellence, and was inducted into the MATS Hall of Fame.

As the former head athletic trainer for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts , and more than 40 years of experience at the high school, collegiate, clinical and industrial sports medicine settings, John Lopez has made a strong contribution to athletic training. Widely known for his efforts advocating for the clinical setting, Lopez was a founding member and first chair of the NATA Clinical/Industrial/Corporate Committee and established one of the first physician extender programs in the country. Lopez served on the NATA CAQ Task Force, is the current chair of the Service Award Sub-committee and is a past recipient of the PFATS Outstanding Alumni Award. He is the current director of sports medicine at Coppin State University in Baltimore.