The NATA Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of member recognition, celebrating athletic trainers who have fostered the profession and exemplified what it means to live a life of service. More than a ring and an iconic green jacket, the NATA Hall of Fame honors those who have dedicated countless hours sharpening their skills, mentoring the next generation of ATs and leaving a lasting impact on the athletic training profession.
The May/June NATA News features profiles on each of the 2025 NATA Hall of Fame inductees, providing insight into their careers, volunteer achievements and lives as leaders in the profession. The class of 2025 will be inducted during the 76th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Orlando. Don’t miss the NATA Hall of Fame Induction & National Awards Ceremony from 1 to 2 p.m. June 25.
In this post, the inductees discuss their mentors and how they impacted them.
Editor’s note: Rick Shaw passed away Feb. 15. His responses were provided by his daughter, Jess Norman; colleagues, Marion Vruggink, AT Ret., Walter “Kip” Smith, MEd, LAT, ATC, and Scott Lawrance, DHSc, LAT, ATC; and mentor, Bob Behnke, AT Ret.
Brian Conway, LAT, ATC
- Ross Bailey, AT Ret., modeled professionalism, work ethic and service. Ross impacted my initial development as a professional.
- Pete Carlon, AT Ret., is always there to support me, discuss problems and issues, and help me work through solutions. Pete has always encouraged me to push myself personally and professionally and give back to my community and the athletic training profession.
- Sandy Miller is the consummate professional and always does the right thing for the right reason. His professional modeling of service above self and always being available to talk and mentor has been invaluable.
- Marje Albohm, MS, AT Ret., in my later career, has mentored me about staying involved and continuing to serve the profession. My continued service across the profession is something I am very proud of. She has modeled continuous service.
- Rod Walters, DAT, SCAT, ATC, is one of the great thinkers in our profession. He has been invaluable in giving perspective as I have navigated difficult situations later in my career.
Katie Walsh Flanagan, EdD, LAT, ATC
Bill “Ropes” Robinson, OSU, taught me resilience and how to keep a little humor in your life.
Kathy Schniedwind, AT Ret., from Illinois State University gave me enough rope to grow and enough to learn from my mistakes.
I first met Marje Albohm, MS, AT Ret., when I was a graduate student. No one displays more class than Ms. Albohm, and she is also a master on how to correctly handle conflict. Marje is always delighted to meet people and spend time with students, and she can work a room like none other.
Ronnie Barnes, ATC, senior vice president of medical services and head athletic trainer of the New York Football Giants, always has the most beautiful smile and never complains. He embodies hard work, no excuses. Everyone can learn a lot from just watching him.
Rick Griffin, MS, LAT, ATC
I have had the pleasure of being impacted by an amazing group of individuals who taught me the skill sets I needed to develop to become an athletic trainer who would be respected and appreciated by not only his athletes but his peers.
The first was Dale Mildenberger, AT Ret., who gave me my first chance at Utah State University and inspired and motivated me to be the best athletic trainer I could be each and every day. He also gave me the best advice I have ever received when he told me I would have to leave Utah and go to Oregon to pursue my master’s degree and become a better AT. He was so right.
Next was Dr. Lou Osternig at the University of Oregon, an educator and extreme motivator who pushed me on the academic side of athletic training and instilled in me the ability to think outside of the box and solve problems. He also taught me the importance of volunteering as he helped me get involved with NATA, assisting with the certification exam as both a model and examiner, as well as putting me on the NATA Professional Education Committee.
Lastly, Dr. Keith Peterson, owner of the Sports Medicine Clinic in Seattle and a second father to me, taught me about not being afraid of the word “no.” That there is a “yes” around the corner and it’s up to me to find it. He taught me that if you’re early, you’re never late, and that has been a staple of my life. The most important thing he ever taught me was that every injured athlete deserves to be treated like a professional. So, every event I went with him to, such as rodeo, hydroplane racing, track meets, marathons, high school events and clinics, I always tried to provide the best possible care. He was the individual who persuaded me to apply for the Mariner job even though I was very young and had only worked in the low minor leagues. He saw something in me and helped me achieve it with his mentoring skills.
I was truly blessed to have these gentleman as my mentors
Jennifer Dawn Rheeling, MS, LAT, ATC
So many! George Young, my junior and senior high biology teacher and basketball coach, was a secondary father figure and helped me study for and pass many biology exams in college.
Michael Poe, a football and wrestling coach at Millikin University, took me under his wing and helped me study. He let me borrow his family, giving me a home away from home. His patient and sage advice always guided me to think things through and gave me another perspective.
Scott Doberstein, MS, LAT, ATC, was the first full-time athletic trainer hired at Millikin University. He came my senior year. I learned more from him in that one year than I did in the three years prior. He taught me the importance of always learning and growing, and gave me a lot of trust and responsibility, which in turn gave me a lot of confidence.
Robert Behnke, AT Ret., an Indiana State University athletic training professor, was from Illinois and we bonded over this similarity. I loved his pragmatic, plain way of looking at things, and he instilled the importance of protecting your home life. When I told him I was taking a job in Washington, D.C., he was dismayed and told me he wanted me to stay in Illinois and be great there. I don’t know why he thought I would be great, but that has served as a boost many times. I didn’t want to disappoint him.
Frank Walters, PhD, LAT, ATC, was my supervisor for many years. He has had a profound effect on my call to advocacy and leadership and was the catalyst to my desire to pursue cultural literacy and provide equitable care. He put me in a position to volunteer when I wasn’t even considering the idea, which ignited my passion and in turn led me to seek ways to do the same for others. I have concentrated on inviting athletic trainers who are diverse to engage in leadership and volunteer roles. I was at his elbow during many early conversations about establishing what has grown into the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee.
Patricia Billingslea-Cox, MS, LAT, ATC, has always been my athletic trainer big sister. She was never afraid to tell me truths I needed to hear and give me tough love when I needed it. She matches that with unwavering love, friendship and support. Her listening ear and sage advice taught me a lot about conflict resolution, effective communication, professional demeanor and cultural literacy.
Many other athletic trainers have had a lasting and meaningful impact on me by serving with me, or allowing me room to serve, setting an example to follow, or by supporting me while I did: Tina Carrillo, MS, LAT, ATC, Jamila Watson, DAT, LAT, ATC, Dawn Bracley, ATC, Mike Carroll, MEd, LAT, ATC, David Csillan, MS, LAT, ATC, Tanya Dargusch, LAT, ATC, Tony Fitzpatrick, MA, LAT, ATC, Brian Robinson, MS, ATC, Nancy Burke, MS, AT Ret., Pat Aronson, PhD, LAT, ATC, Anna August, MS, LAT, ATC, Kysha Harriell, PhD, LAT, ATC, Torrance Williams, DHSc, LAT, ATC, Veronica Ampey, MS, LAT, ATC, and Bev Westerman, EdD, ATC, to name a few!
J. Timothy Sensor, LAT, AT Ret.
Reflecting on my journey, I am profoundly grateful for the guidance of several pivotal mentors who shaped my professional path. Among them are Dick Malacrea, AT Ret., John McNerney, Bill Battershall and Alan Levy. Each played a unique role in advising me on how to prioritize the care of the athletes and individuals entrusted to me.
Dick, in particular, was instrumental in my early involvement with athletic training law, policies, procedures and regulations. His insights laid the foundation for my understanding of the complexities involved in our field. Alongside him, Joe Camillone, AT Ret., Sandy Biber and Phil Hossler provided invaluable counsel that helped me navigate the challenges of our profession. Their collective wisdom not only guided my decisions but also instilled in me the importance of professional integrity and the well-being of the athletes and patients I serve.
Rick Shaw
Rick had the ultimate respect for Bob Behnke, AT Ret., who was the head athletic trainer and curriculum director at Indiana State University. Bob was his mentor who constantly challenged Rick to be a better AT and get involved in the profession. He saw potential in Rick that others didn’t and encouraged him to tap into that potential. Had it not been for Bob, Rick may not have seen it through as he did.
While Rick had many mentors, his ability to mentor was also amazing. As president of the Indiana Athletic Trainers’ Association, and then GLATA, he knew all three levels (state, district and national) must focus on getting athletic training students involved professionally as these young people would be the future of the athletic training profession. He believed mentoring students was a high priority. Consequently, he formed the first student senate at the state and then district levels to help develop and mentor students. This led to the development of the Student Leadership Committee at the national level.
