1888 - 1957

Roland Bevan, a pioneer in the physical conditioning of athletes, was the New York Touchdown Club's 1942 College Football Man of the Year. Hailed as the “Muscle Man of the Maumee,” Bevan cared for athletes at Dartmouth University and West Point after making his name as one of the most successful football coaches in the nation.

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1893 - 1972

Samuel “Doc” Bilik was one of the earliest medical doctors to devote his time to athletic injuries; at age 21 he wrote “The Trainers Bible,” one of the first texts dealing with athletic training. Bilik also manufactured a line of athletic training supplies. He was an early recipient of the American College of Sports Medicine's Citation Award.

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1894 - 1971

Wilbur Bohm, the Washington State University head athletic trainer before becoming an osteopathic surgeon, helped define sports medicine by writing books and filming a 1941 documentary on charley horses and sprained ankles. Bohm - with Jake Weber, Billy Morris and the Cramer brothers - was a member of the first athletic training squad to serve a U.S. Olympic Team, in 1932 in Los Angeles.

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1886 - 1953

From 1913-47 David “Matt” Bullock saw to it that football stars like Red Grange, George Halas, Buddy Young and other Fighting Illini stayed healthy. During his 34-year career at the University of Illinois, Bullock cared for more than 40,000 athletes.

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1897 - 1973

Mike Chambers compiled a long and distinguished career as the first athletic trainer at Louisiana State University. Chambers, who worked at several all-star games in the south, was so popular during his stint at LSU that the school's mascot - a live Bengal Tiger - still bears his name.

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1892-1959

It isn't exactly true that Earl “Click” Clark was Washington University's athletic trainer all of his life; he was there for just 32 of his XX years. During this tenure at WU, Clark gained a reputation as a deft, intelligent athletic trainer. Clark played and later coached football before joining the Washington athletic training staff in 1927.

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1892 - 1984

When Chuck Cramer concocted a balm to ease his sprained ankle, he launched an industry that has complemented sports medicine since 1922. Cramer went on to produce a number of athletic training products with his brother, Frank. They served on the first-ever Olympic athletic training staff, in 1932, and they organized and funded NATA in its early years.

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1888 - 1971

Frank Cramer, who - along with his brother, Chuck - nurtured NATA through its infancy, helped shape the profession. The brothers' company produced The First Aider publication and hosted Cramer Camps, attracting hundreds of people to the profession. They are recognized in the elite Sporting Goods Hall of Fame and are heralded as cornerstones of sports medicine.

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1884 - 1962

Oliver DeVictor served as athletic trainer at Penn State, Pittsburgh, Washington-St. Louis and Missouri universities long enough to make 10 bowl trips, including three visits to the Rose Bowl. He retired as head athletic trainer at Missouri in 1958 after 23 years of service.

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1887 - 1970

Well-known Texas politician and coach Lilburn Dimmitt turned his attention to athletic training at Texas A&M, serving the Aggies from 1934-48. It was during his years as a coach, however, that he earned his greatest claim to fame: coaching Olympic track star Babe Didrickson.

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1874 - 1977

Carl Erickson, a legend to many generations of Northwestern University athletes, was best known by his nickname of “Gloomy” because of his sullen facial expression. Yet Erickson is remembered for his affection for Wildcat athletes, whom he cared for from 1928-51.

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1890-unknown

From 1947-57 Bill Fallon was head athletic trainer at the Naval Academy, previously serving athletes at Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, California, St. Mary's and the Navy Pre-Flight School. Fallon also cared for the 1920, 1932, 1936 and 1952 U.S. Olympic Teams.

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1884 - 1965

Every Sunday for years, Tad Gormley hosted the “Gormley Games,” a track meet staged at City Park near Loyola University. Gormley, whose first love was track and field, served at Tulane, Loyola and Louisiana State as head athletic trainer and track coach. An outdoor stadium in New Orleans still bears his name.

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1891 - 1974

Michigan State athletes remember Jack Heppinstall as a morale booster and father figure. During his 45 years at MSU, he used an estimated 900 miles of tape and tended approximately 15,000 athletes. Heppinstall, who returned to his native England as a U.S. Olympic Team athletic trainer in 1948, was a leader in the first NATA.

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1908 - 1954

Thomas “Fitz” Lutz is remembered for inventing a facemask that saved a season for a Georgia Bulldogs star and kept the team rolling through its Golden Era. Lutz, UGA's head athletic trainer from 1938-42, was the Baltimore Colts' head athletic trainer for three seasons before going to the University of North Carolina in 1950.

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1886 - 1957

Frank Mann, who served for almost 25 years as athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky, is the original advocate for college athletic trainers. In 1906 he started his athletic training career at the University of Indiana, working next at Iowa, the University of Chicago and Purdue before landing at Kentucky.

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1824 - 1956

Larnard “Lon” Mann served for 24 years as athletic trainer for Purdue, joining the Boilermakers after gaining athletic training experience with Chicago Major League Baseball clubs and Penn State University. Mann helped develop facemasks, knee braces and taping techniques.

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1861 - 1913

Michael C. Murphy is generally acknowledged as the first athletic trainer in the nation, caring for Olympians in 1900, 1908 and 1912. Murphy also is credited with developing many track champions at Yale and Pennsylvania universities. Of his 21 track teams, Murphy's men won 15 intercollegiate championships.

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1890 - 1970

When he was 16 years old, George “Doc” Nelson worked as a cabin boy on a ship bound from Sweden to the U.S. He gave up life at sea and landed at Utah State University in 1921 to become the first athletic trainer in the school's history. Nelson, a top wrestler in his prime, also coached Utah State grapplers to 10 Rocky Mountain Conference championships before retiring in 1958.

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1882 - 1954

Einar Nielsen sailed to the U.S. from Norway in 1904 at age 22. Signing on as an athletic trainer for Utah in 1914, Nielsen is remembered as a man of quick wit, total dedication and impeccable skills. He is credited with launching athletic scholarship efforts on campus, and a fieldhouse bears his name as a reminder of his legacy.

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1902 - 1963

Herb Patchin, who studied with Matt Bullock at the University of Illinois, became the head athletic trainer at Virginia Military Institute in 1929, remaining at VMI the rest of his life. In addition to being a member of VMI's Sports Hall of Fame by special citation, the baseball field bears Patchin's name.

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1890 - 1960

Erastus Pennock joined the Springfield College faculty in 1925 and quickly established a reputation as an excellent wrestling coach and athletic trainer who pioneered athletic training education. During his 33 years at Springfield, Pennock gained widespread recognition for making the school's physical education department one of the best in the nation.

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1889-1971

Michael Ryan, a distance runner on two U.S. Olympic teams and three times an Olympic coach, won virtually every major long distance race in the world from 1910-12, setting a time of 2:21:18 in the Boston Marathon (a record that stood for nearly a decade). In 1934 Ryan became track coach and athletic trainer at the University of Idaho; he later worked at Wyoming and was co-coach of the 1962 American men's track team.

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1887 - 1943

Claude “Big Monk” Simons, head athletic trainer at Tulane University from 1921 until his death in 1943, has gone down in history as one of the great names in intercollegiate athletics. Simons was head coach for basketball, baseball, track and boxing at Tulane and president of the Southern Amateur Athletic Union.

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1894 - 1974

Stanley Wallace is remembered as the little man with the big grin who served the University of Maine at Orono for 38 years, from 1921-59. He was a professor of physical education and longtime head of the men's physical education division.

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1885 - 1960

Frank Wandle was athletic trainer at Army, Louisiana State University and Yale, where “The Major” revolutionized conditioning and wrote a rules book for the football team. Among Wandle's advice: “Of course there will be days of sunshine and days of darkness. Think of the bright side of life. Tomorrow the sun will be shining again.”

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1903 - 1988

Elvin “Ducky” Drake retired from coaching the UCLA track teams at the end of the 1964 season to concentrate on his duties as athletic trainer. In 1973 UCLA honored him by naming the home of its track and field/soccer teams Drake Stadium.

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1905 - 1986

Mickey O'Brien went to work for the University of Tennessee in 1938, just in time to help with three successive perfect seasons and trips to bowl games. He helped form the Southeastern Conference Trainers Association and served as its first president. O'Brien is the namesake for an award that recognizes college athletic trainers.

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1905-1984

Henry “Schmitty” Schmidt was an athletic trainer at the University of Santa Clara from 1927-77. In addition to working with Bronco athletes he spent time helping with the Los Angeles Rams summer sessions. A park in Santa Clara now bears his name.

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1899 - 1987

Walter “Doc” Bakke was one of the most familiar figures in University of Wisconsin athletic history. He served as head athletic trainer from 1936 until retiring in 1966. Bakke also was the athletic trainer for the St. Louis Cardinals for a brief time during the “Gas House Gang” era.

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1895 - 1966

Mention track and field at the University of Northern Iowa, and Art Dickinson's name will eventually come up. During his 18 seasons as head track coach and athletic trainer at what was then State College of Iowa, Dickinson's teams won 18 conference titles. He also was considered an exceptional teacher of anatomy, kinesiology and physiology of exercise.

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1910 - 1982

A. C. “Whitey” Gwynne devoted his entire career to the advancement of athletic training. A graduate of West Virginia University, Gwynne was an athletic trainer for the Mountaineers for 30+ years. He also worked with two Olympic basketball teams, including the 1972 team that lost to the Soviet Union in one of the most controversial Olympic moments.

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1915 - 1985

A founding member of NATA, Frank Medina served on the first Board of Directors. He was the head athletic trainer for the University of Texas from 1945-78. In addition to being twice named “Trainer of the Year” by the Rockne Club Foundation, Medina served on the Texas Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and as consultant for the President's Counsel on Physical Fitness in 1964.

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1908-1992

Jules Reichel joined the Syracuse athletic training department in 1931. After a four-year hiatus for World War II, during which he sometimes taught athletic training techniques to soldiers, Reichel returned in 1947 to become head athletic trainer. Reichel helped design a custom-built mouthpiece for football players.

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1907-1987

Lloyd “Snapper” Stein worked with every great University of Minnesota football player from Bronco Nagurski to Carl Eller. Stein spent virtually all of his life at MU, arriving on campus in 1928 as an undergraduate student and retiring in 1975 as head athletic trainer. Stein was served as the president of the first NATA in 1940.

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1911 - 1967

A founding member of NATA, Eddie Wojecki was active in the profession for more than 50 years. His longest stint as head athletic trainer was at Rice University, 1945-67. An author of several magazine articles on athletic training techniques, Wojecki was the head athletic trainer for the 1952 U.S. Olympic Team in Helsinki. He chaired the committee that instituted a Hall of Fame. .

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1902 - 1969

Edward G. Zanfrini's fame reached beyond Princeton University, where he began his career in 1933. Described as “the conscience of Princeton football,” Zanfrini was a member of the U.S. Olympic athletic training staff four times. In 1970, the Edward Zanfrini Memorial Room was dedicated to house trophies and awards given to the Tiger athletic trainer.

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1903-1983

Jay Colville tended to what he called “the acres of athletes” at Miami University, starting as an undergraduate student in 1922 and not stopping until his retirement in 1969. Colville, a founding member of NATA, served a term as board chair and was an athletic trainer for the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team in Australia.

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Died 1970

Charles “Smokey” Harper graduated from Mercer College in 1923 - still carrying the nickname he earned in high school when he set his baseball uniform on fire by hiding a lit cigar in the back pocket. Beginning his career in 1926 at Clemson, Harper worked at Vanderbilt, Florida and UCLA before teaming with Paul “Bear” Bryant and eventually retiring in 1964 from Texas A&M.

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1903-1999

The longtime University of Michigan head athletic trainer, Hunt designed the fiberglass “Michigan Heel Cup,” which has since been duplicated by various manufacturers. He also helped develop facemasks for hockey goalies and was an early proponent of the safety device, pushing for goalies to wear facemasks as early as 1951.

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1904 - 1978

James “Doc” Littlejohn was key to the success of the athletic training program at St. Lawrence University. Littlejohn, who joined St. Lawrence in 1926, was named to the prestigious list of Who's Who in American Education in 1964. The athletic training room at St. Lawrence is named in Littlejohn's honor.

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1901 - 1967

Allan Sawdy worked with high school, college and professional teams during his 38-year career, mostly at Bowling Green State University. In addition to his athletic training duties, Sawdy taught courses in first aid and prevention of athletic injuries.

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1907 - 1973

Steve Witkowski was a youngster helping build tennis courts at Wesleyan University when he met his mentor, Dr. Edgar Fauver. Over the next several years, Witkowski learned from the university physician and became Wesleyan's athletic trainer, a post he held for 30+ years. He was an athletic trainer for the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and the 1955 Pan-Am Games.

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1906 - 1968

Alfred “Duke” Wyre, head athletic trainer at the University of Maryland from 1947-67, was a founding member of NATA and was president of the Southern Conference Trainers Association in 1948. Wyre invented the “Duke Wyre Shoulder Vest” protective pad for football players, and he was among the earliest to use the precursor equipment to laser therapy.

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1909-1967

From his first job at William & Mary in 1932, William Ferrell went on to serve under four football coaches - Otis Douglas, Bowden Wyatt, Jack Mitchell and Frank Broyles - at the University of Arkansas. A speaker and author of athletic training practices and techniques, Ferrell was a Major League Baseball player prior to becoming an athletic trainer.

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1893-1971

James “Doc” Johnston, an NATA founding member, inspired many students to pursue the profession. He got his start in athletic training in 1910 in the Oklahoma high school system. Johnston worked for Tulsa and Oklahoma State University as well as a number of semi-pro football teams, AAU tournaments and boxing clubs.

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1913 - 1984

William Linskey was the first athletic trainer at Northeastern University. Linskey, a member of the athletic training staff for the 1959 Pan American Games, produced the monthly newsletter of the EATA for 17 years. He also served as the head athletic trainer at City of Cambridge Public Schools.

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1902 - 1977

Werner “Dutch” Luchsinger was associated with sports in the South for 48 years. After graduating from Tulane, where he was a standout in three sports, Luchsinger coached high school athletes for many years before becoming head athletic trainer at Mississippi State, where he stayed until retiring in 1965.

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1911 - 1991

Naseby Rhinehart became the University of Montana's first athletic trainer in 1935, just one month after he graduated. As a student at UM, he earned nine letters in football, basketball and track - picking up knowledge of injury prevention and treatment first-hand. Rhinehart remained at UM for 47 years, and the Rhinehart Athletic Treatment Center was named in his honor.

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1905 - 1991

Howard Waite joined Colorado College in 1930 as the athletic trainer, wrestling and golf coach. He built his legacy at the University of Pittsburgh, where he and the university physician - both suffering impaired mobility - developed a line of patented knee and ankle braces. A keen clinician, Waite was known among athletes for his willingness to listen.

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1909 - 1999

Bob Bauman never pitched a no-hitter for the Cardinals, yet he's one of the most beloved sports personalities in St. Louis. He cared for St. Louis University athletes from 1928-79, and he was athletic trainer for St. Louis professional baseball teams from 1938-84. Arenas, fan days, scholarships and awards now bear Bauman's name to honor his nearly 60-year career.

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1916-1971

NATA founding member Ernest Biggs was head athletic trainer at Ohio State University from 1942-72. Biggs, who graduated from OSU in 1941 with a master's degree, built the Buckeye athletic training room into a model of efficiency. He conducted comprehensive studies of athletic injuries and held a patent on a special knee support and ankle brace. Biggs was the first athletic trainer ever inducted to the Ohio State Varsity “O” Hall of Fame.

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1904 - 1982

Carl “Bud” Jorgensen was with the Green Bay Packers during the team's most prosperous years. He joined the Packers in 1924 as assistant equipment manager and in 1940 became the Packers' head athletic trainer. He retired in 1970. During his tenure, the Packers captured 10 World Titles under the leadership of coaching legend Vince Lombardi.

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1912 - 1979

From the day of his arrival at Oklahoma University in 1953, Ken Rawlinson was respected for his burning ambition and total dedication. Rawlinson, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 1942, was the original author of “Modern Athletic Training,” a comprehensive athletic training reference for daily care of athletes.

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1909 - 1983

During his 28 years at Ole Miss, Wesley “Doc” Knight served as president of the SEC athletic trainers and of his NCAA district association. After he retired in 1975, Knight held an emeritus title at Ole Miss and was active in coaching for the Special Olympics.

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1914-1976

James Morris' athletic training career spanned more than 40 years at Butler University and Indianapolis area clinics. Morris graduated from Butler in 1937 and spent the next 18 years as head athletic trainer there. In 1964, he became one of the first athletic trainers to work in the clinic setting.

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1917-1971

Richard Wargo was a near-constant presence among University of Connecticut athletics from 1941 until his retirement in 1969. A good golfer and inventor of protective equipment for athletes, Wargo served on the athletic trainer's staff for the U.S.-Pan American team games at Chicago in 1959.

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1912 - 1981

Always seeking to promote the profession, Joe Abraham wrote articles, facilitated seminars and conducted surveys to make the New York State Education Department realize the importance of athletic trainers in the school system. Abraham, who began his athletic training career in 1942, worked at Ithaca College, the U.S. Air Corps and Hobart College before retiring from athletic training to become an athletic director.

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1914 - 2003

Delmer Brown spent his entire career in Texas, where he helped build the profession's credibility. After earning a degree in 1938 from North Texas State, Brown was a coach and athletic trainer for three Texas high schools as well as Baylor, East Texas State University and Texas Tech.

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1914 - 2005

Elmer Brown, like his twin brother Delmer, was widely known in Texas. Between his first coaching job at Laredo High School in 1938 and his position at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth, he worked at six high schools and universities. A graduate of North Texas State, Brown landed at Texas Christian University in 1951 and worked there until his retirement.

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1908 - 1978

Richard Cole's legacy is one of public relations: he was a frequent speaker and author, educating others about the profession. Cole, who graduated from Iowa State in 1931 was head athletic trainer and associate professor of physical education at Rhode Island from 1946-75.

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1915 - 1986

Dwayne “Spike” Dixon was a fixture in Indiana University's athletic training department beginning in 1946. In 1961 he began to focus on teaching athletic training skills and developing curricula. In addition to his lectures, classes, consulting and athletic training duties, Dixon wrote “The Dixonary of Training Techniques.”

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unknown

Samuel Lankford, who worked at the University of Florida and later at Virginia Tech, was associated with athletic training publication as early as 1930. For several years Lankford was an editor for the National Athletic Journal. Among his professional contributions are two books and numerous articles on athletic training and conditioning.

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1905 - 1993

An athletic trainer for numerous All-Star games and U.S. track events, Ed Byrne also wrote for professional publications. Byrne, who spent 20+ years as athletic trainer at the University of California at Berkley, was one of three athletic trainers for the junior AAU team in its 1973 track and field meets.

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1908 - 1984

Roland “Kickapoo” Logan, the founder, editor and publisher of “Athletic Training News” from 1949-58, started in 1930 at the University of Kansas, later working at George Washington, Pittsburgh, West Point, North Carolina, Navy, Pasadena College and the Boston Red Sox. Logan invented more than 20 athletic training products, lectured at 400+ clinics and was an accomplished artist, winning the American Institute of Fine Arts medal for his original oil paintings.

Listen to Roland "Kickapoo" Logan singing. (mp3)

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1918 - 1999

Charles Medlar taped, wrapped, rehabilitated and befriended Penn State University athletes from 1946-82. He also was the university's head baseball coach and an assistant professor, mentoring up-and-coming athletic training students. Medlar provided coverage for the Olympics in 1964 and 1968.

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1914 - 1985

Dean Nesmith became a legend during his long tenure at the University of Kansas, from 1938-83. He administered to some of the world's greatest athletes, including Gale Sayers, Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Ryun and Jo White. Nesmith served as athletic trainer at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

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1915-1980

Bill “Ropes” Robertson, who served for 35 years as the Oregon State University athletic trainer, was the first full-time athletic trainer for the Beavers. Robertson was also an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1964 Games in Tokyo and returned to the Far East in 1967 to do a series of clinics for the U.S. Department of Defense.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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1910 - 2007

Rod Kimball became a legend while serving at Brigham Young University from 1937-75. Known as the man with the Midas touch, he developed treatment techniques and prevention procedures still in use at BYU. Kimball also was a trusted mentor and confidant for athletes, students and even coaches, reminding them to “strive not to be the best in the world, but the best for the world.”

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1920 - 1989

Edward Sulkowski impacted the amateur boxing world, not with his powerful left hook, but with his skill in providing care. He began his career in 1948 as a student under Chuck Medlar at Penn State, where he remained. Sulkowski officiated Army boxing championships and was president of the NCAA Boxing Coaches Association.

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1895-1983

Starting in 1920, Charles Turner spent 60 years as an athletic trainer; in 1942 he also earned a chiropractic degree and designation as a naturopathy physician. Turner cared for Olympians, Harlem Globetrotters, college athletes; he also played, coached and provided athletic training services for the Negro National League. He lectured in Israel, Venezuela, Jamaica and throughout Europe. Turner finished his career at Long Island University.

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1924 - 1998

In 1957, Lorain “Tow” Diehm came to the University of New Mexico as head athletic trainer and held that position for 40 years. After being wounded in the invasion of Normandy, Diehm started his athletic training career in 1948 at Santa Rosa Junior College. He later worked at his college alma mater, Kansas State Teachers College, and Michigan State University. Diehm was a respected lecturer and mentor.

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Milford “Kenny” Howard, head athletic trainer of Auburn athletes from 1949-80, built one of the first athletic trainer/team physician relationships in college sports, working closely with Jack Hughston, MD. He was one of seven Olympic athletic trainers in 1952, and he was selected for several All-Star games as well as the 1975 Pan-Am Games. Howard is now retired.

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1925 - 1988

Victor Recine was an early advocate of athletic training legislation, prompting a bill to license athletic trainers in New Jersey. He spent his career caring for high school athletes; after 19 years at New Brunswick High School, he became head athletic trainer at Sayreville High School in 1962. During World War II he was athletic trainer for the Sampson Naval Training Station Yellow Jackets.

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1916 - 1991

Gayle Robinson served his alma mater, Michigan State University, from 1959-82. A 1940 graduate, Robinson lectured on the care and prevention of athletic injuries. He was a member of the athletic training staff for U.S. teams in the 1967 Pan American Games and the 1972 Olympics.

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After 42 years tending to hundreds of University of Nebraska athletes, including dozens of elite stars, George Sullivan earned the inaugural Tim Kerin Award for Excellence in Athletic Training. He belongs to the Nebraska football, basketball, and baseball Halls of Fame, and the Nebraska athletic training room bears his name. He is retired but remains the consummate Cornhuskers fan.

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1924-2013

Warren Ariail graduated from Wofford College in 1948 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps; he then became Wofford's first athletic trainer. His 54-year career took him throughout the country, to athletic training settings ranging from high school to professional sports to clinics. Ariail also appeared in two movies and was a technical advisor for a Charlton Heston film. He is retired and living in South Carolina.

1913 - 2003

For more than 30 years John Lacey was successful with championship teams and great athletes. From 1956-83, as head athletic trainer at the University of North Carolina, Lacey and the Tar Heels football team made it to six bowl games. In 1972 he was an athletic trainer for the Olympic Games in Munich. Lacey also served as an athletic trainer for the gold medal-winning 1964 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team in Tokyo.

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Eddie Lane has come a long way in the athletic training profession since he earned $100 for the entire school year as a student athletic trainer at Waite High School in Toledo in 1943. He went on to work at Southern Methodist University, the U.S. Army Medical Corps, North Texas State University and as the head athletic trainer for the Dallas Independent School District. He is retired but remains active.

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1925 - 2007

Founding member Jack Rockwell combined his academic, athletic training and business experience into a fruitful career. Rockwell got his start as an assistant at Kansas and ended up with the St. Louis Football Cardinals. Active in NATA, he was the association's Executive Secretary from 1968-71, guiding efforts surrounding certification.

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1903 - 1990

Francis Sheridan was in the athletic training profession for more than 30 years, working as an athletic trainer at Phillipsburg Catholic High School (NJ) and Lafayette College. Sheridan also worked for the 1967 U.S. Olympic and Pan American teams. In 1973 and 1976 he was selected as the head athletic trainer of the U.S. AAU track team.

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1904 - 1984

Bob White, Wayne State University's athletic trainer for more than 30 years, was known as the school's “Ambassador Deluxe.” After coming to WSU in 1951, White spoke to athletes in other countries about athletic training and represented District Four on the NATA Board. He also served as a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

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1916 - 1999

Mel Blickenstaff's 30-year career was punctuated by awards, speeches and recognition. Blickenstaff, the head athletic trainer at Indiana State University from 1962-78, wrote more than 15 articles for professional publications, delivered 50+ speeches and served on several research committees to advance athletic training. He also cared for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team in Montreal.

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1919 - 2003

Marty Broussard's athletic training career spanned six decades at Louisiana State University. An exceptional baseball and track athlete as an undergrad at LSU, he found his true calling when he served as a student athletic trainer for the football team. He was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympics in 1960 and for the 1955 Pan American Games.

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1922 - 1985

Several generations of Tulane athletes benefited from the knowledge of Earl “Bubba” Porche. During his 36 years as head athletic trainer, he became an important part of athletes' lives; Porche was attending a former athlete's wedding when he suffered a fatal heart attack. During his career, Porche cared for the U.S. Track team in 1967 and served at the 1971 Pan-American Games.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1927 - 2012

Tom Wilson always said he was lucky to have studied under fellow Hall of Famer Frank Medina for two years. From that solid beginning, Wilson became the head athletic trainer at the University of Houston from 1953-93. Taking Medina's example to heart, he focused on being a mentor and encouraging students to join the profession.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1923 - 1987

Byron Bird's name became synonymous with athletic training at Oklahoma State University almost from his first day as a student there in 1946. Bird, who graduated in 1949, became his alma mater's football athletic trainer in 1950. He spent his career developing the program on campus and promoting the profession in Oklahoma.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1919 - 1989

Robert Weingart made a strong impression at Marquette University, serving as head athletic trainer from 1946-84. Marquette retired the number 38 in Weingart's honor in recognition of his 38 years of service to the school. He cared for the 1972 Olympic team and for the College All-Star football teams from 1950-52.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1929 - 1984

Bobby Brown was one of the best-known athletic trainers on the Houston professional sports scene. Brown got his start as a student working with the Houston Oilers. As the sole support for his mother, he was forced to drop out of school and take a series of full-time jobs that eventually led him back to Houston, where built a legacy of tough love and success.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1924 - 1999

Under head athletic trainer Jim Conboy's leadership, the U.S. Air Force Academy's athletic training program expanded to serve the Academy's 41 intercollegiate athletic teams and 17 intramural sports. Conboy, who was with the Academy when it opened its doors in 1955, retired in 1998.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1917 - 2006

Eddie Coppola has become part of the bedrock of Seton Hall University, where he served for more than 30 years. He was so well respected that he became the first athletic trainer inducted to the university's prestigious Athletic Hall of Fame. Seton Hall also honors his legacy by funding the “Edward A. Coppola Award” for an athlete who has overcome medical adversity.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Bruce Melin joined the staff at Washington University (St. Louis) in 1949 as an athletic trainer and faculty member and worked there until his retirement in 1977; after that he worked there another 11 years on a part-time basis. Melin was a consultant for the St. Louis Football Cardinals.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Sayers “Bud” Miller made his greatest contribution in the form of scholarly advancement. He was a prolific author, a productive researcher and a national leader in athletic training education. He established an education framework through his program at Penn State University.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1919 - 2007

Ed Pillings played football for Washington State University before World War II sent him to the South Pacific. Upon his return, Pillings became a student of Pinky Newell, who introduced him to the career that would become his lifelong pursuit. Pillings split his time between the classroom and the athletic training room, serving a 20-year stint at West Point.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1934 - 2000

When he was named NATA's first Executive Director in 1971, Otho Davis had been in the profession for almost 20 years. He was a fixture with the Philadelphia Eagles, as head athletic trainer from 1973-95. Under his leadership, NATA secured professional liability insurance for athletic trainers, welcomed its first corporate sponsors and established a national office in Dallas.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1914 - 2000

O. William “Bill” Dayton began his at the University of Miami in 1938. After serving as athletic trainer at several various universities, Dayton became head athletic trainer at Yale University in 1956, staying there for 22 years. Dayton, a founding father of the NATA, gave more than 40 years of his life to the athletic training profession.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1920 - 1995

Affectionately known as “Rooster,” Don Fauls treated Florida State athletes from 1954-86. Fauls came to Florida State after serving as athletic trainer for professional baseball teams in North Carolina and Nebraska. He was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Pan American team and was a member of the Olympic Training Selection Committee.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Tom Healion began his athletic training career with the Toronto Argonauts in 1954. After athletic training stints at the University of Pittsburgh, Northwestern University and the University of Indiana, Healion was appointed head athletic trainer for the New England Patriots in 1972 and remained there until 1986. Healion is retired and lives in Colorado.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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.

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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.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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.

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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.

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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.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

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

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1913 - 2005

Bruce Vogelsong retired after 34 years, leaving an impressive record of service as a state and conference leader. He got his medical training during World War II and served for the next 16 years as athletic trainer at a Pennsylvania high school. Vogelsong also served more than a decade at Dickinson College and as a part-time athletic trainer for the Washington Redskins.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1918 - 2006

Jack Aggers was a familiar figure in his home state of Wyoming and in NATA. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1950, returning as head athletic trainer eight years later. Aggers concentrated on generating interest among students, participating in a student workshop for 23 years. He was an NATA board member and an ambassador for athletic training in Canada and Europe.

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1924 - 2006

Hal Biggs made it a point to stay active and involved during his career. Following a three-year stint in the Army, where he was a medical corpsman, Biggs completed his bachelor's degree at Ohio State University in 1948. In August of that year, he became head athletic trainer and instructor of physical education at Bucknell University, where he remained until retiring.

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In 1953, Charles Demers graduated from the University of Massachusetts and went to work for several minor-league baseball clubs. In 196r, he became head athletic trainer at Deerfield Academy, where he has remained until retiring. He was coordinator of athletic therapy for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and for several other international competitions. He now lives in Massachusetts.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1929 - 1989

Kerkor Kassabian graduated in 1952 from Northeastern University in Boston, where he developed an undergraduate curriculum program in athletic training. In 1979, Kassabian helped found the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts and was elected as the group's first president. He led negotiations for state licensure. Kassabian co-directed the Boston Marathon Sports Medicine Seminars in 1977-82 and was a head athletic trainer for the marathon from 1978-82.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1922 - 1984

Gene Paszkiet is remembered as a dedicated and concerned athletic trainer who spent 31 years at the University of Notre Dame. A native of Indiana, Paszkiet entered Notre Dame as a student in 1946. After playing freshmen football, he joined the Irish athletic training staff as a student assistant. In 1952, he was named athletic trainer of all teams at Notre Dame. Paszkiet helped five Heisman trophy winners stay healthy. He also was a recipient of numerous awards during his years at Notre Dame.

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1927 - 1986

John Sciera logged a progressive and influential career. He graduated from Cortland State Teacher's College in 1952, landing at SUNY-Cortland in 1965. Under Sciera's leadership, Cortland became the first college in New York to offer an athletic training curriculum. He was also a driving force behind the movement to ban spear-tackling and other harmful practices from football. In 1976 he founded the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association and served as its first president.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Lew Crowl's Sports Injury Center was one of the first in the country. From 1961 until he opened his clinic in 1969, Crowl was the head athletic trainer at Sacramento State University. After beginning his career as a student under Ernie Biggs, he was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1968 Games in Mexico City and at the 1972 Games in Sapporo, Japan. Now retired, he works occasionally for HealthSouth in California.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

James “Doc” Dodson's first athletic training job was at Midland (Texas) High School. He accepted it in 1959 and remained there until his retirement over 30 years later. The first high school athletic trainer to serve in the World Olympics (Munich, 1972), Dodson received the prestigious Frank Medina Award in 1984. His family was chosen as Midland's “Family of the Year” in 1982, and he now works at West Texas Orthopedics.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1930 - 1999

Jim Goostree, a diversified college athlete, signed on as head athletic trainer at the University of Alabama in 1957, one year before the arrival of Paul “Bear” Bryant. After 27 years as head athletic trainer, Goostree assumed the role of assistant athletic director at the university. In 1987, he was promoted to executive athletic director and helped create Alabama's donor program, Tide Pride. Additionally, he supervised the building and upgrading of athletic facilities including Bryant-Denny Stadium before he retired in 1993.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1924 - 2013

When Louis Grevelle retired in 1984, Lubbock's (TX) Coronado High School lost an institution. Since the school opened its doors in 1965, Grevelle had been there as athletic trainer. He was a past-president of the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association, served two terms on the Texas Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers and covered three Texas High School All-Star football games.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1920 - 2006

After 37 years, the name Walt Grockowski has become nearly synonymous with Wesleyan University and its athletic training staff. A resident of Middletown since 1926, Grockowski joined the Wesleyan staff in 1947 and worked for nearly 26 years under head athletic trainer Steve Witkowski before assuming leadership upon Witkowski's death. He was one of four athletic trainers to serve the U.S. Olympic Team during the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1927 - 2007

The career of Fritz Massmann, head athletic trainer for the New Jersey Nets basketball team from 1970-92, can best be described as varied. Before joining the Nets, Massmann worked for almost 20 years at Iowa College, Brown University and then Boston College. He was an athletic trainer for numerous pro basketball All-Star games. Massmann was also active in the NATA, serving as District One director for six years and as president for two years.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1921 - 2006

Joe Stanitis was born and raised in Amherst, Mass., making it only fitting that he serve out his athletic training career at Amherst College. Stanitis joined the Amherst staff in 1947 and stayed until retiring in 1984. In the early 1960s, he collaborated on an article about lateral neck sprains that spurred the development of protective cervical collars in football. He was also a member of the committee that helped attain licensure for Massachusetts athletic trainers in 1983.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1921 - 2008

By the time he retired in June 1984, Ray Ulinski had spent 34 busy years as a teacher and athletic trainer at Penn State University. After his education was interrupted by World War II, Ulinski earned his bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1950 and was immediately hired as assistant athletic trainer and an instructor in physical education. He supervised 14 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men and women.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1921 - 1998

It was during his undergraduate days at the University of Texas that Joe Worden became interested in the care and prevention of athletic injuries. He had a good teacher: fellow Hall of Famer Frank Medina. In 1949, Worden was hired by Vanderbilt University, where he remained until retiring in 1986. Worden, who handled all sports until 1971, served as head athletic trainer for the Commodore basketball team and assisted with the football team and club sports.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1924 - 1992

Known as a tireless worker who demanded perfection, Larry Lohr began his athletic training career in 1958. He worked for numerous high schools in Texas and was inducted into the Southwest Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame in 1985. For many years, Lohr held three-day sports injury clinics in Mexico, helping the profession grow internationally.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

A true Texan, Wilford “Billy” Pickard Jr. was an athletic trainer at his alma mater, Texas A & M University, 50+ years before retiring in 2009. In the same year, the school honored him by naming October 10 “Billy Pickard Day.” Before starting at Texas A&M, Pickard was athletic trainer for several Texas high schools. He is retired but still active in the Aggie community.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

NATA President #5

Jerry Rhea entered the profession in 1958 as a student at Texas A&M. He was NATA president from 1986-87 and was instrumental in laying the groundwork for growth. Rhea was head athletic trainer for the Atlanta Falcons from 1968-94, when he became assistant to the president of the Falcons. Now retired, Rhea mentors young professionals and new leaders.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1915 - 1990

One of the more colorful personalities in Nebraska athletic history, “Schnitz,” as he was known to thousands of Cornhuskers, served on the Nebraska staff for 33 years before retiring in 1981. He received the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Merit Award in 1978. In 1956, Schneider was made a lifetime member of the Nebraska Coaches Association for his service to high school athletics.

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Eddie Abramoski was head athletic trainer for the Buffalo Bills from the team's inception in 1960 until he retired in 1997. A native of Erie, Penn., he turned to sports medicine after a promising football career was cut short by a back injury at Purdue University. Abramoski was an assistant at West Point before going to the University of Detroit and the Detroit Lions. He is retired and lives in New York.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1921 - 2005

After receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgia Tech, Henry “Buck” Andel was the head athletic trainer from 1948-69, taking the football team to 14 major bowl games. He also worked as an athletic trainer for the 1960 Olympic Games and was a founding member of NATA, serving on the original board of directors in 1950.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1929 - 2012

Founding member George Anderson was the head athletic trainer for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders from 1960-94; he was part of the original Raiders staff. Before joining the Raiders, Anderson served in athletic training positions at USC, Odessa (Texas) High School and the University of California. Known for his “tell-it-like-it-is” style, he achieved nationwide recognition in 1978 for the revolutionary design of a protective knee brace.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

NATA President #3

A strong proponent of service, Bill Chambers helped build NATA. He served two terms as president, two terms on the board, chaired four national meetings and managed exhibits for many district meetings. Chambers built the Foundation scholarship program into a multimillion-dollar endeavor. He began as a student under Ken Rawlinson at the University of Oklahoma. In June 1962, he became head athletic trainer at Fullerton Junior College, where he remained until retiring in 1998. He now works with rodeo and motor sports.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1906 - 1982

An assistant athletic trainer for more than 30 years at North Carolina State University, Chester Grant was considered a model example of professionalism, compassion and expertise. In 1974, North Carolina State presented Grant with a Distinguished Service Award and has since named its athletic training facility in Reynolds Coliseum in his memory.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Beginning while he worked for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Eugene “Doc” Harvey continuously enhanced his skills as a dedicated rehabilitation specialist. Before moving to Brooklyn and later Los Angeles with the Dodgers, was an athletic trainer in Colorado and Montreal, Canada. Known as a hard worker who kept his players in excellent condition, Harvey supervised the athletic training and rehabilitative facility at Grambling State University until retiring in 1998. Harvey passed away May 22, 2012.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Carl Nelson worked at Colby College from 1959-93, serving students as an athletic trainer, associate professor and director of health services throughout his career. Nelson cared for Olympians in 1972, 1976 and 1980 winter games. He is retired and lives in Maine.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1920 - 2008

A native of Brooklyn, Roy Rylander proudly served college athletes. He joined the University of Delaware in 1946 and was named head tennis coach in 1953. He retired as head athletic trainer in 1988 but continued as tennis coach until 1993. Rylander earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart during World War II and served as a unit training officer during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of Kappa Phi Kappa, the national professional education fraternity.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1919 - 2014

One of the founders of the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts Association (ATOM), Bill Samko began his athletic training career as a student athletic trainer at Holy Cross College under Bart Sullivan. In 1946, after a brief time in military service, he returned to Holy Cross to serve as an athletic trainer until 1966. At that time, he entered his current position as head athletic trainer at Worcester Academy. The same year, the New England Basketball Association named him Trainer of the Year. In 1983, Bill headed the committee for the Licensure of Massachusetts athletic trainers.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

unknown

Only the second head athletic trainer in the history of the University of Missouri, Fred Wappel worked at the school for 41 years before retiring in 1996. He had the longest tenure of any Missouri athletic staff member and was the dean of Big Eight athletic trainers. He was a charter member of the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame in 1984. Wappel is retired and living in Columbia, Mo.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Joe “Snapper” Altott, who helped write the first NATA certification exam, was head athletic trainer for the Hartford Whalers Professional Hockey Club from 1972-82. He was also on the NATA Board of Directors for four years and covered several international events. Altott was the subject for “The Recruit,” a Normal Rockwell painting. After retiring, he opened a sports shop in Massachusetts.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1931 - 2013

Earnest “Doc” Harrington wore many hats at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was head athletic trainer from 1958-94. He was a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and a popular speaker at many seminars. Harrington was also the first director and project coordinator for the athletic training specialization program at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1905-1979

Sandy Sandlin was head athletic trainer at the University of Chattanooga from 1938-75, during which time he also spent a year as athletic trainer at Georgia Tech (1944-45). An All-Star athletic trainer for the Southern Baseball League, Sandlin was known for his gentle manner and skill as a healer. The Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society honors him by bestowing an annual Sandy Sandlin High School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.

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1912 - 1992

Frank Wiechec was the chief physical therapist at Hazelton (Penn.)-St. Joseph Hospital and had a varied career in athletic training. He was athletic trainer at Temple University (1939-48), for the Philadelphia National League Baseball Club (1948-62), for the Philadelphia Eagles Professional Football Club (1950-58) and at the University of Pittsburgh (1962-66). Wiechec invented Ank-L-Aid, a patented ankle support, and was president of the EATA.

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Gary Delforge is a premier educator, founding the graduate program at what would become the Arizona School of Health Sciences after developing one of the first NATA-approved graduate curricula at the University of Arizona, where he spent the bulk of his career. Delforge was a member of the NATA Professional Education Committee for over 17 years; he also served on the board, keeping education at the center of his focus. He is now retired and living in Arizona.

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Lindsy McLean began his career as a student in 1956 at Vanderbilt. By 1963 he was head athletic trainer and director of physical therapy at the University of California. He was head athletic trainer for the San Francisco 49'ers from 1979-2003. McLean's legacy is the certification exam and requirements, which he helped establish. He is retired and living in Tennessee.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1923 - 1998

For four decades, Leonard “Mack” McNeal was an integral part of the University of Richmond. He began as head athletic trainer in 1947 and eventually became chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education. He was active, serving on the NATA board and later leading efforts to organize NATA's archives.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1936 - 1987

Although he was only 5'2” tall, Dick Vandervoort will be remembered as a giant in the field. At the age of 14 he attended the first NATA Annual Meeting and later became the association's first student member. He was the first athletic trainer for the Houston Rockets. Vandervoort helped restructure NATA in 1969 and led the National Basketball Athletic Trainers' Association for a decade.

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Larry Gardner began his distinguished career as an assistant at the University of California at Berkeley. He worked with several universities, two professional football teams and a sports medicine clinic, retiring from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2009 after helping establish its program. Gardner pioneered care for rodeo athletes and was president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers' Society from 1969-72. He remains active in mentoring and contract work.

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Fred Kelley got his first taste of athletic training during his service in the Marines. After obtaining his undergraduate degree at Springfield College, Kelley became an assistant at the Virginia Military Institute. From there, he moved to the head athletic trainer position at Dartmouth College, where he served for over 30 years. He is retired and living in New Hampshire.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1934 - 1988

Charlie Martin went into the profession after being discharged from the Army. Best known for researching the effects of heat and humidity on athletes, Martin spent most of his career at Northeast Louisiana University. He was a founder of the Louisiana Athletic Trainers' Association, and he also worked to promote drug testing in sport.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Chris Patrick established his career in the college setting, becoming a visible member of the University of Florida community. The Florida Boys Club in Gainesville elected him Volunteer of the Year in 1977, and he was honored with nearly every NATA award. Patrick has consulted for Bike, Johnson & Johnson and Nike, helping to broaden and enhance the image of the profession. He is the assistant athletics director for sports medicine at UF.

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James “Al” Wilson dedicated his life to advancing the profession, focusing his efforts in Texas. After graduating from Howard Payne University, Wilson became the first high school athletic trainer in the state of Texas at Killeen, where he continues to care for athletes. He was appointed to Texas' Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers in 1976 and served as chair from 1977-87.

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Paul Zeek, longtime athletic trainer at Lamar University, has pursued a life-long commitment to the profession at the community, state and national level. Zeek began his career as a high school athletic trainer in El Paso and ended as a senior administrator for a college athletics department. His commitment to excellence and devotion to athletes set him apart. Zeek is retired, after 35 years at Lamar.

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Robert Behnke has held numerous teaching and athletic training positions throughout Indiana and Illinois. His extensive list of honors includes the NATA Educator of the Year in 1987 and the NATA Service Award in 1989. Behnke's career in athletic training has taken him from an assistant student athletic trainer position at the University of Illinois to head athletic trainer and professor at Indiana State University. He is retired.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cash Birdwell worked at West Point, the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Rams before settling in as head athletic trainer at Southern Methodist University. He was on the NATA board of Directors and served as vice president. Birdwell chaired the Annual Meeting in 1989 and served on the Ethics Committee. In 2005 he retired from SMU; he continues to work part-time on a contract basis.

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Joe Gieck was an educator and athletic trainer at the University of Virginia for 43 years before retiring in 2005. He served on the Advisory Board of Physical Therapy for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Governor's Council for Physical Fitness and Sport. A scholarship is endowed in his name, as is a teaching position. He is a professor emeritus at UVa.

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1927-2005

Duke LaRue worked as an athletic trainer at Michigan State University, Purdue University, Western Illinois University and the University of Nebraska. He also served as a member of the NATA Board of Directors from 1970-74 and as a member/chair of the Nebraska Board of Health Examiners in Athletic Training.

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Phillip Donley was a teacher and athletic trainer at West Chester University from 1965-91. He was a founding member of the American College of Sports Medicine and authored the first NATA guidelines for development and approval of NATA-approved Education Program Directors Council. Donley, a colonel in the Army Reserves, now works at Chester County Sports Medicine.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

NATA President #2

Frank George became the head athletic trainer at Brown University in 1966 and remained at the school until he retired in 2004 as director of sports medicine. He was NATA president from 1974-78, after serving as vice president. George was instrumental in winning a five-year struggle to bring licensure to athletic trainers in Rhode Island. He continues to live in Rhode Island.

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Getting his start in the profession at New Mexico State University, Frank Randall was active as a national leader. He worked at New Mexico Military Junior College, the University of Idaho and Iowa State University. Randall served on the NATA board was the District Five secretary and historian. He retired in 2007.

Dick Malacrea spent 20 years at Princeton University as head athletic trainer before retiring in 1998. He was instrumental in founding the Athletic Trainers' Society of New Jersey in 1975. Through this society, Malacrea was appointed by the governor to chair the Legislative Committee of Advisors to the Board of Medical Examiners. He continues to live in New Jersey.

1928-2008

Al Ortolani served as head athletic trainer and professor of HPER at Pittsburg State from 1955 until his retirement in 1995. Throughout his career, Ortolani was a quintessential role model for others in the sports medicine field. He was first baseball coach at PSU and the baseball field is named in his honor.

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Troy Young was head athletic trainer for Arizona State from 1979-91. He served on the NATA board from 1977-80 and was NATA liaison to the NCAA from 1978-80. Young is a co-founder of the Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association and a charter member of the Sports Medicine Committee of the Arizona Medical Association. He is retired and living in Arizona.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1947-1992

Thomas “Tim” Kerin spent most of his career as head athletic trainer at the University of Tennessee, where he started in 1977. In 1986 he was a founding member of Knoxville's Metropolitan Drug Commission. Kerin received a Chancellor's Citation from the University of Tennessee in 1990 and the SEATA Award of Merit in 1991. Gatorade continues to bestow an award in his name, recognizing outstanding service by an athletic trainer.

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Gordon Stoddard joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison as head athletic trainer in 1969, a position he held until 1986. In addition to his athletic training duties, he created the curriculum for “Professional Preparation of Athletic Trainers” at the university. Stoddard, who amassed an array of awards and recognition, is retired and living in Wisconsin.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Gary Craner was the head athletic trainer at Boise State University from 1972 until his retirement in 2008. He was the first athletic trainer in the state of Idaho to be certified by NATA and was a primary force behind Idaho state licensure. Craner's other contributions include service as president of the Idaho Athletic Trainers' Association, vice-president and president of the Northwest Athletic Trainers' Association. He continues to mentor athletic trainers around the country.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1921-2003

Garnett Detty founded Pro Orthopedic Devices in 1975 and ran the company until his retirement in 1994. While working for the Philadelphia Eagles he invented the neoprene rubber knee sleeve. He was owner of 22 patents on sports medicine products. His awards included the Professional Football Trainers Association Outstanding Alumnus Award and Sports Medicine Person of the Year Award.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Gordy Graham developed one of the first three NATA approved athletic training curriculums in 1969 and was head athletic trainer and curriculum director at Mankato State until his retirement in 1993. He helped organize and was first president of the Minnesota Athletic Trainer's Association, and he served on the NATA board. Graham is now retired.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1937-2002

Wes Jordan served as the head athletic trainer at the University of Maine for more than three decades, beginning in 1965. He served two terms on the NATA Board of Directors and served on the NATA Ethics Committee and the NATA Honors and Awards Committee. His dedication and loyalty to the University of Maine and to the athletic training profession are well known throughout the State of Maine and the New England area.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Dean Kleinschmidt's fundraising efforts helped build the NATA Foundation scholarship program. He has served three terms as president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers' Society and he has been a member of two NFL advisory committees to the commissioner. He is coordinator of athletic medicine for the Detroit Lions, after spending most of his career with the New Orleans Saints.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Dale Mildenberger is a senior associate athletic director at Utah State University, where he has worked since 1975. He spent 1969-70 as head athletic trainer with the Harlem Globetrotters. He then served a stint in the Army as assistant athletic trainer at West Point, on Ed Pillings' staff. Mildenberger has been active on a local, state, regional and national level with the NATA.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Ken Murray, whose parents were missionaries, was raised in Africa with a focus on service. He has worked for the Atlanta Falcons, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky and University of Southwestern Louisiana. Murray has worked in many capacities in district, state and national athletic training programs. He now is the senior associate athletic director for sports medicine at Texas Tech University.

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Mike Nesbitt was head athletic trainer and associate professor at Northern Arizona University when he retired in 2006. During his tenure at NAU, he promoted and justified athletic trainers in numerous Arizona high schools. He was a leader at the state, district and national levels, representing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association on the NATA Board of Directors from 1986-92. He now serves as president of Jonesco Trucking.

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Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1936 - 2012

Denis Isrow was dubbed the “Father of Athletic Training in North Dakota” in the late 1980s. He was the first full-time athletic trainer in state and North Dakota State University history and remained a full-time faculty member there for 39 years. Isrow, who continues to teach part-time at North Dakota State, has built a reputation as a teacher, listener, friend and healer.

1951-1991

Gail Weldon was the second woman to join NATA and one of the first 10 women ever certified. Her other “firsts” include being the first female athletic trainer hired by the U.S. Olympic Committee, first female head athletic trainer for the 1979 Pan American Games and first female chief athletic trainer for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. She was director of athletic training and physical therapy for the 1984 Olympic Games and was the first woman inducted to the NATA Hall of Fame.

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NATA President #4

Bobby Barton spent 27 years as the head athletic trainer and program director at Eastern Kentucky University, turning his gift for leadership into a motivating force. After serving as NATA president, he helped get the NATA Research & Education Foundation underway and co-authored the athletic training certification law for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He continues to mentor students and professionals as a professor emeritus at Eastern Kentucky.

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1925-2003

Bill Buhler was head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for over 44 years. He conceived and initiated a method of icing pitchers' shoulders and elbows to minimize the effects of micro trauma, began the practice of having outfielders throw between innings to keep loose and patented safety equipment to protect catchers from head to toe.

Paul Grace's legacy to the profession lies in the credibility of the credential. Grace chaired the Board of Certification and later served as BOC executive director. He was president of the EATA and the National Organization for Competency Assurance, and he worked as the coordinator of sports medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a clinical instructor in athletic training at Northeastern University. He is now an executive with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.

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1947-1997

Dan Libera was an athletic trainer and educator at the University of Northern Colorado for 26 years. He was a founding member of the Colorado Athletic Trainers' Association. He held several offices in the NATA, including District Seven Research and Injury Committee, Membership Committee, Board of Directors and Board of Certification. In 1995, an award bearing his name was established by the Board of Certification.

NATA President #6

Mark Smaha was the head athletic trainer at Washington State University from 1978 until retiring in 1999. As NATA president, he guided the association through economic challenges and changes in staff leadership. As an athletic trainer, he guided Marshall University through the worst fatality in college sports history. Smaha received three President's Commendations for Life Saving Emergencies and was nominated for the NCAA Award of Valor in 1982. He currently works as a consultant and speaker.

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Jim Booher retired in 2009 after 42 years at South Dakota State University as head athletic trainer, professor and program director. Booher served on the NATA Board of Directors from 1990-93 and chaired the NATA Governance Task Force from 1992-95. He was a charter member and first president of the South Dakota Athletic Trainers' Association.

John Schrader rose through the ranks into administration at Indiana University. He served on the NATA board and was co-chair of the Education Task Force that was instrumental in education reform. He continues to mentor athletic training educators and is IU's graduate athletic training program director, coordinator of the athletic training education program, and associate chair of the kinesiology department.

Jim Whitesel worked as an athletic trainer for the Seattle Seahawks from 1976-98. He served on the NATA board and assisted in designing injury prevention devices, including a therapeutic knee brace. His staff was named NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year in 1988. Whitesel has since opened a private practice, Whitesel ProTherapy.

NATA President #11

Marjorie Albohm was one of the first women certified by NATA and the first women's athletic trainer at Indiana University. She was an original member of the NATA Foundation board and was Foundation president before becoming NATA president. Albohm helped increase job opportunities for athletic trainers in clinics and physician extender roles. She is manager of Customer Education and Fellowship Programs for Ossur Americas.

Ronnie Barnes was the first president of the NATA Research & Education Foundation and was president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers' Society. He has devoted his career to promoting the athletic trainer and improving the profession. Barnes joined the NFL's New York Giants in 1980 and now works as vice president of medical services.

NATA President #8

Kent Falb was the head athletic trainer for the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1967-99, after gaining experience at West Point, University of Iowa, Minnesota Vikings and Boston College. Active since joining NATA, he became president and focused on establishing a global presence for athletic training and guiding the changes in athletic training education. Falb now works as an executive for the Professional Football Athletic Trainers' Society.

Joe Godek was the first chair of the department of sports medicine at West Chester University in 1992. He is a former president of the Eastern Athletic Trainers' Association and served two terms on the NATA board. He chaired the NATA Finance and Convention committees and was an on-site evaluator for the NATA approval and CAAHEP accreditation of athletic training curriculums. He is with DevTay Enterprises.

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Dale Googins was head athletic trainer and associate professor at Denison University when he retired in 1997. He served as a test site administrator for the NATA Board of Certification and was a member of the team that produced test questions for the certification exam.

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Phil Hossler co-authored New Jersey's Athletic Training Practice Act and led the way for the creation of the state's landmark Department of Education certification for high school athletic trainers. He owns five copyrights related to athletic training and a patent on a first aid splint. Hossler served two terms as president of the Athletic Trainers' Society of New Jersey. He is an athletic trainer at East Brunswick High School.

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Donald Lowe was instrumental in forming the New York State Athletic Trainers' Association and served as president of that association from 1984-86. Lowe helped obtain professional regulation of athletic trainers in New York. After many years at Syracuse University and a stint at Georgia Tech, Lowe launched Sports Medicine Management Consultants in 2003.

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Doug May worked for 20 years at the McCallie School before retiring in 2007. May was vice-president of NATA and was a District Nine director. In addition, he was a charter member of the Mississippi Athletic Trainers' Association and served as its first president.

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Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Karen “Toby” Toburen established the first athletic training curriculum in the state of Wisconsin while at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. She served as chair of the NATA Convention Committee and vice-chair of the Joint Review Committee for Athletic Training education. Toburen is now retired.

Earlene Durrant was the first woman to be elected as president of the Utah Athletic Trainers' Association and was the first female athletic trainer at Brigham Young University. Durrant developed athletic training programs for secondary school districts in Utah as well as BYU, where she has served as chair of the Department of Physical Education.

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Jim Gallaspy has been teaching students in high school and college throughout his career. He was president of the Mississippi Athletic Trainers' Association, Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association and served on the NATA board from 1994-97, focusing on building jobs in the profession. Gallaspy worked at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, for 26 years before retiring in 2000.

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Dick Hoover was an early developer of outpatient sports medicine practices and was instrumental in opening 100+ outpatient clinics. The original PR chair for NATA, Hoover was involved in consulting and implementing rehabilitation and sports medicine programs at rural hospitals and high schools. He also served on the Boards of Directors of various corporations. Hoover is retired and lives in Indiana.

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Kent Scriber has served for years as a professor and supervisor of athletic training as well as clinical education coordinator at Ithaca College. Scriber, a past president of EATA, won the NYSATA Sheehan Award and the EATA's Cramer Award.

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Originally known for his work in sports rehabilitation, Don Chu developed an extensive reputation in the areas of fitness and conditioning. He has been credited with bringing plyometric training to the attention of the athletic world. Chu served on the NATA board and led the National Strength & Conditioning Association. He is the clinic director of Athercare Fitness & Rehabilitation.

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Andy Clawson has been the head athletic trainer/director of sports medicine at The Citadel since 1973. Throughout his career he has served at the state, district and national levels. Additionally, Clawson chaired the advisory committee that oversaw the Legal Practice Act for Athletic Trainers' employment in South Carolina.

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Ken Knight has amassed a career of firsts: he was Weber State's first full-time athletic trainer in 1969 and was the inaugural chair of the athletic training department at Indiana State. He is a past editor of the Journal of Athletic Training and was instrumental in launching the NATA News and the Athletic Training Educators Journal. Knight has been a professor at BYU since 1996.

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Kenneth Kopke opened doors for athletic trainers in the industrial setting. Kopke created the Healthletics Programs after many years consulting for General Motors on in-house rehabilitation, fitness/wellness programs and ergonomics. Work-Fit now directs its attention toward lowering health care costs for manufacturing, business, health care and educational institutions. Kopke is retired.

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Carl Krein began his athletic training career in 1964 when he was hired as the head athletic trainer at the State University of New York at Potsdam. As an NATA board member, he focused on helping athletic trainer network and mentoring young professionals. Krein was the head athletic trainer at Central Connecticut University from 1966 until his retirement in 1996.

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NATA President #7

As a former student of Pinky Newell, Denny Miller knows volunteers make or break an association. He got involved in national athletic training issues and eventually completed two terms as NATA president. He directed initiatives that improved sports medicine in the collegiate setting. Miller is the director of sports medicine for Purdue University.

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Peggy A. Houglum's service centers on education: she has chaired the Continuing Education Committee, helped develop programming for the Annual Meeting and became the first woman to serve as an associate editor of the Journal of Athletic Training. She is an associate professor at Duquesne University.

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Ken Kladnik has been active in District Ten, chairing several committees and editing the district newsletter. He served on and later chaired the NATA Foundation Scholarship Committee before returning to the role of student himself, earning a doctorate. He is the director of rehabilitation services at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital. Kladnik

Pete Koehneke's goal is to prepare students well enough that he would trust them to care for his daughters. He has chaired the Competencies Committee of the NATA Education Council and the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Athletic Training, and he helped ease the transition to accredited curricula. Koehneke is the athletic training education program director at Canisius College.

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Ken Locker has focused on revenue and scholarship initiatives for the profession, serving numerous NATA and Foundation committees. He raised the profession's public profile, working with the Dallas Cowboys from 1973-90 (including three Super Bowls and two Pro Bowls). In 1991, he was an athletic trainer in the movie “Necessary Roughness.” Locker now works with Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.

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Sandy Miller has served as Texas athletic trainers throughout his career and was a six-year appointee to the Texas Athletic Training Licensure Board. As an NATA board member, Miller was known for promoting the interests of college and high school athletic trainers. Currently he is assistant athletic director for sports medicine at Stephen F. Austin State University.

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Jack Redgren, a strong proponent of professional education, got into athletic training after serving in the Army, 1965-67. Getting his start with Lindsy McLean at the University of Michigan, Redgren has worked in the private sector treating varsity, professional and recreational athletes since 1981. He continues to work part-time with Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance.

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Jack Baynes spent two years as Peace Corps volunteer before pursuing a career of service. Baynes was head athletic trainer at Northeastern University for 23 years before moving to Arizona as the first athletic trainer for Santa Rita High School. A charter member and former president of Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts, Baynes was closely involved with the state's successful licensure effort. Baynes is now retired.

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1934 - 2015

Bob Beeten, a championship track and field coach, designed the medical program in which athletic trainers became core providers for Olympic Training Center operations, sports festivals and Pan American games. He has been honored by the American Dental Association and the American Optometry Association. Beeten was an exemplary athletic trainer with a career that spanned high school, college, professional and Olympic sports.

Ron Carroll was the first certified athletic trainer at Arkansas State University and has been head athletic trainer since August 1976. He has been active in continuing education, governmental affairs and reimbursement. He has also served as chair of the Arkansas State Board of Athletic Training.

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1934- 2012

Robert Moore was the epitome of service, having cared for athletes at the University of Illinois, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, 1979 Pan American Games, 1982 World University Games and the US National Rugby Team. He spent 25 years, active and reserve, in the U.S. Air Force and Army, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a professor and clinical coordinator for the athletic training education program at San Diego State University.

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David Perrin is a longtime advocate of clinical research, having been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Athletic Training and founder of the Sports Medicine and Athletic Training Research Laboratory at the University of Virginia. Perrin's name now graces an award for doctoral dissertations. He is provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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Al Green has been chair of the NATA Public Relations Committee and a member of the Board of Certification. He serves his community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT and received the Certificate of Valor in 1994 from the Kentucky Department of Fire Prevention. Green is assistant athletic director and head athletic trainer at Florida Southern College.

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Bill McDonald was the director of sports medicine at Georgia Tech for 15 years before returning to his alma mater, the University of Alabama, in 1987. McDonald was an early advocate of legislative recognition, and he continues to mentor students in his current role as director of sports medicine for the Crimson Tide.

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William Prentice is recognized as a prolific author, educator, and clinician. Most noted as the author of nine textbooks, Prentice worked as a Professor and Coordinator of the Sports Medicine Program at the University of North Carolina throughout his entire career. A NATA Research & Education Foundation scholarship is presented annually in his name.

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Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

1934-2001

Ted Quedenfeld, while working at Temple University, developed the first hospital-based sports medicine center and the first clinic-based outreach program for high school athletes in the U.S., creating jobs for athletic trainers outside the traditional setting. Quedenfeld also contributed significantly to secure Pennsylvania's first state legislative act for athletic trainers in the early 1980s.

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Charles Redmond, who served two terms on the NATA board, is a proponent of clinical education and worldwide sports medicine, having lectured in Aruba, Ireland and China while caring for athletes at the college, professional and Olympic levels. He is dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Springfield College, where he has worked more than 30 years.

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Cornerstone NATA Sponsor

Kathy Schniedwind's career was spent at Illinois State University, where she worked from 1976-2006. She was the first female athletic trainer at Illinois State and the first female board member for the state association. Schniedwind served on the NATA Foundation board and the Foundation Scholarship Committee; now retired, she still lectures and is a sought-after mentor.

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Sue Stanley-Green was the first woman to cover football full-time in the Southeast Conference, as associate head athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky. Currently, she is program director of the athletic training education program at Florida Southern College. She served on the NATA board and was a two-time director on the Board of Certification.

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Clint Thompson's focus has been on professional development. He was editor of the Journal of Athletic Training from 1972-85 and associate editor until 2003. His 31 years of Journal work was recognized by the creation of the annual Clint Thompson Award for Clinical Advancement. Now retired, he was the head athletic trainer at Northeast Missouri State University from 1985-2001.

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Jerry Bell helped develop the athletic training education program at the University of Illinois. He was instrumental in securing state regulation of athletic trainers in 1985 and licensure in 1995. Now a professor emeritus for the University of Illinois, Bell has 80+ presentations and 45 publications to his name, and he has traveled the world with the U.S. Swimming Sports Medicine Society.

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Pete Carlon is a valued voice for the profession among college sports administration. Now the director of athletics at the University of Texas at Arlington, he has focused on integrity and leadership, serving on the NCAA Competitive Safeguards Committee, NCAA drug testing committee and the NATA board.

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Kathleen Laquale was the first female athletic trainer at Providence College and is half of the first father-daughter duo to work in athletic training. She also is a licensed dietary nutritionist. Laquale's work strongly influences her students at Bridgewater State College, where has been associate professor and the program director of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum programs.

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As a college athlete, Tony Marek found his calling when injury sent him to Gary Craner's athletic training room. Naturally inclined to fix things, Marek took up the profession, eventually spending 13 years as head athletic trainer at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is in private practice and spends his weekends caring for professional bull riders. Marek was a two-term member of the NATA board.

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Rod Walters, a former NATA board member, has served as a product development consultant for Nike, Riddell, 3M Healthcare and United Pacific. He also has worked with Donjoy to successfully launch the Velocity, an off-the-shelf rigid ankle brace. He was an assistant athletic director at the University of South Carolina until 2007, when he launched his own consulting business.

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Richard Ray serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Athletic Training, was co-chair of the NATA's Education Task Force and chaired the association's Nomenclature Task Force. In 2008 Ray directed NATA: Involve & Evolve! initiative to restructure NATA's volunteer processes. He is the dean for social sciences, professor of kinesiology and assistant athletic trainer at Hope College.

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Tom Abdenour has been in the National Basketball Association since 1987, tirelessly advocating for proper terminology and polishing the public image of athletic trainers. He has organized the NBATA/NATA student cadaver workshop for many years, and he is a founder of a guidance center for homeless or underprivileged men in Oakland, Cali. Abdenour is head athletic trainer for the Golden State Warriors.

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Steve Bair has been a champion of accreditation, credentialing and legislation throughout his career. He leads by example, having served on the NATA board, Foundation board and Board of Certification, in addition to state and district offices. Bair, a member of the New Jersey Secondary School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, has worked for 20+ years at Overbrook (NJ) Senior High School.

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Sam Booth has long been an advocate of educational excellence. As a leader in District Four, she served on the NATA board during the transition to accredited curricula. During 11 years as head athletic trainer at Minnesota State University Moorhead Booth created a model athletic training program. She now works at Rochester General Hospital in New York.

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NATA President #9

Julie Max became the first woman elected as NATA president, in 2000. She has spent her career developing students and promoting the profession. Since 1979 Max has worked at California State University Fullerton, where she was the driving force behind the development of an athletic training education program that has received national acclaim.

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DC Colt takes pride in being a member of the first curriculum class at West Virginia University, where he graduated in 1977. He has been active with the NATA board, Foundation and Board of Certification - all while becoming a treasured member of Northwest Missouri State University, where he worked for 27 years. In 2008 Colt became an athletic trainer for the U.S. Air Force Academy.

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Dave Pursley played a pivotal role in getting licensure adopted in the state of Georgia, and he is a founding member of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers' Society. After caring for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves for 52 years - 44 of them in the Major Leagues - he retired in 2002.

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Michael Ferrara has taken athletic training to the global scene. He was the founding president of the World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy, and in 2010 he earned distinction as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching athletic training in Ireland. Ferrara has also been active in providing care for Paralympic athletes and the U.S. Disabled Sports Team. He is a professor and program director at University of Georgia.

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Joe Iezzi has been an athletic trainer for 30+ years, and his proudest achievements center on motivating students. A leader in Pennsylvania and a former NATA board member, Iezzi introduced changes in the Pennsylvania law and initiated a new law to be directly under the Medical Practice Act. He has been at Downingtown High School since 1988.

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Tom Koto's legacy centers on legislative recognition and job opportunities for athletic trainers. He helped get athletic trainers hired by the Boise, Idaho, school district and played a key role when the Idaho legislature adopted registration in 1989 and licensure in 2003. He currently works at Intermountain Orthopaedics and volunteers as a physician extender at a free clinic for the homeless.

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Bill Lyons has been at the University of Wyoming since 1978, were he has served as head athletic trainer and athletic training education program director. After working under Wyoming legend Jack Aggers, as well as Gary Delforge and Warren Lee, Lyons has made it a point to pass on the lessons he learned by mentoring students throughout his career.

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Chad Starkey has carved a niche as an educator and visionary. As the first chair of the NATA Education Council, he led the transition to accredited curriculum. Now an associate professor and coordinator of the division of athletic training at Ohio University, Starkey has served on the Board of Certification board and is author of several textbooks and articles.

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As early as the late 1970s, Randy Biggerstaff began advocating for athletic trainers in the clinic setting. An entrepreneur at heart, the Mizzou graduate has spent 30 years opening, directing and growing sports medicine clinics and consulting businesses. Now the education program director at Lindenwood University, Biggerstaff remains a key voice in clinical and emerging practice settings.

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As a student at Kansas State Teachers' College, Lynn Bott quickly made a name as a fast study, a hard worker, a gifted healer. Those traits have endured throughout 20+ years at the University of Kansas and decades of volunteer service, including a successful push to gain licensure in Kansas. Now an instructor and director of sports medicine at Baker University, Bott finds his greatest job satisfaction in mentoring students.

Brooklyn native Frank Walters learned a key lesson from his first athletic training mentor, Bill Chisolm: think big-picture. He has spent a career doing exactly that - and challenging others to do the same. He has impacted ethnic diversity in athletic training, education, job improvement, athlete health care. Well known for building the athletic training program in the District of Columbia public schools, Walters now runs an outreach program in Broward County, Fla.

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Many athletic trainers have fought for governmental recognition, but Keith Webster stands out in the crowd. Early on, Webster saw the value of legislative affairs and effectively lobbied NATA to make it a priority. He led the Governmental Affairs Committee for a decade and continues to push for legislative initiatives. Webster is an assistant professor and head athletic trainer at his alma mater, the University of Kentucky.

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An authority on athletic training education, Marcia Anderson arrived at Bridgewater State University in 1981 and helped build its ATEP into one of the nation's most respected. She has been lead author on eight books, including Foundations in Athletic Training: Prevention, Assessment & Management. Anderson is a former Journal of Athletic Training reviewer and spent a decade developing questions for the BOC certification exam.

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Chuck Kimmel was elected NATA president in 2004 and helped the association grow despite one of the nation's worst recessions. Among his many accomplishments, the Involve & Evolve! initiative to grow young leaders launched during his tenure, and he helped develop NATA's Political Action Committee. Kimmel's career at Austin Peay State University lasted 25 years before he accepted a position as Injury Clinic Director at Appalachian State.

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From the classroom to the basketball court, Larry Leverenz delivered intelligence, versatility and a global perspective to athletic training. He spent more than a decade working with disabled and blind athletes while making a name for himself as a clinician at Western Illinois and Iowa. He took a position at Purdue in 1991 and served as AT for men's basketball and ATEP Director. He was CAAHEP president from 1999-2002 and was extensively involved in WFATT.

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Andy Paulin mentored hundreds of students and student athletes while serving as Head Athletic Trainer at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. He was extensively involved in NATA at the district and state level before becoming District Eight director, a position he held for six years beginning in 2002. Paulin worked the 1984 Summer Olympics and provided care for athletes at the Mt. SAC Relays, the world's largest track and field competition.

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A graduate of East Tennessee State, Jerry Robertson returned to ETSU and helped start the state's first graduate athletic training education program. Robertson was elected president of the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association in 1988 and served as three-year term as district director from 1991-94. Robertson left ETSU in 2003 and helped organize a secondary school outreach program at Watauga Orthopaedic in Johnson City, Tenn.

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One of the youngest head ATs in MLB history, Larry Starr was the first to be certified. He worked for the Cincinnati Reds from 1972-1992 and was part of four World Series championships. Starr is known for revolutionizing the profession in pro baseball, becoming the first to implement an extensive weight-training program. He worked for the Marlin before becoming adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern and President of Starr Athletic Solutions, LLC.

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After six years as an assistant at Washington State, Barrie Steele found a home at the University of Idaho in 1986 and served as head AT before becoming Director of AT Services. Even before joining the Board of Directors, he held numerous involvement positions at the national level, including spots on the Finance Committee, Investment Committee, CUATC and the Secretary/Treasurers Committee. Steele also served as liaison to CAATE.

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A Nebraska graduate, Jerry Weber returned in 1977 and worked at UN through his 2011 Hall of Fame Induction as Associate Director of Athletic Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer. On the field, he helped the Cornhuskers to three national football titles in the 1990s. Weber was the District Five director from 1987-90 and NATA VP in 1989-90. He was part of an NCAA task force that established new rules to protect football players during two-a-day practices.

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Known as a determined leader advocate for clinical athletic trainers late in his career, Roy Don Wilson died in 1992 after battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Wilson worked in the high school setting before stints at The Citadel, Florida State and Kentucky. He was Head Athletic Trainer at Kentucky before moving to the Sports Rehab Clinic in Houston in 1988. He was appointed by the governors of Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana to speak on behalf of the profession.

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During his 36 years with the Philadelphia Phillies and a World Series title, Jeff Cooper has promulgated a legacy of leadership, education and advocacy. A founding member of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society, Cooper was a two-term president, serving 18 years on the PBATS executive committee. By drawing attention to the widespread use and dangers of smokeless tobacco, Cooper is credited with helping to change the face of baseball by breaking the sport's strong connection to spit tobacco. Cooper modeled for other professional baseball ATs how to maximize Capitol Hill visits and promote athletic training to legislators.

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Chris Gillespie is director of athletic training education at Samford University where he has worked for more than three decades. Past president of the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association and co-founder of its annual student meeting, Gillespie also served on the NATA College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee. As one of the first athletic trainers to support sickle cell trait screening and be an advocate for athletes with this condition, he was part of the NATA Inter-Association Task Force on Sickle Cell Trait and the Athlete and has spoken extensively and published on this topic. Gillespie's work with endurance athletes through TEAM 413 - GRACERUNNER MINISTRIES, a non-profit ministry he founded in 2003, is of significant importance.

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Dennis Hart's athletic training career began in 1970. He was the athletic trainer at North Mesquite High School for 33 years and has worked for the Sports Medicine Clinic of North Texas. Hart chaired the founding committee of the Texas State Athletic Trainers' Association. He also served as a TSATA regional director and was the first chair of its board of directors. An active leader in the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association, Hart served on its executive board as Texas representative and president. Hart remains actively involved in SWATA, NATA, and TSATA, and he recently co-authored the Texas HB 2038, Natasha's Law, which mandates a standard of care for secondary school athletes suffering sports-related concussions.

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Roger Kalisiak has been a committed activist at all levels of the profession. He co-authored his state licensure act and wrote a proposal that expanded from one to three the number of athletic trainers at each school in his high school's district. The only two-term president in the Illinois Athletic Trainers Association history, Kalisiak went on to be GLATA president and history and archives chair, and chaired the 1993 NATA annual meeting scientific program. Named the 1993 NATA High School Athletic Trainer of the Year, and NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 1995, Kalisiak also received the Hoffman Estates High School Principal's Award for Excellence and Golden Hawk Award, and the GLATA Golden Pinnacle Award.

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Dr. Marjorie King's research and publishing activities, athletic training education accomplishments, her work advancing women in the profession, and clinical experience in multiple settings make her a respected mentor and much sought after presenter. King was the first woman president of the Eastern Athletic Trainers' Association and was selected to give the EATA “Pinky” Newell address. She served as the second chair of the NATA Women in Athletic Training Committee, and was on the executive boards of the New Hampshire Athletic Trainers' Association and the Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts. King is the current director of graduate athletic training education at Plymouth State University.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Arnold Thomas worked for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Cypress, Texas for three decades. As the head athletic trainer for Cy-Fair High School, he assisted in the implementation of a program that provided free heart screenings for student athletes and automatic defibrillators at each of the 10 CFISD high schools. Known for being a true model and setting an example of expertise and professionalism, Thomas was president of both the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association and the Greater Houston Athletic Trainers' Society. He is one of the founders of the GHATS student workshop, the largest in the nation, and served as medical staff at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Thomas is currently a doping control officer for the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

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Matt Webber is known as a compassionate athletic trainer who cares for his students, as well as an advocate for his colleagues and profession. A president of the Arizona Athletic Trainers Association and the first chair of the Arizona Board of Athletic Training, Webber worked to draft and implement athletic training licensure laws and regulations in the state. In addition to his legislative efforts, he is credited with writing the bylaws and constitution of both the AzATA and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association. A longtime high school athletic trainer, Webber served on the NATA board of directors and numerous committees.

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Ron Courson is a national leader in emergency care and the issue of sudden death. He has served on numerous committees and task forces and was instrumental in writing several NATA position statements on the following topics: spine injury management, preventing sudden death and emergency preparation in athletics. Courson was a leader in developing the athletic training education program at the University of Georgia, where he currently serves as associate athletic director of sports medicine. His dedication to the profession is demonstrated by the compassionate care he provides his student athletes, his efforts toward promoting legislation that improves the welfare of student athletes and the development of an emergency medical plan that is credited with saving lives.

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R.T. Floyd's career as an athletic trainer began when he became the first head athletic trainer at the University of West Alabama as a freshman. He has now served as a faculty member at the university for nearly 40 years and is the director of athletic training. Known by his colleagues as one of the most devoted athletic trainers in the profession, Floyd's legacy to athletic training will be his service and dedication. Floyd is a former member of the NATA Board of Directors. He was also elected as a representative on the NATA Research and Education Foundation Board of Directors, becoming the first member to be elected to serve simultaneously on both the NATA and the NATA Foundation Board of Directors. Floyd is currently an active volunteer at the local, state and national level and will serve as the next president of the NATA Research and Education Foundation.

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Dr. Robert Kersey is well known for his commitment to athletic training education and the development of young professionals. As a teacher, researcher and mentor, his impact on the profession is immeasurable. Kersey's research related to anabolic steroid use is highly regarded and cited, establishing him as an international expert on the subject with numerous presentations and media appearances. He serves his profession as a member of the NATA Research & Education Foundation Board of Directors, a reviewer for the Journal of Athletic Training and as a member of various committees at the national, state and local levels. Kersey is a professor and director of the athletic training education program at California State University, Fullerton.

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Ralph Reiff, an innovator in the field of athletic training, developed a tool to track downstream revenue and demonstrate the business value of athletic trainer outreach. Regarded as a leader in his state, he was instrumental in the passage of the Indiana certification regulation and licensure. As committed to his athletes as he is to the profession, Reiff piloted several initiatives including a program to provide athletic training and medical services to the Butler University ballet program, an athletic training internship program and an injured athlete support group, among many others. Due to his expertise, he was selected to help plan and coordinate all aspects of medical care for the 1996 Olympic games. Reiff is the executive director of St. Vincent's Sports Performance.

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Charlie Thompson is known for his leadership and the shining example he sets for others in the profession of athletic training. His commitment to the profession has contributed to a positive image and elevated role of athletic trainers in the realm of healthcare and sports medicine. Thompson, a past president of the EATA, has held numerous NATA volunteer positions including District Two treasurer and CUATC chair. He has served as a member of various workgroups and task forces including Vision Quest, Governance and as the liaison to the American Football Coaches Association. Thompson has worked for the athletic training department at Princeton University for more than three decades and is in his 14th year as head athletic trainer.

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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.

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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.

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Mark Gibson is known as a leader within the profession who has committed his career to the advancement of athletic training. Gibson has served the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, first as head athletic trainer from 1985 to 1993, and as the director of its undergraduate athletic training program since 1993. As former vice president of the Wisconsin Athletic Trainers' Association, Gibson was instrumental in securing licensure for athletic trainers in his state. He became the president of the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association in 2006 and was elected to the NATA Board of Directors in 2007. Gibson served the NATA in numerous committee leadership positions and is current Chair of the International Committee.

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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.

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As an educator, clinician, volunteer and advocate, Paula Sammarone Turocy's impact on the profession of athletic training is immeasurable. A former chair of the Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs Joint Review Committee on Athletic Training, and founding chair of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, she has influenced the education of athletic trainers throughout the country. A recognized volunteer and activist at the local, state and national levels, Turocy contributed to the advancement of the regulatory status and licensure of ATs in Pennsylvania. Turocy, who was the first Anna Rangos Rizakus Endowed Chair at Duquesne University, is currently a professor of athletic training and Director of the Pre-Medical and Health Professions Programs at the University.

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Kenneth Wright, a professor at the University of Alabama, is a distinguished scholar, researcher and educator who is a respected expert and sought-after presenter across the globe. Wright has authored two textbooks, countless scholarly articles and secured numerous research grants, all of which has contributed to the advancement of athletic training and athletic training education. Among many appointments to the editorial boards of several publications, Wright served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Athletic Training for 12 years. In recognition of his service, the JAT established an award in his honor. Consistently recognized for his achievements and expertise, Wright was appointed to the US Anti-Doping Agency, the US Olympic Committee and has been awarded with the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Brian Robinson has impacted his profession through his passionate advocacy for athletic trainers, particularly those in secondary schools. As the head athletic trainer at Glenbrook South High School since 1977, he established an athletic training program that set a precedent for secondary school athletic training programs everywhere. At Glenbrook, he developed a concussion management program, a rehabilitation program for injured athletes and a database for tracking injuries and treatment plans. Robinson's efforts as chair of the Secondary School Athletic Trainers' Committee, along with his countless presentations, articles and television appearances, have advanced the role and recognition of the secondary school AT and vastly improved the health care for secondary school athletes.

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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.

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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.

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David Craig is known for his presence and leadership, both courtside and beyond. Craig graduated from Purdue University, where he was mentored by the legendary “Pinky” Newell. He spent 35 years as the Indiana Pacers' Head Athletic Trainer, working with the 1970 and 1971 ABA Championship teams and the 2000 Eastern Conference champions. In 1984, Craig was elected as the first president of the Indiana Athletic Trainers' Association and contributed to the licensure and reimbursement of ATs in his state. Craig served as an athletic trainer for the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo and the 2004 USA Olympic men's basketball team in Greece. Craig has held countless leadership positions at the state, district and national levels and received numerous awards including the Joe O'Toole NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year Award and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.

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Michael Goldenberg has impacted the athletic training profession through his trailblazing efforts to integrate technology to improve and promote the profession. The District II webmaster since 1998, Goldenberg introduced listservs, text and voicemail campaigns, online voting and various online tools, and established many state and district websites. As the DII Director, he launched the Communicate, Activate, Serve program to increase communication, as well as membership involvement in District II programs. In 2000, he founded and chaired the NATA Webmaster's Advisory Group. As a member of the NATA Board of Directors, he was heavily involved in decisions that positively impacted the Association and profession, including the NATA logo change, the nomenclature study, the professional degree decision and the resurgence of the Joint Committee Meeting.

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Bob Gray is known for his passion for athletic training and his devotion to the growth of his colleagues and the profession as a whole. Gray, a respected clinician, is the Coordinator of Athletic Training at the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, his employer since 1991. Sought-after for his expertise, Gray was named as the ATC Observer for the National Football League, a position he has held since 2011, and was named the Head Athletic Trainer for the NCAA Division I basketball regional finals in 2015. Recognized at the local, district and national levels, he was awarded the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 1998, he was inducted into the Ohio Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2010, he received the Golden Pinnacle Award from the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association. Gray currently serves on the NATA Foundation Board of Directors.

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Scott Linaker has dedicated his career to advancing the profession of athletic training through his leadership and service. An advocate for athletic trainers in the secondary school setting, Linaker spent more than 20 years as the Head Athletic Trainer at Canyon del Oro High School. Linaker was elected President of the Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association in 1990, and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association in 1998. During his presidency, the RMATA Leadership Development Program was created to foster leaders within his district and the entire profession of athletic training. Linaker has held numerous positions at the national level, including on the NATA Board of Directors, Hall of Fame Committee and the NATA Board of Certification.

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A leader at the state, district and national levels, Eric McDonnell has committed his career to the advancement of the athletic training profession. McDonnell has served as a member of the NATA Board of Directors, Chair of the NATAPAC Board of Directors, Governmental Affairs Committee Chair, and NATA Annual Meeting Host Committee Chair in 2003, and on various task forces and workgroups. Through his governmental affairs efforts, states under regulatory control increased from 28 to 49 and funding for state legislative activities increased. An activist for the Association's federal legislative agenda, McDonnell has attended every Capitol Hill Day since its inception and regularly advocates on behalf of the profession. McDonnell is currently an athletic trainer at the University of Missouri, where he has served athletes for more than 30 years.

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Patrick Sexton's illustrious career is marked by his dedication to service at all levels of the profession. Sexton has served on numerous committees, work groups and task forces, including as a member of the Joint Review Committee on Athletic Training Education, a member of the ECE Professional Education Committee and vice-chair of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. A mentor and example to many, Sexton was elected Vice President of the Wyoming Athletic Trainers' Association and President of the Wisconsin Athletic Trainers' Association, and held several leadership positions with the Minnesota Athletic Trainers' Association. He is also a recognized author and presenter. Sexton is the current Athletic Trainer Director of the Board of Certification and is the Director and Professor of Athletic Training at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

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Gary Wilkerson is a renowned educator, researcher, clinician and respected expert in his field. Wilkerson is a leader in clinical effectiveness studies and predictive modeling for injury prevention. In 1990, he led a research study conducted at the United States Air Force Academy and in 1996 he served as a member of the polyclinic medical staff for the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Wilkerson is celebrated by his peers and has received numerous awards and accolades. He was named a Fellow of the NATA in 2008 and was inducted into the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2015, he spoke in the J&J Featured Presentation in St. Louis. He is currently a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he has taught since 2000.

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With a career spanning nearly five decades, John “Doc” Anderson has truly left his mark on the athletic training profession and paved the way for generations to come. With the exception of a 10-year stint at Louisiana State University, he served in various roles at Troy University since 1967, including head athletic trainer, professor and program director. Anderson, a former student athlete at Auburn University, doubled as head coach and athletic trainer for both the track and field and cross-country teams at Troy, leading his athletes to several conference championships. He was a member of the U.S. Track and Field coaching staff for the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games and served as an athletic trainer for the 1996 Olympic team. Anderson is the founder of Iota Tau Alpha, a national athletic training honor society. Since its inception in 2005, the organization has expanded to more than 100 chapters with more than 4000 inductees.

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A true trailblazer of the profession, Fran Babich began her illustrious career at Pomona College, where she became its first athletic trainer in 1978 and one of only three women in the country to hold such a position. In 1980, she was hired as Butte College's head athletic trainer, becoming the first woman named as a head AT in the California Community Colleges system. Babich is the co-founder and first president of the California Community College Athletic Trainers' Association. Though she has been instrumental in elevating athletic trainers in the community college setting, she has worked as an athletic trainer and an educator in every setting, including K-12 schools, DI, DII and DII colleges and universities, as well as the professional setting. Babich's remarkable career has been recognized with multiple honors including the California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the District Eight Hall of Fame, the Butte College Hall of Fame, the C.K. McClatchy High School Hall of Fame, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award and the Gail Weldon Award.

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Since the beginning of her accomplished career, Tanya Dargusch has been a game-changer within the profession. An advocate for athletic trainers in the secondary school setting, Dargusch's work on the NATA Council on Employment helped to spearhead a national market penetration plan specifically for the secondary school setting and contributed to better representation of secondary school ATs on a national level. As chair of the District Secretaries'/Treasurers' Committee, she led efforts to create best practices guidelines for all district secretaries and treasurers. Dargusch was instrumental in acquiring the funding for an association liaison to the American Academy of Family Physicians, which resulted in the introduction of the AT in a physician practice setting on a national platform. In addition to being one of the first women in the industrial setting, Dargusch was the first female elected as a District Two Executive Board secretary.

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Kathy Dieringer is celebrated for her service and leadership to the profession of athletic training at the state, district and national levels. She served two terms on the NATA Board of Directors from 2012 through 2016 and secretary and treasurer from 2014 through 2016. In 2008, Dieringer was selected to serve as chair of the newly formed Clinical and Emerging Practices Athletic Trainers' Committee. She has also served as president of NATA District Six and was elected to its Hall of Fame in 2007. She received the NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award in 2002, the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2006 and the Gail Weldon Award in 2017. An example for entrepreneurial athletic trainers, as well as those in the clinical setting, Dieringer is the co-owner of D&D Sports Med, an outpatient rehabilitation company with three clinics in North Texas.

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MaryBeth Horodyski is a renowned researcher, respected educator and esteemed leader of the profession of athletic training. She currently serves as the director of research for the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida. In addition to her work at the university, Horodyski also serves as the athletic trainer at a small private high school in Gainesville. An expert in spine-injured patient care, Horodyski has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and was selected as one of only five non-physicians to join the Cervical Spine Research Society. Her numerous leadership roles include NATA vice president, NATA District Nine director, SEATA president, SEATA secretary/treasurer and chair of the Executive Committee for Education. Horodyski has received countless awards including the NATA AT Service Award, the SEATA Hall of Fame, the ATAF Hall of Fame and NATA Fellows status.

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Jeff McKibbin is a respected leader who is known for his dedication to his patients and his commitment to advancing the profession of athletic training. McKibbin, whose career began at the University of Central Oklahoma, spent 24 years as head athletic trainer, with 13 of those years in a dual role as associate athletic director. Over the course of his career, he served as head AT for 14 national championship wrestling teams and one national football championship team. McKibbin's numerous volunteer and leadership positions include chair of the Government Affairs Committee, member of the NATAPAC board of directors and several positions at the state, district and national levels. He is credited with legislative efforts in Oklahoma and developing the first accredited graduate athletic training program in Oklahoma. McKibbin was inducted into the Oklahoma Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2006, the Mid-America Athletic Trainers' Hall of Fame in 2011 and the University of Central Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2014.

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Michael O'Shea's career began as a student AT at The University of Texas. While serving in the United States Air Force, O'Shea worked as an athletic trainer at the Air Force Academy and was awarded the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year in 1971. Following his service in the Air Force, O'Shea worked in both the professional and collegiate settings and, since 1993, he has served the University of Houston as head athletic trainer. In 1981, O'Shea wrote a book called The History and Development of the NATA, the first book to cover the history of the association. Selflessly, he donated all proceeds from book sales to NATA. Celebrated by his peers, O'Shea has received numerous awards at the state, district and national levels. In 1999, he earned the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society Distinguished Alumni Athletic Trainer award. He received the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award in 2005, the University of Houston Alumni Chairs Award in 2017 and will be inducted into the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Kent Biggerstaff spent 36 years as a professional baseball athletic trainer for the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates and was selected for three National League All Star teams, as well as the MLB All-Star Tour in Japan in 1996. Biggerstaff also spent three years as the concussion coordinator for Minor League Baseball umpires and is credited with introducing concussion management to the MLB. A proven leader, Biggerstaff was president of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers' Society for three terms and served 13 years on its executive board. His leadership was integral in building upon the relationship between PBATS and NATA. He was elected to the PBATS Hall of Fame in 2016. Biggerstaff was selected for the NFL ATC Spotter program and worked on the PGA and PGA Champions Tours as a conditioning coordinator for 13 years, giving him the distinction of working in three professional sports.

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Nancy Burke began her career more than four decades ago as one of the first athletic trainers in the Fairfax County Public Schools System in Virginia. Burke and her colleagues were responsible for building and growing the district's athletic training program that now includes two ATs in every high school. She used her expertise to expand the profession to the public safety sector, beginning with the Fairfax County Police Department. She was the first athletic trainer hired by a law enforcement agency, and her program has become a model for similar programs across the country. Always a trailblazer, Burke became an athletic trainer when there were few women in the profession and was the first woman to join the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers' Association. After the merger of U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association and Men's Lacrosse, she served as co-chair and chair of its Sports Science and Safety Committee for a decade. The committee is regarded as a medical model for other governing bodies in sports.

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John Davis, known for his commitment to athletic training practice and education, has provided quality health care for student athletes at Montclair State University since 1984. He is credited with establishing the MSU athletic training education program in 2000 that has produced countless athletic trainers. Davis has devoted years of service to the profession. He was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the Eastern Athletic Trainers' Association in 1988. In 1992, he became the District Two secretary and helped to form the NATA District Secretaries'/Treasurers' Committee. He was elected President of the EATA in 2011. Celebrated for his leadership and service, he was inducted into the Athletic Trainers Society of New Jersey's Hall of Fame in 2006 and the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. MSU also honored Davis in 2010 by dedicating its athletic training facility as the John Davis and Dr. M. Benjamin Burton Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Center. In 2018 he was inducted into the EATA ‘49 Club and also received the EATA Student Delegation Jeff Stone Service Award.

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Marty Matney's storied career began in the 1970s when he became interested in sports medicine in high school. Since then, he has built a decades-long career that has spanned multiple job settings and blazed new trails for athletic training employment. Matney started in the clinical setting, and his work has contributed to the expansion of the athletic training profession into the military, performing arts, physician practice and occupational health settings. Matney established two rehabilitation clinics and spearheaded the expansion of the Boeing Industrial Athlete program. The program, which provides athletic training care for Boeing employees and helps prevent work-related injuries, grew from four ATs to more than 70 under Matney's leadership. An advocate for the profession, Matney is credited with the passing of the Washington State Athletic Trainers Act. Since 1984, he has served the athletic training profession at the local, state and national levels and was heavily involved with NATA's governmental affairs efforts. He is the current chair of the NATA Committee on Practice Advancement.

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With pride and dedication, Gary Reinholtz served as an athletic trainer for more than 30 years. In 1972, he graduated from Mankato State University, which was one of the first athletic training curriculums approved by the NATA Professional Education Committee. Along with three athletic training colleagues at the University of Washington, he co-authored the first programmed text used in athletic training curriculums. In 1976, Reinholtz became the head athletic trainer at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 2005. He provided injury prevention and care to athletes on 27 sport teams. In 1976, he developed an approved athletic training curriculum at Gustavus, educated countless students and prepared them to work alongside physicians, allied health professionals, coaches and administrators. Reinholtz has influenced the profession locally, regionally and nationally by serving in numerous appointed and elected positions with the Minnesota Athletic Trainers' Association, Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association and the National Athletic Trainers' Association. The MATA Legislative Committee, chaired by Reinholtz, was the driving force behind the Minnesota Athletic Trainers' Act being signed into law in 1993.

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As an educator, researcher and leader, René Revis Shingles' impact on the profession of the athletic training is immeasurable. A professor at Central Michigan University for decades, more than 650 students have graduated under her tutelage. Shingles co-authored the first book on cultural competence in the profession and is considered a national expert on diversity and inclusion in athletic training. Shingles has dedicated countless hours to NATA through her work with the Education Council, the Education Degree Task Force and the Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee. She has also advanced the profession by serving in various roles with the Board of Certification and the NATA Research & Education Foundation. Through her work at CMU, she is credited with successfully coordinating the reaccreditation process multiple times with each receiving the maximum number of years for reaccreditation. For more than 20 years, Shingles has volunteered as medical staff for the Special Olympics Michigan State Summer Games. In 1996, she was selected by the United States Olympic Committee as an AT for the Olympic Games in Atlanta and marched in the opening ceremonies with Team USA.

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Jim Thornton, head athletic trainer at Clarion University for almost 30 years, has built his career and legacy upon service to the profession of athletic training. Thornton has held countless leadership positions at the state, district and national levels. In 1998, he was elected District II Secretary. During his tenure, he coordinated the historical archiving of Districts One and Two. He also initiated the EATA Student Delegation and facilitated the writing of the student delegation manual. Thornton was elected as District Two Director in 2005, NATA Vice President in 2009 and, in 2012, he was elected president of NATA. As president, he represented NATA in White House meetings that resulted in the National Security Council's “Stop the Bleed” campaign and also contributed to the creation of the NFL grant program that places ATs in secondary schools in under-privileged areas. Under his guidance and leadership, NATA introduced a new logo, reinstated the annual Joint Committee Meeting, announced the Japanese Athletic Trainers' Organization as an official affiliate member of NATA and initiated ATs Care, an international program that provides peer support for athletic trainers dealing with a crisis or critical incident.

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Pat Aronson is currently a professor of athletic training at the University of Lynchburg. During her 31-year stint, she has served as head athletic trainer, clinical education coordinator and faculty athletic representative. She has dedicated her career to sharing information, publishing numerous studies in the Journal of Athletic Training. An avid volunteer, she spent extensive time working as the District Three Director and member of the NATA Board of Directors. She also spends time reviewing manuscripts for the Journal of Athletic Training and assisting students with research projects. In 2017, she became the founding chair of the NATA LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. Celebrated for her extensive service to the profession, Aronson has amassed many awards and honors. She was inducted into the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and, in 1996, and she was awarded the K. Madison Smith award for Academic Excellence from CHRV College of Health Sciences for her work in the physical therapy assistant’s program. In 1998, NATA awarded her the Athletic Trainer Service award and, in 2004, she received the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer. The Virginia Athletic Trainers’ Association inducted her into their Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Mid-Athletic Trainers’ Association did the same in 2018.

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Since 1991, David Csillan has served as an athletic trainer at Ewing High School in New Jersey. During his nine year stint with the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey, he served as president. During that term, his state became the first and only state to award tenure to eligible secondary school athletic trainers. He was also instrumental in advancing the state’s Athletic Training Practice Act from registration to licensure. At the district level, he spearheaded the creation and implementation of the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association ’49 Club award, the highest honor an EATA member can receive. Csillan co-chaired the NATA Inter-Association Task Force on Preseason Heat Acclimatization Guidelines for Secondary School Athletics. This milestone marked the first time the NATA had gone beyond providing information for injury prevention. Csillan was an NATA District Two Representative on the Secondary Schools Committee, NATA liaison to the National Federation of State High Schools Association and NATA liaison to USA Football. He was elected District Two Secretary for two terms and served as vice-chair and chair of the NATA District Secretaries’/Treasurers’ Committee. But, most unique of all, Csillan was previously inducted into three hall of fames: New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (2004), Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey (2008) and Ewing High School Athletics (2011); NATA Hall of Fame makes the fourth.

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Christopher Ingersoll has a demonstrated dedication to advancing the profession. After earning his PhD in 1989 from The University of Toledo, he became an assistant professor at University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Around the same time, he became involved the Journal of Athletic Training where he would eventually go on to serve as the Editor-in-Chief while on the faculty at the University of Virginia. Ingersoll also served as the president for the NATA Research & Education Foundation. While working at Indiana State University, he served as the chair of the Post-Professional Graduate Education committee. Because of his dedication to scholarship, he went on to receive the Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educator award and the William G. Clancy, MD, Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training Research. He has also served as a dean at Central Michigan University and The University of Toledo. He is the current commissioner on the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.

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Timothy Neal has dedicated his 40-year career to making a difference in the profession of athletic training by enhancing patient and athlete safety and wellness. In 2010, Neal served on the NCAA Concussion in Sport Medical Management panel. He also chaired two NATA Inter-Association Consensus Statements on developing plans to recognize and refer psychological concerns in athletes. In 2013, he chaired the statement affecting collegiate athletes and, in 2015, he chaired the statement regarding secondary school athletes. In 2014, Neal was part of the writing group for the NATA Position Statement on pre-participation physical examinations and medically disqualifying conditions. From 2015 to 2019, he served as chair of the NATA Committee on Professional Ethics. During that time, he authored the revised NATA Code of Ethics in 2016. Aiming to give back to the people who give the most, he became the founding member of the ATs Care Committee. With the goal of generating order around the expectations of athletic trainers, he helped develop the Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training Committee. Some of the most impactful moments of his career include his activity as the NATA liaison to the NCAA, the liaison to the NCAA Football Rules Committee, and the NCAA Student-Athlete Mental Health Task Force. He also authored and revised chapters in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook on catastrophic incident planning and student-athlete mental health, and contributed to the NCAA football rules book.

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Scott Sailor, NATA’s thirteenth President, has spent the duration of his career aiming to push the profession forward through service. His more than 30-year career started in the NFL when he became the summer athletic training intern for the San Francisco 49ers. After a brief stint working with the 49ers and performing as an orthopedic technician at Tucson Medical, he spent the majority of his career working as college professor, leading athletic training programs and working with collegiate athletes as an AT. One of his earliest major volunteer roles was in the NATA PR Committee, which was followed by his role as Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association district secretary. Because of the relationships he built, he was elected District Eight director, and served on the NATA Board of Directors. After accepting the nomination for vice president of NATA and taking on major projects such as the Nomenclature Work Group Vision Quest, he was elected President of the Association. His presidency term was filled with opportunities to meet young leaders and veterans, all aiming to make a difference in the future of athletic training in various ways.

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After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College, and a master’s degree from Indiana University, Gretchen Schlabach’s initial position was a one-year appointment at Western Michigan University. That was followed by an eight-year stint at the University of Mississippi, where she served as head women’s athletic trainer. After completing her doctoral work, Gretchen entered the professoriate and accepted the program directorship at Northern Illinois University, where she retired in 2014. Schlabach’s professional scholarship and service has been in the areas of professional ethics, values and responsibility in athletic training. She co-authored the first text dedicated solely to professional ethics, Professional Ethics in Athletic Training. Schlabach served on the inaugural NATA Women in Athletic Training Committee, which advanced women’s concerns and life-balance issues in athletic training. Currently, she is the founding chair of the inaugural NATA Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training Committee, which is dedicated to promoting legal, ethical and regulatory awareness, analysis, action and adherence. Schlabach has been recognized with the professor emerita distinction from Northern Illinois University, NATA Athletic Training Service and Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Awards, as well as a Gail Weldon Award of Excellence.

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From chance athletic injury to physical therapy business owner, Charles “Skip” Vosler has come a long way. His career in athletic training began in 1958 when Erie Biggs, former head trainer at Ohio State University hired him as a student athletic trainer. This sparked his passion for the profession, and he has been completely engrossed in athletic training ever since. While at Ohio State, he spent one pre-season as assistant athletic trainer for the New York Titans. In addition to working as assistant athletic trainer at Ohio State from 1961 to 1964, he served as Head Athletic Trainer at several universities from 1964 through 1997 – Defiance College, Ashland University and Ohio University where he developed an undergraduate and master’s degree programs in athletic training. In 1998, he opened Southeast Ohio Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy. Today he is the Vice President of Grimm Scientific Industries. Vosler has volunteered in various capacities – from founding the Athletic Equipment Manager’s Association (AEMA) to serving on the Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association (OATA) Hall of Fame committee for 30 years. His goal – to personify his parents’ lesson: get involved where your voice can make a difference.

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Larry Cooper, MS, LAT, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1983 before earning his master’s equivalency from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1995. For the majority of his career, Cooper worked as a teacher and athletic trainer in various schools, both collegiate and secondary, spending from 1991 to 2018 at Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania. Cooper also has a long list of volunteer service to the athletic training profession, including the NATA Appropriate Medical Care for Secondary School Aged Athletes Task Force (2017-19); ATLAS (Athletic Training Location and Services) project co-founder (2016-present); NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee chair (2012-16); NATA Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Founding Member/Planning Committee (2015-18); and Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (2002-present). He currently sits on the Rocky Mountain University Athletic Training Advisory Board, Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Executive Council, Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and various other groups.

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In 1982, Denise Fandel, MBA, CAE, AT Ret., earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University. She then went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In 2011, Fandel earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. In 1983, Fandel was hired as an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and became the head athletic trainer in 1985. Fandel stayed until 1997. Following her collegiate career, Fandel went on to become the first CEO of the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer. She retired from the BOC in 2019. Now, Fandel is the president of Breakthrough Growth LLC. Some of Fandel’s volunteer service includes District Five representative for the NATA Placement Committee (1986-88), Nebraska State Department of Health’s Bureau of Examining Boards (1988-99) and Nebraska State Athletic Trainers’ Association president (1988-90).

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Greg Gardner, EdD, LAT, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming in 1984 and his master’s degree from the University of Arizona just a year later. In 1995, Gardner went to the University of Southern Mississippi to earn his Doctor of Education. His first job was as an athletic trainer and teacher at Rockport-Fulton High School. He was there from 1985 to 1988, when he shifted into the collegiate setting as an athletic trainer and assistant professor at Howard Payne University. Gardner is now a clinical professor of athletic training at the University of Tulsa. Some of his volunteer service includes Oklahoma Athletic Trainers’ Association Student Session chair (1996-99), CAATE president (2008-01) and World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy U.S. vice president (2011-18). He presently serves as a member on the Athletic Rehabilitators and Therapists of Ireland accreditation panel and received a Fulbright award in the fall of 2021. He is currently the Oklahoma Athletic Trainers’ Association vice president and serves as a member of the NATA Research & Education Foundation Board of Directors.

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In 1989, Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC, FNATA, earned his bachelor’s degree from West Chester University. In 1992, he earned his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh before enrolling at the University of Virginia where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy in 1995. Guskiewicz then began his academic career as an assistant professor and athletic trainer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. Over a 26-year career at UNC, he has served in a variety of roles, including director of the accredited undergraduate athletic training education program, founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center, department chair, senior associate dean, dean and interim chancellor. Guskiewicz was named UNC-Chapel Hill’s 12th Chancellor December 13, 2019 after serving as Interim Chancellor for 10 months. His volunteer service includes NATA Pronouncement Committee on Mild Head Injury (1997-2004), NATA Convention Committee (1998-2001), NATA Education Council’s Graduate Program Review Committee (1999-2005), NATA Convention Committee program chair (2000), Journal of Athletic Training associate editor (2001-13), NATA Position Statement on Management of Sport Concussion lead author (2004) and NATA Position Statement on Management of Sport Concussion co-author (2014).

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Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT, FACSM, FNATA, earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University in 1988 and his master’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1989. He continued his education to earn a master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Delaware in 1994 and his Doctor of Philosophy from Nova Southeastern University in 2004. Konin started his career as an athletic trainer with HealthSouth Sports Medicine in 1989 and is now the director of the Doctor of Athletic Training Program at Florida International University. Some of Konin’s volunteer service includes Clinical/Corporate/Industrial Athletic Training Committee (1992-97), Position Statement PPPE writing member (2008-14), Outcomes Advisory Panel SSISOS chair (2009-10), Best Practice for AT Documentation Task Force (2015-17), Sexual Abuse Education Task Force (2018), Transitional Employment Work Group (2019-21) and Cannabinoid Task Force chair (2021-present). He is also a representative of the NATA International Committee.

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In 1978, Mark Letendre, ATC, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono. Letendre started his career as an athletic trainer for the New York Yankees in 1978, and continued his career in Major League Baseball. He is now the advisor to the director of sports medicine and performance-umpire administration for the MLB. Letendre’s list of volunteer service includes inventor-founding member of the Professional Baseball AtCoophletic Trainers’ Society Product Review Symposium (1999-2000); founding chairperson and alumni liaison of the PBATS Alumni Program (2006-16); NATA Political Action Committee chair and charter board member (2007-10 and 2021-present); PBATS 25th Year Anniversary Celebration chair (2007); NATA Clinical/Industrial/Corporate Committee/CEPAT (2008-11);Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association Public Relations Committee chair (2008-12); Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association Public Relations Committee chair (2009-11); NATA Public Relations Committee (2009-12); MLB Medical Advisory Committee charter athletic trainer (2013); PBATS MLB & MiLB Service Ring co-chair (2015-16); and NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award Committee (2021).

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Scott Anderson, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1979. In 1987, after seven years with the university as the assistant athletic trainer, Anderson started his nine-year tenure as head athletic trainer at Tulane University. He returned to the University of Oklahoma in 1996 as the Sooners head athletic trainer, a position he held until his retirement in May. Anderson has provided his expertise on research initiatives related to heat stroke in football and exertional sickling in athletes with sickle cell trait, and has collaborated with colleagues in the NCAA and Big 12 Conference on concussion research. Anderson has filled many service roles throughout his career. He co-directed the Inter-Association Task Force on Sickle Cell Trait in Athletes as well as the 2014 and 2016 Summit on Safety in College Football and 2022 Summit on Prevention of Exertional Heat Stroke Death in Football Lineman. He is a member of the Big 12 Conference Medical Aspects of Sport Committee, having served a term as chair, and the Big 12 Conference Medical Professionals Advisory Group. Anderson was inducted into the Oklahoma Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2015.

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Marisa Brunett, MS, LAT, ATC, earned her bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1986 and her master’s degree from Florida State University in 1988. She is currently a senior athletic trainer with ManTech International Corp., working with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Warfighter Wellness Program. Brunett has worked with various patient populations in the clinic, hospital, secondary school, youth sports, Division I and junior college settings. An active member of NATA, Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association and Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida, Brunett has filled various leadership roles throughout her 35 years of service. This includes serving as the NATA vice president (2018-21), NATA District IX Board of Director (2016-21), NATA Finance Committee (2018-20), NATA Public Relations chair (2006-11), SEATA vice-president (2005-10), SEATA Executive Board member (2001-05), ATAF president (2000-05) and vice president (1995-99). She was appointed by the governor to serve on the Florida Department of Health’s Board of Athletic Training, where she served as vice-chair and a member. She has received several service-related awards including induction into the SEATA Hall of Fame in 2011 and ATAF Hall of Fame in 2008.

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Bart C. Peterson, MSS, LAT, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 1989 and his master’s degree from the U.S. Sports Academy in 1998. Peterson has worked his entire career in the secondary schools, including positions at Campbell County High School (1990-2000) in Gillette, Wyoming, and Palo Verde High Magnet School (2000-present) in Tucson, Arizona. He began serving the athletic training profession early in his career, becoming president of the Wyoming Athletic Trainers’ Association (1992-98). Among his roles at the state, district and national levels, he served as secretary of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association (2004-10), NATA District Seven director (2010-14) and NATA Research & Education Foundation District Seven director (2014-20). He served on the NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee (1998-2004) and returned to the committee to serve as chair (2016-20). Peterson is a 2015 inductee of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame.

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Robb S. Rehberg, PhD, ATC, NREMT, earned his bachelor’s degree from West Chester University in 1991 and master’s degree from the U.S. Sports Academy in 1999. He went on to earn his Doctor of Philosophy from Touro University International in 2003. He began his career as an athletic trainer in 1991 at Westwood Regional High School in New Jersey, and currently serves as professor of athletic training and sports medicine at William Paterson University. Rehberg is a Senior Medical Advisor and Coordinator of Gameday Medical Operations for the NFL. He is also a subject matter expert for emergency care for the National Safety Council, president/CEO of Sport Safety International and co-founder of The Rehberg Konin Group. Rehberg’s list of volunteer service is extensive, most notably having served as president of the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey (2007-09), treasurer for both NATA District Two (2015-20) and the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association (2011-14) and member of the NATA Government Affairs Committee (2020-present). He also served on the NATA Research & Education Foundation Board of Directors (2010-16).

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George Roberts, MEd, LAT, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and master’s degrees from Slippery Rock University in 1980 and Edinboro University in 1990. Roberts started his career as a teacher and athletic trainer at Titusville Senior High School in 1976 in Titusville, Pennsylvania. In 1985, he moved to the collegiate setting as an associate professor/head athletic trainer until 2016. Since then, Roberts has continued work in various clinics, per diem work and, most importantly, serving on the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society Executive Board. With PATS, he has served as Governmental Affairs Committee chair, northwest representative, president elect, president and, currently, past president. Roberts was active in the U.S. Olympic Committee’s volunteer sports medicine program, serving as a member of the medical staffs for the Summer Olympic Team in 1984 (Los Angeles), 1992 (Barcelona) and the 1983 World University Games (Edmonton, Alberta). In 2010, he was appointed to the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine by Gov. Ed Rendel, serving as vice chair (2011-13).

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Timothy “Westy” Weston, MEd, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine in 1988 and master’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono in 2004. He is currently in his 13th year as the head athletic trainer and director of sports medicine at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he has been employed since 1992. Weston held leadership positions on the executive board for the Maine Athletic Trainers’ Association (MATA) (1993-2000). He has served as the NATA District One Secretary (2004-12), chair of the NATA District Secretaries’/Treasurers’ Committee (2010-12), EATA Executive Board member (2004-12 and 2014-18), NATAPAC Board of Directors (2010-13), NATA District One Director (2014-18) and NATA Secretary/Treasurer (2016-18). NATA Inter-Association Consensus Statement: The Management of Medications by the Sports Medicine Team co-chair (2018). He has previously served on the New England Small College Athletic Conference Medical Aspects Committee and the Maine Concussion Management Initiative Board of Directors. Weston is currently co-chair for the EATA 75th Anniversary Committee and serves on the editorial boards for the NATA News and the Sports Medicine Legal Digest.

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Rick Burkholder, MS, ATC, a second-generation AT, is currently the vice president of sports medicine and performance for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is starting his 11th season in Kansas City after spending 14 years as the head athletic trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles. Prior to joining the Eagles in 1999, Burkholder served as an assistant AT at the Pittsburgh Steelers, University of Pittsburgh and University of Arizona. In 2014, he was elected president of Professional Football Athletic Trainers' Society, where he focused on gender equity within PFATS as well as emphasizing the importance of ATs in the secondary school setting. The Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Fame inductee joins his father, Richard Burkholder, as the only father-son duo to have achieved this honor. Burkholder also received the NATA President's Award, the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recognition and Athletic Training Service Award. With PATS, he served on various committees as well as the executive board. He has also served on various committees in NATA, the NFL and PFATS, and speaks locally and nationally on a regular basis. The two-time Super Bowl champion was awarded the Cain/Fain NFL Athletic Trainer of the Vear Award in 2022, which is voted on by the NFL team physicians.

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Lorin A. Cartwright, MS, ATC, CA A, has been an advocate for AT education at the secondary school and college/university level. She has written numerous textbooks about the certification process, foundations of athletic training and cultural competency. All were the first of their kind in athletic training, with a few translated into simple Chinese. She was the first woman to be president of GLATA. Cartwright has advanced the profession by serving in various roles on national, regional and state committees. She has served on the NATA Secretary Committee, Ethics Committee, Membership Committee, LGBTO+ Advisory Committee and the Honors and Award Committee. While on the LGBTO+ Advisory Committee, she co-authored, "Considerations for Stressors of Sexual Minority Identity and How it Affects Mental Health for Those Who Identify as LGBTO+." At the district level, she was a consultant to the Diversity Committee, an active member of the Women in Athletic Training Committee and served as secretary-treasurer. The Michigan governor appointed her to the Women in Sports Leadership Committee and Michigan Board of Athletic Training. At the state level, she co-chaired the DEi Committee, Secondary Schools Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee; and chaired the Education Committee and Public Relations Committee. Her honors include the Ann Arbor Pioneer Athletic Hall of Fame, Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Fame, GLATA Golden Pinnacle Award, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recognition, NATA Athletic Training Service Award and Gail Weldon Award of Excellence.

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Mark Coberley, MS, LAT, ATC, a graduate of Iowa State University, currently serves as the associate athletic director of sports medicine at his alma mater, a position he earned in 1999 after serving for six years as the university's assistant athletic trainer. His volunteer service began as a member of the Iowa Athletic Trainers' Society Governmental Affairs Committee. He later served as IATS president. Among his roles with NATA, he served as a member of the NATA College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee, now the Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine, and the NATA Public Relations Committee. He served on the NATA Board of Directors from 2015-20 as the District Five director and chaired the NATA Political Action Committee. He serves on the Big 12 Conference Medical Aspects of Sport Committee and was chair 2008-11. Coberley was awarded the NCAA's Division I Head Athletic Trainer of the Vear in 2011 and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recognition in 2013. He was inducted into the MAATA Hall of Fame in 2019, and the IATS Hall of Honor in 2014.

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Tony Fitzpatrick, MA, LAT, ATC, has been employed by the Boise School District for 35 years as an athletic trainer as well as a biology and sports medicine teacher. Fitzpatrick taught biology and sports medicine as well as serving as the head athletic trainer for Boise High School from 1988-98. In the fall of 1998, he helped to open Timberline High School, where he has been ever since, serving as the head athletic trainer and sports medicine instructor. Fitzpatrick has served in many leadership roles in the Idaho Athletic Trainers' Association, including president from 1995-2001. Within the NWATA, Fitzpatrick served from 2009-13 as treasurer and from 2017-22 as president, as well as NATA DistrictTen director, including as NATA vice-president from 2021-22. Fitzpatrick was inducted into the NWATA Hall of Fame in 2014 and the IATA Hall of Fame in 2021. He was recognized by Boise State University as a Distinguished Alumni from the College of Health Sciences in 2022. At the end of the 2023 school year, Fitzpatrick will retire from the Boise School District.

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Tory Lindley, MA, ATC, serves as the deputy athletics director at Youngstown State University. Lindley became NATA's 14th president in 2018 and served through 2021. In 2020, Lindley completed an 18-year stint as Northwestern University's director of athletic training services. Prior to NU, Lindley served as the director of sports medicine at Eastern Michigan University and head AT at Hamline University. Lindley has degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota. He served in state leadership roles for the Minnesota Athletic Trainers' Association and the Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society before providing six years of service to the Illinois Athletic Trainers' Association, including serving as president from 2006-08. From 2012-18, Lindley was the NATA District Four director, serving as NATA vice president for two years. A 2011 inductee into the IATA Hall of Fame, Lindley was a 2016 recipient of the GLATA Golden Pinnacle Award and named the 2012 NCAA's Division I Athletic Trainer of the Year.

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Paul A. Ullucci Jr., PhD, DPT, ATC, is the founding program director and associate professor in Johnson & Wales University's physical therapy program. Ullucci has taught at Bryant University; Sacred Heart University, where he was the director of the Human Anatomy Lab; and Fresno State, where he was the director of the musculoskeletal clinic. Prior to earning his PhD, Ullucci owned Ullucci Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy and was the operations supervisor for Rebound Sports Medicine. He has served as District One director for two terms and was appointed NATA secretary/treasurer in 2012. He served previously as District One treasurer and EATA president. His honors include induction into the "49's Club," EATA Cramer Award, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer and NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award. He has been inducted into the Rhode Island Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Northeastern University's physical therapy program. He earned his athletic training certification in 1993 and his certified strength and conditioning specialists designation in 2000. He became Rhode Island's first sports clinical specialist in 1997.

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