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SEATA HALL OF FAME - BIOS

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JOE WORDEN - 2007

After graduating from Pfugerville High School in Texas, Joe Worden attended the University of Texas in Austin where he completed a B.S. in Physical Education and a Masters Degree in Education.  While there, he first became interested in the care and prevention of athletic injuries and had the unique opportunity to train under the legendary Frank Medina, a former U.S. Olympic Trainer.  Joe was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and saw action in Guam and the Marshall Islands during World War II.  He became Vanderbilt’s head athletic trainer in 1949 and handled all sports until 1971 when he was assigned to specialize in football and men’s basketball.  He continued to assist club sports, and in 1977 began working with the newly created women’s intercollegiate athletic program.  He officially retired at Vanderbilt in 1986, but continued to volunteer his services and never missed a game until his death on June 5, 1998.  Affectionately referred to as “Joe Bird”, he was one of the most respected and beloved staff members in the history of Vanderbilt Athletics.  He represented District IX on the NATA Board of Directors from 1964 to 1965. He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame in 1994.  Two highly regarded awards have been named for him undefined the Joe Worden Clinic/Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year Award given by the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society and the Joe L. Worden Courage Award presented by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.  Joe was inducted in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in February 2004.

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FRANK WANDLE - 2007

Col. Frank Wandle was athletic trainer at Army, Yale and served two years at Louisiana State University around 1933 before retiring. Dates are not available but he was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1962.

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SUE STANLEY-GREEN - 2007

Sue Stanley–Green received her BS from The Ohio State University and her MS from Purdue University.  She served as Director of Intramural Recreational Services at East Carolina University.  While at ECU, she met NATA Executive Secretary Mary Edgerly when the national office was in Greenville, NC.  It was through this introduction to the NATA that Sue started her extensive service to the NATA and the athletic training profession.  Her athletic training career included being the Associate Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Kentucky and the first women to work SEC Football, Athletic Trainer-Physician Extender for Kentucky Sports Medicine Clinic, Head Athletic Trainer at Centre College and at the time of her induction into the Hall of Fame, Program Director of the Athletic Training Education Program at Florida Southern College.  Sue’s service to the profession includes serving as a member of the NATA Board of Directors, a two time Director on the Board of Certification, President of District IX, Vice President of the Kentucky Athletic Trainers Society, and Co-Medical Director of the Bluegrass State Games.  She traveled internationally with USA Basketball Teams.  Ms. Stanley – Green’s awards include the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, SEATA Award of Merit, SEATA Backbone Award and was the recipient of the 2004 American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine Excellence in Athletic Training.  She is married to fellow NATA Hall of Fame recipient Al Green.  They are the first married couple inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame (2004).

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CLAUDE "BIG MONK" SIMONS, SR. - 2007

Claude "Big Monk" Simons has gone down in history as one of the great names in intercollegiate athletics.  Claude and his younger brother known as “Little Monk” were a part of Tulane Athletics during the 1930’s and the 1940’s.  Both played football for the Green Wave.  Simons also served as head coach in basketball, baseball, track and boxing while at Tulane.  Simons was president of the Southern Amateur Athletic Union and had Tulane's Olympic-size pool named in his honor.  Claude was a part of the transition from coach to athletic trainer in the very early years of the profession.  He began to assume more and more of the duties that we associate with the Athletic Trainer.  Monks efforts lead to the formal position of an athletic trainer.  He fulfilled these duties for several years serving as the Head Athletic Trainer at Tulane University from 1921 until his death in 1943.  He left a set up that served as a setting for Spike Dixon and Bubba Porche, both NATA Hall of Fame Members.  Claude was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Hall of Fame in 1998.

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L. DAVID "SANDY" SANDLIN - 2007

Sandy, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, moved to Chattanooga at 14 and never left the valley he loved.  Lee Jensen, the Chattanooga Lookout’s athletic trainer, saw Sandy with his gentle manner mending the wing of a fallen bird.  Jensen said, “If you can do that, come help me with the Lookout players.”  Sandy began his career as an athletic trainer in the early 1930’s with the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Southern League and in 1935 became the athletic trainer for the baseball team.  Sandy Sandlin was Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Chattanooga from 1938 until 1975, during which time he also spent 1943-45 as athletic trainer at Georgia Tech.  An All-Star Athletic Trainer for the Southern Baseball League, Sandy moved from the University of Chattanooga to The Baylor School in 1975 to serve as head athletic trainer until 1979.  According to peers, “He was one of the most straight-forward, compassionate, and gentle individuals one could meet.  We never met such a sincere and dedicated man.”  In 1973 he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fameundefinedat a time few non-athletes were chosen.  He received the NATA 25 Year Award in 1974 and was inducted posthumously into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1987.  In 1994 Sandy was inducted into the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame which further honored him with the establishment of the annual Sandy Sandlin High School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.

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JERRY RHEA - 2007

Jerry Rhea entered the athletic training profession in 1956 while a student at Texas A&M working under NATA Hall of Fame member Smokey Harper before graduating in 1958.  Jerry worked eight years in the Odessa (Texas) Schools, where he was Head Athletic Trainer before serving the Los Angeles Rams as Assistant Athletic Trainer for 2 years.  Jerry was the Head Athletic Trainer for the Atlanta Falcons from 1969 until 1994 and was a frequent convention and clinic speaker.  From 1994 to 2001 he worked as Assistant to the President of the Falcons.  During this time he also served as President of the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation.  He was elected President of SEATA in 1982 and became District IX Director in 1984.  He was then elected president of the NATA for 1986-88 and served on many NATA committees.  Jerry was named the NATA Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year by Nutrament in 1979 and 1982.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 1987.  He received the SEATA Award of Merit in 1988 and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Service Athletic Trainer Award in 1991.  In 2001 he received the Tim Kerin Excellence in Athletic Training Award.  Jerry was a 2004 inductee in the inaugural Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame which also honored him with an annual award in his name, the Jerry Rhea Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.  The Atlanta Falcons furthered honored Jerry by endowing an NATA Foundation Scholarship and as well as both an undergraduate and graduate SEATA Scholarship in his name.

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JOHN "JACK" REDGREN - 2007

Jack Redgren was born in the small town of Winnebago, Minnesota in 1942.  He graduated from the University of Montana in 1964 and served in the United States Army from 1965-1967.  After leaving the armed services, Jack graduated from the Mayo Clinic School of Physical Therapy in 1969.  His first job as an athletic trainer was working under fellow hall of famer Lindsy McLean at the University of Michigan for two years.  From there, Jack moved south to Vanderbilt University where he served for 10 years.  Since 1981, Jack has worked in the private sector treating varsity, professional and recreational athletes.  A pioneer in the field of athletic training education, Jack served the NATA Professional Education Committee for 17 years and enjoyed every minute of it.  Jack received the Joe Worden Clinic/Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year from the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society in 1990 and was inducted to their Hall of Fame in 1996.  He was inducted into theNATA Hall of Fame in 2002.  In March of 2006, he was named co-recipient of The Contribution to Football Award by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the National and College Football Foundation.  He continues to work part-time with Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance.

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EARL J. "BUBBA" PORCHE - 2007

Tulane had one of the nation's finest athletic trainers in the person of Earl "Bubba" Porche. In addition to his duties as athletic trainer at the Blue-Gray game, Porche served as athletic trainer for the U.S. Track Team that competed in three meets in Europe in 1967 and was an athletic trainer at the Pan-American Games in 1971.  Porche came to Tulane from the Navy in 1946 as Assistant Athletic Trainer.  He was subsequently named Head Athletic Trainer, a post he held for 36 years.  Bubba served as District IX Secretary from 1957 to 1959 and then represented District IX on the NATA Board of Directors from 1965 to 1967.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Tulane Hall of Fame in 1982.  The Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1982 and in 1986 established the Bubba Porche Award to recognize outstanding High School and Collegiate Athletic Training Students each year.  Tulane further honored Bubba by naming their primary medical treatment facility for all Tulane student-athletes The Earl "Bubba" Porche Athletic Training Room.

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CHRIS PATRICK, JR. - 2007

Chris Patrick began his athletic training career while pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee.  After receiving his master’s degree at Eastern Kentucky, Chris went on to serve as an athletic trainer at several major universities, ultimately taking over the position of Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Florida in 1970, where he continues today as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Health.  Chris has enjoyed several professional distinctions, including becoming a consultant for Bike, Johnson & Johnson and Nike and receiving the Nutrament College Trainer of the Year Award.  Indicative of his commitment to community involvement, Chris was elected Volunteer of the Year by the Gainesville, Florida Boys Club in 1977.  Among many other positions with the NATA, Chris represented District IX as a member of the NATA Board of Directors from 1967 to 1971.  Chris' work within the profession and in his local community has helped to broaden and enhance the image of athletic training.  He received the SEATA Award of Merit in 1989, the same year as his NATA Hall of Fame induction.  He received the Tim Kerin Award for Excellence in Athletic Training from the NATA in 2000.  Chris was inducted into The Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida in 1995 and received the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Service Athletic Trainer Award in 2006.  He is a member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and serves on Aegis Analytical Laboratories Client Advisory Board.

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MICKEY O'BRIEN - 2007

Mickey O'Brien went to work for the University of Tennessee in 1938 - just in time to help with three successive unbeaten seasons and trips to bowl games.  He served as a jack-of-all-trades for the Vol program.  In addition to being Head Athletic Trainer for all sports teams, he was in charge of the training table, oversaw the equipment and laundry operations, and served as chief recruiter in Chattanooga, North Carolina and Florida.  O'Brien was designated Trainer Emeritus in 1977 for the Volunteers' football team and served under five football coaches at Tennessee, beginning with Gen. Bob Neyland.  Experts in sports medicine regarded O'Brien as one of the premier college athletic trainers.  He served as a mentor to various athletic trainers including NATA Hall of Fame members Jim Goostree and Chris Patrick.  He helped form the Southeastern Conference Trainers Association and served as its first president.  He died October 24, 1986 in Knoxville, Tennessee at age 79.

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WARREN G. MORRIS - 2007

Warren Morris learned athletic training from two of the profession’s most notable athletic trainers - A.D. Dickinson of Northern Iowa University and Alfred “Duke” Wyre at the University of Maryland where he received his M.Ed .  From that solid background, Morris first served as an assistant at the University of Maryland, then served as an assistant at the University of North Carolina before he was named Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Georgia in 1965.  He  served as District IX Vice–Director from 1967 to 1971 then as District Director from 1971 to 1973.  Morris has also been the NATA’s representative on the NCAA Football Rules Committee and the Secretary and Representative on the Joint Commission for Science and Sports.  He has been, and remains, committed to athletic training efforts in Georgia as well; he was the first athletic trainer to be licensed in Georgia and has held the position of Chair of the Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers, a governor appointed position, for 25 years since 1980.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1981 and received the AOSSM Distinguished Service Award in 1986.  Warren was an inductee in the inaugural Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2004 which also honored him with an annual award in his name, the Warren Morris Sports Medicine Person of the Year Award.

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J. LINDSY McLEAN - 2007

Lindsy McLean began his career as a student at Vanderbilt University under Joe Worden in 1956.  By 1963, he had earned the position of Head Athletic Trainer and Director of Physical Therapy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was named Head Athletic Trainer and Instructor at San Jose State College in 1965.  In 1968, he was named Head Athletic Trainer at The University of Michigan.  In 1979, he became Head Athletic Trainer of the San Francisco Forty Niners and served there until his retirement in 2003.  Lindsy has served as a USOC Olympic Team Athletic Trainer in 1976 and was the Nutrament Collegiate Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1976.  He has served the NATA on the Grants and Scholarship Committee, the 50th Anniversary Taskforce, and the Honors and Awards Committee where he helped establish the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.  Perhaps he will best be remembered for his work with the Professional Advancement Committee where he served at the first Chair of the Certification Committee and the Board of Certification when, under his guidance, the NATA Certification program was established and implemented.  He returned to Tennessee to retire in 2005.

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WILLIAM H. "BILL" McDONALD - 2007

Born in Carbon Hill, Alabama, Bill attended the University of Alabama and served as a student athletic trainer and manager for the Crimson Tide.  At Alabama, he completed his BS in 1967 and his MS in 1968.  He was a high school athletic trainer/coach in the Dekalb and Cobb County School Systems in Georgia from 1968 to 1972.  He began a 15 year tenure at Georgia Tech in 1972 serving as the Director of Sports Medicine and Assistant Athletic Director.  In 1987 he returned home to the University of Alabama where he continues today as the Director of Sports Medicine, Football Travel Coordinator, and On Campus Clinical Coordinator for the athletic training education program.  Bill was an athletic trainer for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.  He received the Athletic Trainer Service Award in 1996 and the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2000 from the NATA.  He has been a member of NATA since 1967 and was inducted into the Alabama Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2005.  His induction into the NATA Hall of Fame came in 2004.  Bill continues to serve the profession in many capacities including service on the NATA College and University Athletic Trainers’ Committee, the NATA Strategic Implementation Team and on the Alabama Board of Athletic Trainers.

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JAMES DOUGLAS "DOUG" MAY - 2007

James Douglas "Doug" May began his career as a student athletic trainer working with Wes Knight at the University of Mississippi in 1967.  He has served as a certified athletic trainer at Florida State University, Tennessee Technological University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University of Women, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and, most recently, at the McCallie School of Chattanooga, TN.  May has served as Vice-President of the NATA and as District IX Director.  In addition, he is a former District IX President and Secretary/Treasurer.  May is a charter member of the Mississippi Athletic Trainers' Association and served as its first president.  He is a co-author of the book Signs and Symptoms of Athletic Injuries.  He served as a member of the medical staff for the 1991 Pan American Games in Cuba, the 1991 World Winter University Games in Japan, and the medical team for the 1996 track and field venue of the Atlanta Olympic Games.  In 1990 Doug received the SEATA Award of Merit.  He received the Sandy Sandlin High School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award from the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society in 1990 and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1998.  He was recognized as Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 1995 by the NATA and was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1999.

 

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CHARLES F. MARTIN - 2007

Charlie Martin received his undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of Oklahoma, after being discharged from the Army.  He was the Head Athletic Trainer at Baltimore Junior College and then at Northeast Louisiana University, where he worked for nearly 25 years.  Charlie received the 25-year award from the NATA and was elected to the Louisiana Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 1984.  He was a founding father of the Louisiana Athletic Trainers Association.  Charlie is best known for his pioneering research on the effects of heat and humidity in athletes.  His writings on the topic were published numerous times throughout his career.  Charlie was also an expert on the topic of drug testing.  He traveled extensively around the nation and throughout the world, including Taiwan, The Netherlands and Belgium, lecturing on these topics, sharing the benefits of his pioneering work.  Charlie will be remembered as an outstanding ambassador for the athletic training profession and his work will be missed.  Charlie Martin, 54, died July 21, 1988.

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FRANK MANN - 2007

Frank (Skipper) Mann served for almost 25 years as athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky.  He dedicated his life to fulfilling the need for qualified athletic trainers in the work of college sports.  He was considered by historians to be one of the forefathers of modern athletic training.  He attended Chicago University in 1903, completed a full course in the art of handling the physical injuries and mental stresses of athletes and began his student trainer position.  In 1906, he accepted an athletic training position at the University of Indiana where he remained until he accepted a position at Iowa in 1910.  Frank Mann worked at Iowa in the capacity of athletic trainer from 1910 to 1914 before moving to Kentucky where worked until his retirement in 1950.  During his almost 50 years of experience and contributions, he became known as one of the nation's most prominent athletic trainers.  In 1962, he was one of the original inductees to the Helm's Hall of Fame for athletic trainers.  Mann died in 1957 at the age of 70.

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THOMAS F. LUTZ - 2007

As Head Athletic Trainer at Georgia Thomas "Fitz" Lutz was instrumental in saving a season for the star of the team and keeping the Bulldogs rolling through "The Golden Era" of great Georgia teams.  He served at Georgia from 1938 to 1942. He invented and patented a special face mask for the Bulldogs' star, Frankie Sinkwich, enabling him to play the entire season with a fractured jaw.  He was one of the first athletic trainers to make custom molded mouthpieces, by applying a layer of latex a day, then starting the process over again each week on Monday after the players chewed them up during the games.  Lutz eventually became the Baltimore Colts head athletic trainer for three seasons before going to the University of North Carolina in 1950.  Lutz died four years later in Chapel Hill at the age of 44.

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DONALD D. LOWE - 2007

A native of Marietta, Ohio, Donald D. Lowe earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Kent State University, where he also served as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer in 1965, Assistant Athletic Trainer 1966-1969, and Head Athletic Trainer from 1969-1975.  Mr. Lowe was the Coordinator of Sports Medicine at Syracuse University from 1975-2000.  He served the greater Syracuse community and the Central New York region by creating the organizational structure and becoming the Executive Director of Onondaga Sports Medicine Clinics in 1986.  Mr. Lowe served as the Director of Sports Medicine at Georgia Tech from 2000-2002.  He has a multitude of U.S.O.C. experience, highlighted by his services as the Men’s Basketball Athletic Trainer in the 1983 Pan American Games, and on the U.S. Olympic Training Staff at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.  Mr. Lowe served the NATA on various committees and was Secretary of District 2 from 1982-1992.  Mr. Lowe, along with other New York State ATCs, was instrumental in forming the New York State Athletic Trainers’ Association and served as its President  from 1984-1986; Empire State Games host athletic trainer, as well as helping to obtain professional regulation of athletic trainers in New York State.  In 1992 Mr. Lowe was instrumental in the formation of the College Athletic Trainers Society.  He has received many awards for his outstanding service, highlighted by his 1983 Thomas Sheehan Award for Most Outstanding Athletic Trainer in New York State, National Collegiate Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1986, Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association “Cramer’s Excellence Award” in 1991, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 1995, and the NATA Hall of Fame in 1999.

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WERNER J. "DUTCH" LUCHSINGER - 2007

Werner "Dutch" Luchsinger was associated with sports in the southern section of the U.S. for 48 years.  Dutch was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied at State Teachers College in Milwaukee before attending Tulane University.  He was a three sport standout in football, baseball, and track at Tulane prior to earning his degree in 1930.  After graduation, Luchsinger, better known as “Dutch”, served as Athletic Director at Fortier High School in New Orleans from 1930 until 1941.  From 1941 to 1943 he served as Physical Training Director at Keesler Field.  In 1949 Dutch began his role as Mississippi State’s Head Athletic Trainer and continued until his retirement in 1965.  He served as an Olympic athletic trainer in 1960.  Dutch later worked as Athletic Trainer with the New Orleans Buccaneers an American Basketball Association franchise.  During his tenure in Starkville, he became the first elected Director of District IX in 1950.  He represented District IX on the NATA Board of Directors from 1951 to 1953 in addition to serving as the President for the SEC athletic trainers.  Dutch was inducted in to the NATA Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 1983.  He was inducted into the Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.  Later, in 2003, he was in the first class of inductees into the Mississippi Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame.

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SAMUEL R. LANKFORD - 2007

Samuel Lankford was associated with athletic training, professional publications, and related activities since 1930.  Before coming to Virginia Tech in 1963 as head athletic trainer, Lankford spent 12 years at the University of Florida in the same position.  For several years Lankford was the athletic training editor of the National Athletic Journal.  Among his professional contributions are two books and numerous articles on athletic training and conditioning.  He also developed, manufactured, and sold an adherent in the early 60's called Tough Gator.  He represented District IX on the NATA Board of Directors from 1955 to 1957.  He also served as District IX Secretary from 1955 to 1957 and from 1959 to 1963.

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WESLEY I. KNIGHT - 2007

Doc Knight served the University of Mississippi for almost 28 years before his retirement in 1975.  A 1935 graduate of Springfield College with a BS degree in Health and Physical Education, Knight went to New York City to study at the Eastern School of Physiotherapy and at Bellevue Hospital.  After completing his higher education, Doc Knight served as a “trainer”, physical education instructor and assistant track coach at several institutions before beginning his almost three decade long career at ‘Ole Miss.  Wes Knight was known for his fiery competitive spirit as exhibited by his pregame speeches to the team prior to Ole Miss Football Games.  There was never any doubt about his caring for the many Rebel athletes he treated and loved.  Many still remember and cherish the preseason letters taped to their lockers prior to August practice.  While at ‘Ole Miss Doc Knight was not only the athletic trainer, but a very successful track coach as well.  Knight produced several unbeaten teams and his squads produced several school records.  Furthermore, Knight served as the President of the SEC Athletic Trainers Association and member of the NATA Board of Directors for District IX from 1961 to 1963.  His greatest accolade came in 1969 when he was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame, the same association in which he was a charter member.  After his retirement he was given the honor of “Trainer” Emeritus at ‘Ole Miss and was active in the coaching ranks for the Special Olympics.  He was inducted into the University of Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Mississippi Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2003.  Doc Knight, 74, died in 1983.

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DEAN L. KLEINSCHMIDT - 2007

A native of Morgan, Minnesota and graduate of Indiana University, Dean Kleinschmidt joined the New Orleans Saints as an Assistant Athletic Trainer in 1969 under Warren Arial and was promoted to Head Athletic Trainer in 1971 where he remained until 2001.  He also coordinated all sports medicine efforts at the Senior Bowl All-Star Game in Mobile, Ala., since 1971.  In 2001-02 he served as the administrative director at East Jefferson General Hospital Wellness Center in Metairie, La. before spending the 2002 and 2003 seasons as the Washington Redskins' Head Athletic Trainer.  Dean is now in his third season as Indiana University’s Head Athletic Trainer for football.  He served three terms as President of the Professional Athletic Trainers' Society after serving on their Executive Committee for 12 years.  He was named "Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year" in 1986, and he and assistant Kevin Mangum were honored as the "NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year" following the 1986 season.  In 1991, he was the local host of the annual NATA Clinical Symposium in New Orleans and served several years on the NATA Foundation Scholarship Committee.  Dean served as Chairman of Medical Support for the 1992 Olympic Track Trials in New Orleans.  He received the SEATA Award of Merit in 1992.  He was inducted into the Louisiana Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 1990, the NATA Hall of Fame in 1994and named to the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2002.  In the same year Dean received the Tim Kerin Award for Excellence in Athletic Training from the NATA and was awarded the National College Football Foundation Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2003.

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THOMAS "TIM" KERIN - 2007

Thomas "Tim" Kerin graduated from Westinghouse Memorial High School in Wilmerding, PA in 1965 and received his B.S. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1969.  After graduation, Tim began as the Head Athletic Trainer and math instructor at Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh.  In 1972 Tim was awarded an M.S. in mathematics from Indiana University of PA and became Head Athletic Trainer and an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.  He received an M.Ed. in Physiology of Exercise from Pittsburgh in 1976.  Tim became the Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Tennessee in 1977 and helped the football team achieve seven victories in 11 bowl appearances before his death in 1992.  Tim served on the NATA's Program and Convention Committees from 1979 to 1991.  He was SEATA's Awards Committee Chair from 1988 until 1992.  He served on the athletic training staffs of over two dozen local, regional and national athletic events and was extremely active in the community.  In 1986 he was a founding member of Knoxville's Metropolitan Drug Commission and served as its president from 1987 to 1989.  Tim received a Chancellor's Citation from the University of Tennessee in 1990 and the SEATA Award of Merit in 1991.  The Tim Kerin Sports Medicine Facility at Tennessee was named in his honor in 1993.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1993.  Tim was named the Eugene Smith/Mickey O’Brien College Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Tennessee Athletic Trainer's Society in 1993 and inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1994.  Tim was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.  One of the highest awards given by the NATA annually is the Tim Kerin Award.

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KENNY HOWARD - 2007

Milford "Kenny" Howard, born in Crossville, Alabama went to Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) to study Agriculture, but got a job as student athletic trainer under legendary trainer and track coach Wilbur Hutsell.  Upon graduation in 1948, Howard was named Head Athletic Trainer, a post held until 1976.  From 1976 through 1980 he served Auburn as its first Assistant Athletics Director for Olympic Sports.  After retiring from Auburn in 1980 he went to work as Director of Sports Relations for the Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation, Inc., and continued until his retirement in 1995.  While serving as Auburn's Head Athletic Trainer, Kenny became the confidant of Head Football Coach Ralph Jordan.  That friendship led to Dr. Jack Hughston becoming Auburn's Orthopedic Surgeon and Team Physician for the next 40 years.  Kenny was the athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympic Track team at Helsinki in 1952 and for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Swim team in Montreal.  He also served as head athletic trainer for the World University Games on two occasions.  He was the athletic trainer for the Blue-Gray Game for ten consecutive years and the Senior Bowl for two years.  Kenny served as District IX Director from 1959 to 1960 and was the first athletic trainer inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.  Kenny is a member of the NATA Hall of Fame, the Alabama Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame, and the Hughston Society.  In 2005, Kenny received the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Service Athletic Trainer Award and the NATA 50 Year Award.  He is married to the former Jeanne Barnhart and they have three sons and daughter.  Jeanne and Kenny continue to reside in Auburn.

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EUGENE "DOC" HARVEY - 2007

Since his days as an athletic trainer for the old Brooklyn Dodgers Baseball Organization, Eugene "Doc" Harvey has continuously enhanced his skills as a dedicated rehabilitation specialist.  Before moving to Brooklyn, and later Los Angeles when the Dodgers moved west, Doc served as an athletic trainer in Pueblo, Colorado, and Montreal, Canada.  He was known as a hard worker who kept his players in excellent condition.  He served under legendary Coach Eddie Robinson and was an integral part of numerous Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships both during and since Coach Robinson’s tenure.  Doc supervised the Grambling State University athletic training and rehabilitative facility, ranked as one of the best in Division I-AA until his retirement 1998.  He continues to work part time at Grambling as Coordinator in Sports Medicine during football season.  He owns and operates a private therapy clinic working with a number of physicians and hospitals in Grambling.  Doc was inducted into the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 1982 and the NATA Hall of Fame in 1986.  He received the NATA 50 Year Award in 2005.

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EARNEST LARRY "DOC" HARRINGTON, SR. - 2007

Earnest "Doc" Harrington was born in Hattiesburg, MS in 1931.  After spending one year as an undergraduate at Tulane he returned to his hometown and the University of Southern Mississippi.  He began his tenure as the Head Athletic Trainer at Southern Miss in 1958 through his retirement in 1994.  During his tenure in Hattiesburg he also served as the school’s tennis coach and equipment manager.  In addition to holding a doctorate in education, Doc was a licensed Physical Therapist and a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.  Doc also served for a number of years beginning in 1960 as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Senior Bowl.  He was the first director and project coordinator for the nationally approved Athletic Training Specialization program at the University of Southern Mississippi and has had a number of articles published over the years.  He is a member of the National Football Foundation Sports Hall of Fame and the USM M-Club Alumni Hall of Fame.  He  was a 1987 inductee into the NATA Hall of Fame and was inducted with the first class of inductees into the Mississippi Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2003.  Doc received the NATA 50 Year Award in 2006.

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CHARLES E. "SMOKEY" HARPER - 2007

After graduating from Mercer College in 1923, Charles "Smokey" Harper became known as one of the most prominent athletic trainers in the Southeast Conference.  From 1931 to 1936 he trained at Vanderbilt before moving on to Florida for a short time.  Smokey also worked at UCLA for “Red” Sanders for one year.  In 1940 he returned to Vanderbilt, met Paul "Bear" Bryant and followed the coaching legend to Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama before he eventually retired.  During his career he served as a mentor to "Rusty" Payne at Kentucky, and to Billy Pickard, Roy Don Wilson and Jerry Rhea at Texas A&M.  He was regarded by his fellow athletic trainers and students as a nice and very practical man.  Coach Bryant commented that he could read people better than anyone he ever had on his staff.

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ALBERT "AL" GREEN - 2007

Al Green has been serving the Athletic Training profession on the national, district and state levels since attending his first NATA convention in 1970 as a freshman college student.  Al received his BS degree from the University of Michigan and his MEd from the University of Arizona.  Highlights of Mr. Green’s service includes: Chairperson for the NATA Public Relations Committee, member of the Board of Certification and Convention Registration Committee, Chair District IX Public Relations Committee, President and Vice President of the Kentucky Athletic Trainers Society.  Al started his career as an Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Michigan then spent 17 years as Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Kentucky.  Al volunteered with the USOC and worked two Olympic Sports Festivals and the 2003 Pan American Games.  Mr. Green was the 2001 recipient of the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.  Al served his community as Medical Director of the Blue Grass State Games and as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.  He received the Certificate of Valor in 1994 from the Kentucky Department of Fire Prevention for saving two people from their burning home.  Most recently he was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame in 2007.  Al is married to fellow NATA Hall of Fame recipient, Sue Stanley-Green.  They are the first husband and wife NATA members to be inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame (2004).

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TAD GORMLEY - 2007

Tad Gormley, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts trained for the 1904 and 1906 Boston Marathon.  He was brought to New Orleans in 1907 by the New Orleans Athletic Club to develop a marathon team.  He worked throughout the city as a trainer and track coach and also trained Olympic boxers.  He served as athletic trainer at Loyola of the South University in New Orleans.  He became the first athletic trainer in the state of Louisiana.  He treated and cared for all athletes in the crescent city.  Following mass on Sunday’s the “Gormley Games” took place in city park.  Tad served as coach, athletic trainer and organizer for the weekly events.  A huge number of great athletes from the greater New Orleans area began careers in these weekly events.  The events were such a success and such a part of the crescent city, that when a stadium was added to the park, it was named in honor of Tad Gormley.  Though efforts were made by both Louisiana State University and Tulane to obtain his services, Tad Gormley remained a part of Loyola until his retirement in the mid 1950’s.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Hall of Fame in 1990.  Tad Gormley died in 1965 at the age of 81 near the place to which he dedicated his life - City Park Stadium near Loyola University.

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JIM GOOSTREE - 2007

Jim Goostree, a diversified college athlete, attended Southwestern at Memphis (two years) and then the University of Tennessee while earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in the early 1950's.  A golfer at Tennessee, he evolved into an assistant athletic trainer under legendary athletic trainer Mickey O’Brien.  He signed on as Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Alabama in 1957, one year before the arrival of the late Paul "Bear" Bryant.  In his long career with the Crimson Tide, Goostree served as Head Athletic Trainer for the both the Blue-Gray All-Star Game and the Senior Bowl for 15 seasons.  In 1984, 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 where he was instrumental in developing the nation’s #1 donor program, Tide Pride.  He also supervised the expansion and renovation of Bryant-Denny Stadium, the building of the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility, the renovation of Coleman Coliseum and Paul Bryant Dormitory, and the construction of Sewell-Thomas Stadium before he retired in 1993.  He served as District IX Secretary from 1963 to 1968.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1984 and was one of the first two inductees into the Alabama Athletic Trainers’ Association in 1995.  Jim Goostree passed away October 19, 1999.

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JAMES B. "JIM" GALLASPY, JR. - 2007

James B. (Jim) Gallaspy, Jr., a native of Jackson, MS was born on September 8, 1948.  Jim began his athletic training career serving as a student athletic trainer at Peeples Junior High School and Provine High School.  He went to The University of Southern Mississippi in 1966 to work under the NATA Hall of Fame member Larry "Doc" Harrington.  After graduation from Southern Miss, Jim received employment at McArthur High School in Hollywood, Florida as a teacher/athletic trainer where he worked for three years and then in 1973 he enrolled at Indiana State University.  After graduating, Jim worked at Moline Senior High School as a teacher/athletic trainer and in 1974 he returned to The University of Southern Mississippi where he worked for 26 years and was awarded Associate Professor, Emeritus status in 2001.  Jim has been President of the Mississippi Athletic Trainers' Association, the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association and served on the NATA Board of Directors from 1994-1997.  He received the Sayers "Bud" Miller Distinguished Athletic Trainer Educator Award in 1992, the SEATA District Award in 1994, and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 1995.  SEATA again recognized him in 1997 with the Award of Merit.  He is a member of the University of Southern Mississippi M-Club Alumni Hall of Fame and received the All American Football Foundation Outstanding Athletic Trainer award in March 2000.  Jim was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Mississippi Athletic Trainers' Hall of Fame in 2004.  He is married to the former Sue Barnett and they have two children Kim and Jay.

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DONALD JAMES FAULS - 2007

Don, an native of Ithaca, New York, left his position in 1954 as an athletic trainer with the St. Louis Cardinals Association to become the Head Athletic Trainer at Florida State University until his retirement in 1986.  Don Fauls was as much concerned about the Seminole athletes off the field or court, as he was when they were competing and practicing.  Don treated the whole person as much as he treated the injury itself.  He was a class gentleman from Ithaca College, however the nickname “Rooster” truly helped explained his fiery competitiveness for the Seminoles.  He worked as an athletic trainer for the U.S. Pan American team and was a member of the Olympic Training Selection Committee.  He was named to the NATA Hall of Fame in 1981 and The Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida Hall of Fame in 1995.  Don was described as being one of the central forces in the athletic program at Florida State.  He was responsible for developing an outstanding athletic training program.  On October 6, 1995, just one month before Don’s death, the athletic training room at Florida State was named “The Don Fauls Training Room.”  A bronze plaque at the entrance to the athletic training room has the following inscription:  Don Fauls has been a doctor, parent, friend and confidant to thousands of Florida State athletes for over 27 years of service in athletics.  Seminoles everywhere join to honor this special man in the naming of this (athletic) training area that provided the opportunity to help so many athletes in so many ways.  Let all who enter these doors emulate the same honesty, loyalty and integrity of this outstanding individual.  Don Fauls died on November 9, 1995 at 75 years old.

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MIKE CHAMBERS - 2007

Mike Chambers, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana was one of the first great leaders in Athletic Training History.  He pushed for NATA organization as early as 1938.  He served as the elected President of that meeting.  The meeting took place at the Drake Relays.  This effort was supported by Charles Cramer and the Cramer Company.  His first Head Athletic Trainer position was at Georgia Tech from 1927 until 1935.  During that period he participated in the Olympics and the 1929 Rose Bowl victory by Georgia Tech.  He returned to Louisiana to serve as Head Athletic Trainer at Louisiana State University in 1935, a position he held until early 1943.  He also worked several all-star games in the south.  One of his protégé’s was Marty Broussard, who became the Head Athletic Trainer at LSU.  Mike Chambers was honored by the LSU student body, when the first live tiger mascot was named “Mike the Tiger” in his honor.  He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Hall of Fame in 1994.

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MARTIN J. BROUSSARD - 2007

Marty Broussard's athletic training career spanned six decades at Louisiana State University.  An exceptional baseball and track athlete during his college days at LSU, Broussard took time out to serve as a student athletic trainer for the football team prior to earning his undergraduate degree in 1945.  He served as a U.S. Army medic during World War II  After playing professional baseball and serving as Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Florida and Texas A&M, he returned to LSU in 1948 at the same position.  He received both a master's degree in 1960 and a doctorate in 1967 from LSU.  In 1963, Broussard was named Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Rockne Foundation.  He was an athletic trainer for the 1955 Pan American Games and for the U.S. Olympics in 1960.  Broussard served on the board of directors for the National Athletic Trainers Association, an organization he helped create, and was named to the NATA Hall of Fame in 1978.  He was then named to the Louisiana Athletic Trainer's Hall of Fame in 1982.  Broussard was immortalized in LSU sports in 1998 when the University named its new, state-of-the-art multimillion dollar athletic training facility the Martin J. Broussard Center for Athletic Training.  Dr. Broussard died June 11, 2003 at the age of 84.

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ROBERT M. "BOBBY" BARTON - 2007

Bobby Barton earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 1968, a master’s degree from Marshall University in 1970, and a doctorate from Middle Tennessee State University in 1976.  He served as an athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky, the University of Florida and Florida International University, prior to going to Eastern Kentucky University as Head Athletic Trainer and Program Director in 1976.  He served as District IX Director and as NATA Vice President prior to being NATA President from 1982 to 1986.  He served on the NATA’s Placement Committee, Public Relations Committee, the 50th Anniversary Celebration and Convention Planning Committee as well as the NATA Research and Education Foundation Board of Directors.  He co-authored the Commonwealth of Kentucky's athletic training certification law and continued to serve his state, district, and national organizations in numerous professional endeavors.  He remained a practicing athletic trainer while earning professional rank at Eastern Kentucky University and served as Head Athletic Trainer for USA Basketball's World Championship Team at the 1995 World University Games.  He was awarded the SEATA Award of Merit in 1987, inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1996 and received the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Service Athletic Trainer Award in 1998.  He was presented with the Outstanding Football Trainer Award by the All-American Football Foundation in 1999.  In 2006, Bobby was the first athletic trainer ever inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame.

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HENRY L. ANDEL - 2007

A native Atlantan, Buck Andel played football for and graduated from Boys High.  He went on to graduate with a bachelor's and master's degree from Georgia Tech where he lettered in both baseball and football.  Mr. Andel was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II receiving a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts for his service.  From 1948 until 1969, he was the head athletic trainer of all sports including track, basketball, baseball and wrestling at Georgia Tech during which time he served 14 Bowl teams.  For 18 of those years, he was a key member of the staff of Bobby Dodd, legendary head football coach from 1945 to 1966.  He also worked as an athletic trainer for the 1960 Olympic Games.  He was one of the NATA founders and served on the original board of directors in 1950.  He also served as District IX Secretary from 1951 to 1953.  He was honored with induction into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1968 and received a citation from the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.  He was and inductee in the inaugural Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the NATA 50 Year Award in 2005.  Buck Andel passed away February 13, 2005 at age 83.

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ANDEL
BARTON
BROUSSARD
CHAMBERS
FAULS
GALLASPY
GOOSTREE
GORMLEY
GREEN
HARPER
HARRINGTON
HARVEY
HOWARD
KERIN
KLEINSCHMIDT
KNIGHT
LANKFORD
LUCHSINGER
LOWE
LUTZ
MANN
MARTIN
MAY
MCDONALD
MCLEAN
MORRIS
PATRICK
PORCHE
REDGREN
RHEA
SANDLIN
SIMONS
STANLEY-GREEN
WANDLE
WORDEN
OBRIEN

SOUTHEAST ATHLETIC TRAINERS' ASSOCIATION

The Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association (SEATA) is District IX of the National Athletic Trainers' Association.  It is a not-for-profit organization dealing with the concerns of its members and the profession of athletic training as a whole.  This association was first started back in 1950.  Initially comprised of the members of the Southeastern Conference schools, this district is represented by Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

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SEATA

PO Box# 158

Richmond KY 40476-0158

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SEATA Privacy Policy

SEATA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, military status, sexual orientation, or age.  SEATA is committed to accessibility and nondiscrimination in all aspects of its continuing education activities.  Participants who have special needs are encouraged to contact the program organizers so that all reasonable efforts to accommodate these needs can be made.

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