June 29, 2012

ST. LOUIS - Sally Nogle and John Powell were inducted into the National Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame Thursday in St. Louis.

NATA, a nonprofit organization representing and supporting members of the athletic training profession, inducted a total 17 individuals into its prestigious Hall of Fame at its 63rd Annual Meeting.

The Hall of Fame is the highest honor an athletic trainer can receive. Honorees were recognized for their work in advancing the athletic training profession, including scholarly research, clinical advancements and strong leadership. Since inducting its first class in 1962, the Hall of Fame now has 277 members.

Nogle, PhD, ATC, has spent nearly 30 years at Michigan State University. She presents regularly at athletic training meetings, is a textbook chapter author, and product developer. Nogle has chaired the NATA International and International Games Committees and served on the NATA Research & Education Foundation board.

Named a San Diego State University Robert J. Moore Distinguished Alumnus, Nogle has received the MSU Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award, Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association Outstanding Educator Award, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award and Gail Weldon Award for Excellence. She was also inducted into the Michigan Athletic Trainers Society Hall of Fame.

Powell, PhD, ATC, LAT, 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 and was the first NATA Research & Education Foundation president. Powell is currently an athletic trainer and faculty member at Michigan State University.

"On behalf of the entire NATA, we applaud and honor the Class of 2012," said Rochel Rittgers, ATC, NATA Honors & Awards Committee chair. "We recognize their tireless commitment, vision, passion and success in the work that they championed and continue to do. They have and are serving as exemplary examples for the rest of us to follow."

About NATA:
National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) - Health Care for Life & Sport Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 35,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit www.nata.org