DALLAS – Feb. 5, 2018 – The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), a nonprofit organization representing and supporting members of the athletic training profession, will induct Kent Biggerstaff into its prestigious Hall of Fame in 2018.
In 2018, the NATA will induct seven individuals into its prestigious Hall of Fame at the NATA 69th Clinical Symposia and AT Expo in New Orleans. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor an athletic trainer can receive. Honorees will be recognized for their significant, lasting contributions that enhance the quality of health care provided by athletic trainers and advance the profession. They have shaped the profession through their noteworthy accomplishments and dedication to service, leadership and professionalism. Since inducting its first class in 1962, the Hall of Fame now has more than 300 members.
Biggerstaff, a longtime Major League Baseball Athletic Trainer, began his athletic training career in 1967 and spent 36 years in professional baseball. During this time, he worked for the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and spent his last 23 years as Head Athletic Trainer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
During this tenure as a professional baseball athletic trainer, he earned many honors including selection as the All Star Athletic Trainer in the National League in 1990, 1994 and 2002. Kent was also selected as the Athletic Trainer for the 1996 Major League All Star Tour of Japan and was named 2002 Major League Athletic Trainer of the Year. And in 2016, Biggerstaff was named a PBATS Hall of Famer, an honor only few have received.
About the Hall of Fame induction, PBATS President Mark O’Neal said, “We’re beyond thrilled for Kent and his family. The NATA Hall of Fame is the highest honor in athletic training, and one that we all know Kent is extremely deserving of. He was an absolute integral part of the inception and growth of PBATS and has worked extremely hard to build an amazing reputation for the athletic training profession, PBATS and the NATA. Without Kent Biggerstaff, baseball athletic training would not be where it is today. It’s been an honor and a privilege to follow in his footsteps.”
Since the end of his professional baseball athletic training career, Biggerstaff, a graduate of Southern Illinois University, has spent time as an athletic trainer for the PGA Tour and the Summer Senior Olympics.
About PBATS: The mission of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) is to serve as an educational resource for the Major League and Minor League Baseball athletic trainers. PBATS serves its members by providing for the continued education of the athletic trainer as it relates to the profession, helping to improve their understanding of sports medicine so as to better promote the health of the constituency— professional baseball players. Visit www.pbats.com
About NATA: 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 44,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit www.nata.org.