University of Georgia Athletics
Courson Named To Athletic Trainers' Hall Of Fame
May 29, 2013 | General
May 29, 2013
ATHENS, Ga. --- Ron Courson, the UGA Athletic Association's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, will be inducted into the National Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame, the organization announced Wednesday. The ceremonies will be held at NATA's Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposia in Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 26.
"We know how fortunate we are to have Ron," UGA's Director of Athletics Greg McGarity said. "This is a fitting and well-deserved honor. Ron is widely regarded as a leader among his peers and is always searching for ways to improve the health and welfare of student-athletes nationwide. Over the past few years he has been at the forefront in reforms in areas such as heat exertion, concussions and emergency preparedness. His efforts go far beyond college athletics to athletic training practices at all levels."
The National Athletic Trainers' Association is a nonprofit organization representing and supporting members of the athletic training profession. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor an athletic trainer can receive. Courson is one of five honorees who will be 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 282 members.
In addition to Courson (ATC, PT, NREMT-I, CSCS), the 2013 Hall of Fame class includes: R.T. Floyd (EdD, ATC, CSCS), who has been the head athletic trainer at University of West Alabama (formerly Livingston University) for nearly 40 years; Robert Kersey (PhD, ATC, CSCS), who is professor of kinesiology and director of the Athletic Training Education Program at California State University at Fullerton; Ralph Reiff (MEd, ATC, LAT), who is the executive director of St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis and previously served as head athletic trainer, director of sports medicine and associate professor at Butler University; and Charles Thompson (MS, ATC), who is the head athletic trainer at Princeton University, a position he has also held at the University of Maine and University of Rhode Island.
Courson joined the UGA Athletic Association as Director of Sports Medicine in 1995. He previously served as Director of Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama from 1991-1995 and Director of Rehabilitation with Samford University from 1989-1991. Courson received his undergraduate degree in education/physical education from Samford University, performed two years of graduate work at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and graduated with honors from the Medical College of Georgia with a degree in physical therapy. Courson is a national registered emergency medical technician-intermediate as well as a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Courson has been involved in many athletic training activities including work as an athletic trainer with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea; 1990 Goodwill Games; 1987 World University Games; 1987 Pan American Games; and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. He served as the chief athletic trainer for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials as well as the chief athletic trainer for track and field for the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games (ACOG).
Courson served as the president of the SEC Sports Medicine Committee, chairman of the College and University Athletic Trainers' Committee of the National Athletic Trainers' Association and as a member of the NCAA Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports committee. He is a past medical liaison to the American Football Coaches Association and serves currently on the NFL Health and Safety Committee and the USA Football Medical Advisory Board. During his tenure at Alabama, he served as president of the Alabama Athletic Trainers Association and chairman of the Alabama Board of Athletic Trainers. Ron received the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award in 2005 from the National Athletic Trainers' Association and was inducted into the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2011.
Courson currently serves as an adjunct instructor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia, teaching in the nationally accredited athletic training education program. He serves as a clinical instructor teaching student physical therapists from the Medical College of Georgia and other physical therapy schools. He is active in research and education in the field of sports medicine, having authored a textbook, "Athletic Training Emergency Care", a number of professional papers and text chapters and presents frequently at regional and national sports medicine meetings.
"We recognize the remarkable commitment of these five individuals and their tremendous contributions to the athletic training profession," said Chuck Kimmel, ATC, NATA past president and Honors & Awards Committee chair. "We celebrate and honor this esteemed class of 2013 and all they do to champion NATA and its ongoing efforts to promote the wide reaching association initiatives."
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.
