Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association

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.

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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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