AZATA Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame honors outstanding leadership and service to the association and the profession. This is the highest honor we bestow upon our membership.
GARY D. DELFORGE
Gary Delforge is recognized as a premier educator in athletic training. He began his career as a graduate assistant at Kent State. He spent some time at Western Michigan University and then became the Head Athletic Trainer at the University of Arizona in 1963. In 1972 he developed and directed one of the first two NATA-approved graduate athletic training education programs. Gary served as an Associate Professor and the Director of the Graduate Athletic Training Education Program at the University of Arizona until 1995, when the university decided to drop the program. He moved his graduate program two hours north to the newly established Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Southwest Center in Phoenix. The school later became known as the Arizona School of Health Sciences. Gary retired from ASHS following the 2000 academic year. Gary has had a truly profound effect on the athletic training field, mainly in the area of athletic training education. Gary has also been a member of the NATA professional education committee for over 17 years, seven of which he was chairman. He also served as the Chairman of the NATA Board of Directors. Gary pioneered the establishment of educational programs, objectives and standards of performance that will have a lasting effect on all in the athletic training profession.
WARREN LEE
Warren Lee was introduced to athletic training while completing his undergraduate degree at Pacific Lutheran College. In 1964 he moved to Arizona to serve as a graduate assistant for Gary Delforge. In 1965 he accepted the position of Head Athletic Trainer at Pueblo High School in Tucson. He served as Assistant Athletic Trainer at the Uninervisty of New Mexico under "Tow" Diehm before returning to the University of Arizona in 1968 to serve in the same capacity. Upon Dr. Delforge's move to full time education in 1970, Warren became the Head Athletic Trainer at the U of A. He served in this position until his death in 1982, after a battle with cancer. During this tenure as Head Athletic Trainer the Athletic Department moved from the WAC to Pac 10 and the athletic training program moved from the football stadium to a state of the art training room in the new McKale Center. Warren served as host for the NATA certification exam in Tucson for many years. He served as RMATA District Secretary in 1972-73 and then District Director in 1974-75. Warren was very involved in community functions, especially Little League baseball. He served as the Executive Director of Saguaro Little League (largest in Tucson at the time) for six years.
MICHAEL E. NESBITT
Mike Nesbitt began his career in athletic training as a student in high school. He realized that this was the profession he wanted to pursue and went on as a student athletic trainer at Idaho State University and a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Indiana State University. He began his career at Southwest State College in Marshall, Minnesota in 1969. In 1970, he came to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. During his tenure at NAU, Nesbitt has promoted and justified athletic trainers in numerous Arizona high schools and was a charter member of the Arizona Medical Association Sports Medicine Section. He served in numerous leadership positions at the state, district, and national levels, and represented the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association on the NATA Board of Directors from 1986-1992. In 1985, the NAU Alumni Association presented him with the Distinguished Faculty Award. In 1992, he was inducted into the NAU Hall of Fame.
TROY L. YOUNG
Troy Young has served the industry for more than 32 years. He began his career as a coach and athletic trainer at Rozel High School in Rozel, Kansas. He retired after serving as Head Athletic Trainer for Arizona State University from 1979 until 1991. Mr. Young serves as president of Troy Young Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy. Mr. Young actively participates in industry activities. He is a lifelong member of the NATA, serving on its board from 1977 to 1980, as NATA liaison to the NCAA from 1978 to 1980 and as a member of the National Honor Awards Committee. On the local level, Mr. Young is a co-founder of the Arizona Athletic Trainers Association, a charter member of the Sports Medicine Committee of the Arizona Medical Association and served as Secretary of District 7. He was named Arizona "Trainer of the Year" in 1980. Mr. Young was a member of the Olympic athletic training staff in 1988.
