Chuck Kimmel to retire as Austin Peay athletic trainer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
F-06 BK/bk 12/6/576

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.-- Chuck Kimmel, Austin Peay State University's longtime athletic trainer and
assistant athletics director, will retire from the University at month's end.

Kimmel, in fact, will begin a new career in January as lecturer, College of Fine and Applied Arts, and
Director of Rehabilitation for Mary Shook Student Health Services at Appalachian State University, in Boone, N.C.

"My career here was actually more than anything I could have dreamed of," Kimmel said. "When I came
here at 26 years old, I had no idea I would have been here this long. It has been everything I could have hoped for. I
have been given every opportunity that a person could want.

"Ultimately, the biggest thing is it was the place I raised my family. I am thankful for the opportunity to do
that. It couldn't have been a better place, a better environment for them to grow up in."
Kimmel arrived at Austin Peay, Aug. 11, 1981, from East Tennessee State. Although he never played one
game for Austin Peay, his importance to the APSU athletic department's growth and success for the last quarter of a
century cannot be underestimated. In fact, Kimmel was inducted into the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame last
winter.
"If my Austin Peay epitaph read anything it would be the athletic training room and this program was a little
better than it was than when I came," Kimmel said, "and it would be better after the next head athletic trainer left
than it is today."
"Chuck's decision to move to the next step in his career leaves a tremendous void at Austin Peay," APSU
Athletics Director Dave Loos said. "He has been a tremendous asset to this athletic department, this University and
the community.
"I never have had to worry about the athletic training room because of my trust in him and his abilities. He is
one of the top people in his profession as evidenced by his peers selecting him as president of his association
(National Athletic Trainers Association). He served us both as our head trainer and assistant athletic director and
has been an integral piece of the puzzle that will be hard, if not impossible, to replace.
"Obviously, we wish Chuck and his family the best. We are going to miss him professionally and personally."
As director of the University's sports medicine program, Kimmel has been responsible for injury prevention,
injury recognition/management and injury rehabilitation, saving countless practice and playing hours for APSU
athletes, let alone medical expenses for the University. Kimmel also developed professional relationships with the
local medical community who work so closely with APSU athletics. More than $120,000 is endowed for athletic
training scholarships, thanks largely to donations of team physicians.
"Dr. (A.R) Boyd, Dr. (Richard) Young and Dr. (Cooper) Beazley are or were outstanding physicians but each
of them in their own way loved Austin Peay and cared deeply about our athletes. That was important to me in my
relationships with team physicians--that it was not just about getting people on the field but caring about them. We
tried to do well at both."
When Kimmel became APSU's athletic trainer in 1981 he was the department's only full-time health
professional. In fact, he was only the second athletic trainer hired by the University. He quickly built one of the most
respected athletic training programs in the region. For years, Cramer Products, the industry leader in sports
medicine supplies, annually chose Austin Peay as host to Student Athletic Training Workshops.
At the same time, as Kimmel was building one of the finest sports medicine programs, he was becoming one
of the leaders in his profession. Certified by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and licensed by the
state of Tennessee, he served as president of the Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society (TATS) from 1989-93 and
received the 1991 TATS College Athletic Trainer of the Year.
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Chuck Kimmel to retire as Austin Peay athletic trainer--add one

Kimmel served from 1981-92 as exhibits chairman for the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association (SEATA).
He was presented that organization's district award in 1988 and its Service Award in 1997. In 2005, he was the
recipient of SEATA's Award of Merit.
Kimmel was honored in Spring 1995 by spending two weeks working at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, Colo.
In January 2001, Kimmel was inducted into the TATS Hall of Fame. Previously, he received the NATA Most
Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award.
He was elected SEATA president in 1998 after served as secretary/treasurer. He was elected District 9
director for NATA in 2000 and was co-chair of the host committee for the 2000 NATA Convention. In Summer 2001,
he was elected NATA secretary/treasurer for the 2001-02 year. He also served as the organization's finance and
investment committees.
Then in Summer 2003, Kimmel was elected to his profession's highest office, NATA president. He is in his
third year as president and has served as that organization's voice in many public forums and media.
His professional experience
"The staff of full-time, GAs, interns and student athletic trainers were the foundation of any success we have
had and are a testimony of what good athletic trainers are all about," Kimmel said.
Born in Hopkinsville, Ky., Kimmel grew up in Frankfort, Ky. (1972 Franklin County High School graduate).
He is a University of Kentucky graduate (1976), having served as a student athletic trainer for the football team three
seasons and the Wildcats' 1976 NIT basketball championship club his senior season. He next moved to East
Tennessee where he earned his master's degree and later became a full-time assistant athletic trainer before
moving to APSU. In 1990 Kimmel was appointed APSU's assistant athletics director.
Kimmel and his wife, Patty, have three grown children: Chad, assistant director for athletics development at
Kansas State; Meredith, a law student at the University of Memphis, and Adam, who works in the home
improvement industry in Pennsylvania.
Kimmel leaves his longtime home with mixed feelings.
"Dr. (Sherry) Hoppe and Coach (Dave) Loos are great to work for," Kimmel said. "I think the athletic
department is in as great a shape as it ever has been. I will miss the people and relationships that have been
developed here.
"However, I am excited about the opportunity. It is a shift in gears. It is just a different career for me. I look
forward to the challenge. Appalachian State has been very welcoming."