athletic trainer

Information About & History of Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society (KATS)

The Kansas Athletic Training Society (KATS) was founded in 1980 to advance the profession of athletic training in the state of Kansas.

Athletic training is practiced by athletic trainers who are health care professionals that collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities. Students who want to become certified athletic trainers must earn a degree from an accredited athletic training curriculum. Accredited programs include formal instruction in areas such as injury/illness prevention, first aid and emergency care, assessment of injury/illness, human anatomy and physiology, therapeutic modalities, and nutrition. Classroom learning is enhanced through clinical education experiences.

To become an athletic trainer, students must graduate from an accredited professional athletic training education program and pass a comprehensive test administered by the Board of Certification. Once certified, they must meet continuing education requirements in order to remain certified. In Kansas, athletic trainers are also licensed and regulated by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.

The Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society is composed of highly skilled health care professionals who are nationally certified and state licensed to advance, encourage, and improve the profession of athletic training and promote sports health and safety.

Our Mission

It is the mission of KATS to help ensure quality health care to physically active Kansans and to promote an increased awareness of the profession of athletic training to the citizens of the state of Kansas.

No historical account of the athletic training profession is complete without recognition of the Kansas ties. Mention of Kansas Athletic Trainer Society Hall of Famers Frank Cramer, Chuck Cramer, Bill Cramer, Jack Cramer, “Porky” Morgan, Tom Reeves, Doc Needham, Dean Nesmith, Al Ortolani, “Doc” Baxter, Jim Sperry, and Lynn Bott evokes pride among our membership today as they are some of the early figure heads of our profession. Biographies of these individuals may be found on the Hall of Fame page.

MostKansas athletic trainers can probably tell you that Kansas City was the site of the first meeting of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, but how many know that Steve Barrett, Brad Parry, and Rodney Koehler were some of the first clinical athletic trainers within the state? Do you know of others?

The History and Archives Committee exists to preserve important information and artifacts of athletic training within Kansas. Each member is a part of the history of athletic training in Kansas. You can help maintain and increase our historical understanding of our profession by adding your historical account to the knowledge base. Please refer to the History and Archives committee for more information.