The Pioneer Athletic Trainer Legacy Award was developed by the NATA Historical Commission to honor and recognize those early athletic trainers who contributed to the athletic training profession before NATA was established in 1950. Many of these early leaders, inventors and sports medicine practitioners provided knowledge and skills to what is now known as the modern-day athletic training profession. We must not forget those who worked hard to organize, educate and provide the best care for their athletes during the early years of athletic training.