Former Catawba Athletic Trainer Inducted into NATA Hall of Fame

Retired Athletic Trainer Bob Casmus has received the profession's highest honor, earning induction into the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual convention in Philadelphia.

The honor recognizes a lifetime of dedication to Athletic Training, sports medicine, education, and service to the profession.

Casmus spent 28 years as Catawba College's head Athletic Trainer, serving from 1990 until his retirement in 2018. During that time, he oversaw the healthcare of hundreds of student-athletes, taught future coaches, mentored Athletic Training staff, and helped expand sports medicine services throughout the college.

His career was marked by numerous honors before reaching the Hall of Fame. Casmus was twice named North Carolina's College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year, inducted into the North Carolina Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2013, received the NATA Service Award in 2005, NCAA Division II Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2007, and NATA's Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2010.

Beyond caring for student-athletes, Casmus was known for his commitment to service. He organized fundraising efforts to improve Catawba's Athletic Training program, led annual Red Cross blood drives, and served on numerous state and national committees that helped advance the profession.

Even after retiring from Catawba, Casmus remained active in sports medicine, spending more than eight years supervising Athletic Trainers for Novant Health Sports Medicine throughout the greater Winston-Salem area.

His lasting impact was also recognized locally when the Rowan County Crosby Scholars program established the Bob Casmus Scholarship in his honor.

His induction into the NATA Hall of Fame celebrates a career dedicated not only to caring for athletes, but also to mentoring future Athletic Trainers and strengthening the profession for generations to come.