Hall of Fame
Marty Baker served for 43 years in an athletic training role at Elon University, retiring following the 2022-23 school year. He began at Elon as the director of athletic training services in 1980 and was the only athletic trainer for all of Elon’s athletic teams over the course of the first nine years of his tenure. In 2007, he was named senior associate athletic trainer.
Baker was the Director of the Athletic Trainer Education program from 1998-07, establishing the program, writing the self-study, and achieving accreditation, as well as reaccreditation in 2005. He was also an assistant professor in the department of exercise sports science, teaching a variety of subjects including athletic training, athletic injury assessment, first aid, wellness and overload strength training.
Through the course of his career, Baker made many presentations and had no fewer than five peer-reviewed published works. He was the chair of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) History and Archives Committee, the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers’ Association (MAATA) Election Committee, the MAATA Honors and Awards Nominating Committee, and the MAATA Task Force for Election Reform.
He was named to the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2000. Baker was inducted into the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association (NCATA) Hall of Fame in 2010 and the MAATA Hall of Fame in 2018. Baker received the NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award for 2014 and the MAATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2016.
Baker earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from State University of New York, College of Brockport in 1979. He received his master’s degree in physical education, with a specialization in athletic training, from Indiana State in 1980. He and his wife, Jill, have three grown children.
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