Rod Walters, DA, ATC, SCAT

BIOGRAPHY

Walters received both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree from Appalachian State University. Upon graduation, he became a collegiate athletic trainer at Lenoir-Rhyne College. In 1985, he transitioned to his alma mater as Head Athletic Trainer and remained there until moving to the University of South Carolina in 1990. Rod coordinated the healthcare of student-athletes at these universities for 27 years. During the summers from 1984 to 1986, he began work on his Doctorate of Arts degree at Middle Tennessee State University and received it in 1988. In 2007 he transitioned to the consulting community providing consultations, education, and is an excellent resource to his clients.

Walters served on the National Athletic Trainers Association’s Board of Directors from 1997 to 2003. Prior to that, he was District Secretary where he represented the NATA’s members from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Rod served on many initiatives within NATA including the Membership Task Force, the College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee (2005-2007) and is currently a member of both the Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training Committee and the Hall of Fame’s Special Considerations Committee. He served NATA as the liaison to the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine from 2003 to 2009 and also was liaison to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics from 2003 to 2006.

The Maryland Board of Regents selected Walters as the lead investigator of the exertional heat stroke death of University of Maryland student-athlete, Jordan McNair. Walters acclaimed national media for the report and investigation. In 2019, Walters also worked on the Braeden Bradforth exertional heat stroke death investigation at Garden City Community College, in Garden City, Kansas.

Walters is very active in sports medicine providing program review and recommendations for best practices to clients from high schools to colleges and universities to professional sports. He has become a sought after expert for incidents in and around sports. His work includes review of Emergency Action Plans, concussion care, sudden cardiac death and general orthopedic injury. It can be said Rod is one of the leading experts specific to sports injury including concussions, sudden death, or exertional conditions. Walters provides concussion monitoring services to the Big 12 as he coordinates their Football Medical Observer program. Walters was the lead ATC Spotter for the 2019 Super Bowl and has served the NFL as an AT Spotter since 2013. Walters was asked to direct the University of Maryland’s inaugural Athletic Medicine Review Board and also serves on the University of Georgia Athletic Medicine Review Board.

Walters recently received recognition from the National Athletic Trainers Association for 50 years of membership. He was recognized as a Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 2003 and inducted into the NATA’s Hall of Fame in 2005. Walters is also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association’s Hall of Fame. Walters received the 2011 Distinguished Athletic Training Alumni Award from his alma mater Middle Tennessee State University as the 2018 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the NATA’s Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training Committee. Through evidenced-based education courses, Walters offers seminars on a variety of topics including exertional heat stroke and Emergency Action Plans. His attendees range from high school athletic trainers to professional sports.

Walters is married to Susan Ferguson of Columbia, SC, and they have four children and nine grandchildren. The grandchildren affectionately refer to Walters as Doc. Walters enjoys woodworking in his free time.