Jerry Lynn Robertson began his athletic training career as a student athletic trainer at East Tennessee State University in 1960. Upon completing his B.S. in Physical Education in 1964, he worked one year as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Mississippi State University while earning an M.Ed in Administration. In 1965, he returned to ETSU as the head athletic trainer and continued until 2003. During this time, he developed and implemented one of the first undergraduate Athletic Training Education Progam in SEATA and served as both an instructor and as the Director since the inception of the program. He also developed and implemented the ETSU Graduate Assistant High School Outreach Athletic Training Program. Since 2003, Jerry has been the Director of the Watauga Orthopedics Sports Medicine Foundation in Johnson City, TN.
Jerry joined SEATA and the NATA in 1965 and was certified in 1970. He has been extremely active in service both to his local community and to the profession. This service includes numerous presentations to several local coaches and civic clubs as well as the Tennessee State HPERD Convention and several universities throughout the south including the University of Georgia, Clemson University, and the University of Florida. He has also served as a faculty member and speaker at numerous Cramer Sport Medicine Camps and hosted several Sports Medicine Camps at East Tennessee. He has been a member of the Mountain Empire Sports Medicine Society since 1993. From 1986 through 1994, he presented on several topics at the SEATA Annual Clinical Symposium and the SEATA Annual Athletic Training Student Symposium.
Jerry was elected President of SEATA in 1988 and served in this role until moving up to District Director in 1991, where he served on the NATA Board of Directors until 1994. He has worked as the NATA Liaison for public relations, secondary schools, and scholarship awards. Previous to this, he served on the NATA National Membership Committee from 1965 to 1970. He has also been an editorial advisor to the NATA News. His involvement on the state level has included membership on the Committee for State Licensure and the State High School Committee for Athletic Trainers.
Jerry has been recognized for his leadership and service at all levels. At ETSU the Jerry Robertson Scholarship Award was established in his honor in 1981, and he was inducted into the East Tennessee State University Pirate Club Hall of Fame in 1983. He received the ESTU Distinguished Faculty Award in 1995, and in 2002, the Jerry Robertson BucSports Athletic Medicine Center was named in his honor. He was honored by the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society with the Gene Smith/Mickey O’Brien College Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in 1990, and was inducted into the TATS Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1994, he received the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Julian Crocker Influence Award. He earned the NATA 25 Year Award in 1990 and SEATA provided him with its highest award, the Award of Merit in 1994. Jerry was recognized with the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 1997. He was inducted into the SEATA Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2009 TATS establish the Jerry Robertson award for people in the education of athletic trainers. Jerry was the first recipient.