Born in Hopkinsville KY., Chuck Kimmel grew up in Frankfort KY., where he graduated from Franklin County High School in 1972. He served as a student athletic trainer for the University of Kentucky football team for three seasons and for the Wildcats’ 1976 NIT basketball championship club his senior season. In 1976, he then moved to East Tennessee State University where he earned his master’s degree and later became a full-time assistant athletic trainer before being only the second athletic trainer hired by Austin Peay State University in 1981. He quickly built one of the most respected athletic training programs in the region. For years, Cramer Products, the industry leader in sports medicine supplies, chose Austin Peay as host to the annual Student Athletic Training Workshops. In 1990, Chuck was appointed APSU’s assistant athletic director.
At the same time, Chuck was becoming one of the leaders in his profession. Chuck served as Exhibits Chairman for SEATA from 1981 to 1992. He also served vice President of TATS, 1985-1989, and then as President from 1989-93. In 1992, he was elected Secretary/Treasure by SEATA and served in that position to 1997, when he began a three year term as SEATA President. In 2000, he began the first of two terms as the District IX Director. He was elected NATA Secretary/Treasure in 2001, and chaired NATA’s Finance and Investment committees. He was also Board liaison to the College/University Athletic Trainers’ College/University Student Athletic Trainers’ and Convention committees. He served as Co-Chair of the Host Committee for the 2000 NATA Convention in Nashville. Chuck began his first term as NATA President in 2004, and completed his second term in June 2008.
As TATS president Chuck started the TATS state meeting, January 18, 1992 in Nashville. He also instituted the state awards program, established various committees, adopted the TATS logo, and established a relationship with the Tennessee Medical Association in regard to pending legislation to amended the athletic training practice act
Before and during his term as SEATA and NATA president, Chuck made many presentations in District IX as well as many other states that included; Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, South and North Carolina, California, Nevada, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Maryland. He was a delegate to the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy World Congress in Tokyo Japan in 2007. Chuck was a presenter to the World Congress on Sports Injury Prevention, in Oslo Norway in 2005.
In 1988, Chuck was recognized with the District Award from SEATA, TATS selected him as the Eugene Smith/Mickey O’Brien College Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1991. The NATA presented Chuck with the Athletic Training Service Award in 1997, the 25 Year Award in 1999, and named him NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 2002. In January 2002, Chuck was inducted into the TATS Hall of Fame, and in 2005, received the President’s Award of Merit from TATS. In 2005, and again in 2008, he received the SEATA Award of Merit and was inducted into the Austin Peay State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, and was inducted into the SEATA Hall of fame in March of 2008.
Chuck retired from Austin Peay in 2007, and accepted the position of Injury Clinic Director and instructor for Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He and his wife, Patty, have three grown children, Chad, Meredith and Adam.