David was a student athletic trainer at Middle Tennessee State while earning a Bachelor’s degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1975. He then worked as a Graduate Assistant athletic trainer at Eastern Kentucky University and received a M.A. degree in Health Education in 1977. David became the first ATC on the high school level in Kentucky as he was head athletic trainer and teacher at Paul G. Blazer high school in Ashland, 1977 to 1980. From 1980 to 1985 he was assistant athletic trainer at Eastern Kentucky University. At this time the head athletic trainer was Bobby Barton, who was NATA President. In 1985, David would be the head athletic trainer at Tennessee Technological University for 23 years before returning to Eastern Kentucky University in 2008 as the director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer. In 1987, he was responsible for creating and naming the Dr. William C. Francis Training Complex at Tennessee Tech in recognition of Dr. Francis’ 30 years as team physician.
In addition to serving on several Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society committees, David served as the TATS Vice-President from 1994 to 1998 and President from 1998 to 2002, which lead to his service on the SEATA Executive Board during the same years. He served on the NATA Board of Certification as a Member representing SEATA from 1981 to 1987, and was President of the Ohio Valley Conference Athletic Trainers’ Association in 1983, 1989 and 1991. David has served as SEATA Exhibits Chair and on the SEATA Site Selection since 1993. During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, David was a volunteer, working in the main Athletic Training room at the Olympic Village. He was co-host to 10,000 in attendance at the NATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium in Nashville in 2000. Currently, he serves on the Special Awards Subcommittee on the NATA Honors and Awards Committee.
In, 1994, David was named the Eugene Smith/Mickey O’Brien College Athletic Trainer of the Year by TATS. In 1996, he received the NATA Athletic Training Service Award and earned the NATA 25 Year Award in 1997. In 2003, David was inducted into the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society’ Hall of Fame and was named NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer. In 2006, he received the TATS President’s Award of Merit and was inducted into the SEATA Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010 David was elected vice-president of SEATA.
David and his wife, Brenda, have two daughters, Danielle and Kaycee.