Interviews with Athletic Trainers about their experiences in the field. Primarily AT's with a connection to the Ball State Athletic Training Program but not limited to them. The goal is to build a living history of the athletic training profession in an informal interview format.
Jack Mansfield - From Math Teacher to Trainer Jack
Jack Mansfield graduated from Muncie Southside High School in 1969 with the intention of becoming a high school math teacher. An on campus job at Ball State of cleaning and setting up the university gym athletic training room and call for help for a trampoline accident, sent him down a different career path in athletic training. While at Ball State as a student athletic trainer he was with a legendary class, including him, of 4 future Indiana Athletic Assoication Hall of Famers and 5 future Cardinal Sports Medicine Society Ring of Honor members. Quite the group for the future leadership of athletic training in Indiana. He next was teaching math and the athletic trainer at Maconaquah High School, Bunker Hill, IN. When a conversation at the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Assoication meeting between Ron Sendre and the Head AT at Florida State lead to a phone call that sent Jack and his family to Tallahassee. After receiving his MS degree from Florida State he spent one year back at his Alma Mater, Ball State as the Assistant Athletic Trainer. The desire to be a Head Athletic Trainer lead him to take the job at Ohio Northern University. He was there 7 years. And during a visit back to Indiana he found out about the AT opening at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. He spent the next 22 years there at the only AT at Wabash. While at Wabash he was the president of the Indiana Athletic Trainers Assoication and led the charge for licensure for athletic trainers in the state of Indiana. Then in 2006 Jack left Wabash for Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN to lead the athletic training education program. His leadership fingerprints are all over athletic training institutions from the NATA, GLATA, IATA, White River Park Games, and Olympic Trials.
He has been inducted into the Cardinal Sports Medicine Society Ring of Honor, Indiana Athletic Trainers Assoication Hall of Fame and was named a Distinguished Hoosier by Governor Frank O'Bannon.
He and his wife, Gayle, reside in Muncie, IN
24 Apr 2026
Jon Wicks - I show up, google me!
"Showing up is half the battle.", that could be Jon Wicks tag line in his athletic training career. He has parlayed showing up and going to work into working in the SEC, NFL, and currently the Big Ten with the FBS National Champion Indiana Hooisers football team. Starting out at LaVille High School and learning from Ball State AT alum Gary Hall, Jon found his future career in athletic training. A visit to the Ball State campus in the spring of his senior year in high school solidified that path. Jon jumped right in and got to work at BSU his freshman year helping with football and eventually getting into the athletic training education program. From BSU he went out on a limb and arrived at the University of Missouri with no GA position and no place to live, but faith that his knowledge and and work ethic would shine through and the willingness to do things out of his comfort zone made an impression on Director of Sports Medicine and Ball State AT alum Rex Sharp. He eventually came on board as a GA with football and used this experience and his undergraduate intern experience with the Indianapolis Colts to become the full season intern with the Carolina Panthers in 2014. Looking to try to find a position with Division 1 college football, a tip about a position at Indiana University lead Jon to apply for research assistant /athletic trainer with football. It was not a glamours position nor was it a great time with IU football but Jon made the most of it translated it into a full time assistant athletic trainer position with football at IU. A position he has held for the last seven years.
Jon resides in Bloomington, Indiana with his dog Mowgli.
12 Mar 2026
Kyle Parkison - A Bear of AT promotion
181.3K followers on TicTok , Over 3600 days running consecutively, One run across the state of Indiana, and finally serving at the athletic trainer at the same small high school that he graduated from Kyle Parkinson is busy guy. He thought he wanted to go into physical therapy but the sports bug was too hard to get away from and landed in the athletic training world. After attending Ball State University and graduating from the athletic training program in 2017 he worked it out to return to his high school, Monroe Central in Parker City, IN. In his time there he has served several rolls, Athletic Trainer, Athletic Director, Teacher, and currently the director of public relations and fundraising as well as his athletic training duties. He has mowed a few cross country courses in is day as well. Whatever needs done Kyle is usually there. So when two students offered to help him learn the world of TicTok for fun and promote the profession of athletic training and raise money for athletic training program, a star was born. With his signature tag line "Go Bears!" he has reach beyond little Parker City and into the world with his athletic training promotion. This has allowed him to follow other passion projects like running across Indiana to raise money for FCA. He continues promoting the profession on other social media platforms besides TikTok. He sought out as an advisor to other AT's that want to do the same thing at their school. He currently resides in Parker City with his wife, Makenzie and daughter Reese.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
55
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
77
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