Southern's 'Doc' Williams receives LATA President's Award

Courtesy John Oubre and Southern University Athletics

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Longtime Southern University athletic trainer Carl 'Doc' Williams received the Louisiana Athletic Trainers Association's President's Award in recognition of his lifetime of service to Southern University as the school's head athletic trainer.

LATA vice president Ray Castle presented Williams the award in the SU athletic training room inside the A.W. Mumford Fieldhouse on Thursday.

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"It's always an honor to get an award, wherever it comes from, because it means that those people have an admiration for what you've done and what you do," Williams said. "And that's the most important thing."

"As a trainer), you try an please the people you come into contact with, the people around you, and you try to help whenever you can and that's always been my mode of living."

Along with his many years of service with the SU athletic department, Williams served on the athletic training staff of the Dallas Cowboys and was active member of several national trainers associations.

The President's Award also recognized Williams as one of the integral figures who helped passed Louisiana legislation which recognized athletic trainers as allied healthcare professionals in the state.

This year, House Bill 691 was the first major revision in the athletic training practice act initially passed in 1985. The 2014 law, signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal under ACT 418, move the 1985 law from certification to licensure of athletic trainers.

"I began to really appreciate how much more work and time which the members of LATA had to dedicate in the early 1980's," Gerard White, president of the Louisiana Athletic Trainers' Association.

"Those key members were never acknowledged for what had to be a very time consuming endeavor to get the first athletic training practice act passed in 1985. So, with the recent passage of a revised athletic training practice act, the honors some key athletic trainers who played a pivotal role in getting the first law passed.

"Members, like Carl Williams, were the forefathers for the athletic training profession and serve as a positive role model and mentor for the rest of us."

Others also recognized with the 2014 LATA President's Award were: Mayfield Armstrong ATC, Michael Brunet MD, David Drez MD, David Giardina ATC, Bob Goodwin ATC, Jim Murphy ATC, PT, Troy Prevot PA-C, ATC, and Rep. Chris Broadwater (Legislator of the Year).

The Louisiana Athletic Trainers' Association (LATA)is a not-for-profit organization of health care professionals dedicated to the safety in sports completion and the profession of athletic training within the State of Louisiana.

COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS