UM Athletic Training Program Celebrates 50th With Hall of Fame Inductees

MISSOULA – Dr. Robert Curry, whose name is synonymous with student health care at the University of Montana, will join two fellow Grizzlies to be inducted into UM’s Athletic Training Hall Fame on Friday, Sept. 24.

Curry will be recognized along with Dr. Walter Schwank and Dr. Rick Cunningham at the  Homecoming Week celebration, which also will commemorate the 50th anniversary of UM’s Athletic Training Program, co-founded in 1971 by Schwank and the late Naseby Rhinehart.

“Our three inductees perfectly illustrate the far-reaching impact and commitment our graduates bring to the field of heath care in general and the health of athletes specifically,” said Valerie Moody, program director and professor in the School of Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training, “We are so honored to recognize them for inclusion in our Hall of Fame.”

UM’s Athletic Training Program was one of the first in the nation. Over the years the program has grown in size and reputation, and earned numerous national accreditations, including an accreditation for delivery of a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training in 2015.  Today the program is housed in the College of Health’s School of Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training and has 16 students enrolled in the master’s program and about 45 students in the pre-Athletic Training Program.

Curry was an integral part of UM’s student health services and Grizzly Athletics for almost four decades. He was recognized in 1999 when his former workplace was named the Curry Health Center in his honor. He remains a regular on the sidelines of Grizzly football games.

Schwank, who joined UM in 1961, developed bachelor and master degree programs in recreation and served in University leadership roles in health, physical education and athletics. He retired in 1980.

Cunningham, a 1977 UM graduate, served as an instructor for several universities, executive director of the Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross and later as executive director of Big Mountain Commercial Association, a nonprofit public trade association that raises funds to pay for common services and programs that enhance Big Mountain, Whitefish and the Flathead Valley. 

For more information on the Hall of Fame and 50th Anniversary Celebration email Valerie Moody at valerie.moody@umontana.edu.

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Contact: Valerie Moody, professor, School of Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training, 406-243-2703, valerie.moody@umontana.edu.