Athletic Trainers

 The  early days of football in regards to athletic care and prevention were primitive  compared to today’s standards and the adage, “Just rub some dirt on it!” was—and  to a certain degree still is—commonplace in the football culture as players are  expected to play through pain.  Not much is known about Ray Townsley except for  the historical records on file indicate that he served as Bettendorf’s first  uncertified trainer in 1953; “uncertified” only because in those days there was  no such thing as a Certified Athletic Trainer.      

Darrell Moore served as an assistant football coach under Merrit Parsons from  1958-60 and for the available archival records, pulled double duty his last two  seasons as the Bulldog’s athletic trainer.  Like Ray Townsley, it is doubtful  that Mr. Moore was a Certified Athletic Trainer simply because accreditation  didn’t exist in those days; regardless, his care and prevention helped the  Bulldogs win three straight conference titles and go unbeaten for 26-straight  games from 1958-60.

  Dan “Doc” Meador  became the first full-time athletic trainer in Bettendorf history in 1961 and  served in that capacity for nine seasons before being replaced by Bettendorf’s  first certified trainer, Reggie Speak.  At the time, Mr. Meador was  considered the first official athletic trainer in the State of Iowa and  Bettendorf High School was unique in the fact that they were virtually the only  high school in the state with a full-time trainer on staff.  Mr. Meador also  taught Social Studies for over thirty years at Bettendorf High School and was  infamous for his paddle that bore the names of voluntary signees. 

Reginald “Reggie” Speak may have been raised in Weeping Water, Nebraska, but  after spending 22 years as the Athletic Trainer for the Bulldogs, he still calls  Bettendorf home. A 1955 graduate of Peru State College (Nebraska), Mr. Speak  began his career at Webster City High School under legendary Lynx coach Harley  Rollinger in 1962.  However, after spending eight seasons with the Lynx, Mr.  Speak then became a Bulldog where he served under another legendary  coach, Merv Habenicht, from 1970-72, and his career as a trainer, healer, and  person would be historic.         
 

Mr. Speak has earned countless honors and was among the first Certified High  School Athletic Trainers in both the state of Iowa and nation.  In 1974, Mr.  Speak was a presenter at the National Athletic Trainer Association Workshop and  Symposium while being named the Drake Relays Trainer of the Year in 1981.  Mr.  Speak also earned a commendation from the NATA for service to the Continuing  Education Committee.
 

The trainer for the first four Bettendorf state championship squads (1981, ’87,  ’88, ’91), Mr. Speak also earned a commendation from both the Iowa Athletic  Directors (1992) and the Iowa Football Coaches Association.  As well, he also  received a Sports Medicine Award from the IHSAA—the first trainer to receive  such an award—while founding and directing Student Trainer Clinics for over 20  years. “Coach Speak”—as many players called him—cited that while he has had many  countless thrills during his 22 years at Bettendorf, some of the most memorable  include:  beating Davenport Central featuring tailback Roger Craig [who later  became an NFL All-Pro] and receiving a commendation by the IFCA presented by  former Iowa Hawkeye coach Hayden Fry.  Among the four state titles he helped  Bettendorf win as an athletic trainer, Mr. Speak feels that his biggest thrill  was “…being the Bulldog Athletic Trainer for 22 years.”  

For several years until the 2004 season, Mr. Speak used to provide pre-and-post  game prayers for the Bulldogs and after a five-year layoff, resumed this  responsibility in 2008.  Always remembered as “The One Who Could Heal,” Mr.  Speak’s oath to help injured players earned him both the respect and gratitude  of countless Bulldogs whose dreams and goals were accomplished on account of his  work.  On July 15, 2005, Mr. Speak was inducted into the Athletic Trainers "Hall  of Honor" in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Paul Flynn  is a native of Madrid (IA), and came to Bettendorf High School in the fall of  1992 to replace long-time Athletic Trainer Reggie Speak.  His interest in Sports  Medicine began when he was a student at the University of Iowa where he served  as the Head Student Trainer from 1981-82 and traveled extensively with numerous  athletic teams including the football squad and their trip to the 1982 Rose  Bowl.  Certified by the NATA in 1983, Mr. Flynn first taught Biology at Parkway  North High School (Creve Coeur, MO) from 1984-85 where he also served as the  school’s Certified Athletic Trainer. 

In 1985, Mr. Flynn relocated to North Scott High  School where he taught Biology and Health while also serving as the Lancers’  Athletic Trainer.  Paul was at North Scott for seven years from 1985-92 prior to  becoming a Bulldog.  At Bettendorf, Mr. Flynn teaches Biology, Chemistry, and  Health and was the school’s only Certified Athletic Trainer until another  position was added in 2000.  Mr. Flynn has helped facilitate the expansion of  the school’s Athletic Training Program and oversaw its moved from a small space  located in the boys’ locker room to its current location in the BHS Fitness  Center.

Mr. Flynn has earned numerous honors throughout his  career.  For starters, he was inducted into the Iowa Athletic Trainers’ Society  “Hall of Fame” in 2007 and in was not only awarded the “National Service Award”  by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2006, but also named by the  Iowa High School Athletic Union as “Sports Person of the Year” the same year.

Paul  has also served as President of the Iowa Athletic Trainers’ Society from 1990-92  and during his presidency much of the groundwork was laid for licensing the  profession of athletic training in the state of Iowa.  He also was a District 5  representative for the Secondary Schools Athletic Trainers’ Committee from  1992-98 while also being part of the NATA National Committee in 1992, 1998, and  1999.

A four-sport high school athlete in his hometown of  Northwood (IA), Eric Knudson fell in love with sports at an early age and such  that, made his passion a full-time occupation.  As a student at the University  of Northern Iowa, Eric served as the Head Student Trainer for the football,  wrestling, and softball teams which included the football team’s appearance in  the1997 Division I-AA Semifinals.  After graduating in 1997, Eric first taught  Health and served as a Certified Athletic Trainer for the Davenport School  District from 1997-2000 and while at Davenport, Eric also coached 7th  grade girls’ basketball and volleyball.   

Knudson, who also earned a Masters of Science  in  Sports Management degree from Western Illinois, came to Bettendorf in  2000 when  the Athletic Training Program was expanded.  Eric also teaches Health at   Bettendorf High and has a wide range of Sports Medicine experience which   includes working with the Bulldogs’ football, basketball, soccer,  swimming, and  golf teams—all which have won state championships.  As well, Knudson has  been an ATC at the Division I Wrestling Tournament (1997), a  Clinical/Outreach Athletic  trainer at Plaza Physical Therapy (1998-2000), and the Head Athletic  Trainer for  MaryCrest International University (1998-2000).

Eric is also a member of both the National Athletic  Trainers Association and the Mid-American Athletic Trainers Association; as part  of the Iowa Athletic Trainers Society, he served a chair on the Secondary  Schools Committee from 2003-07 and since 2007, has been the Executive Treasurer  for the IATS.