The Big Ten's First Female Head Athletic Trainer Admits it Wasn't Easy Getting There

The Big Ten's First Female Head 
Athletic Trainer Admits it Wasn't 
Easy Getting There

EAST LANSING - Sally Nogle has been a member of the MSU Athletic Training staff since October of 1983, but in 2013 she was promoted to the position of head athletic trainer.

Nogle admits that being a woman made it a little bit harder for her, especially wanting to go into football.

"There's not as many women working football as athletic trainers, especially back when I first started and so I had to convince the coaching staff and people here that I was an athletic trainer," Nogle said. "It didn't matter if I was male or female, I was an athletic trainer."

Although it wasn't easy, coaches started to recognize Nogle's ability as an athletic trainer regardless of her gender.

"Coach Perles first resisted that but then I give him credit because he came around and accepted me and let me be part of it and again just thought of me as an athletic trainer so it worked out well," Nogle said. "As each coaching change happened they each accepted me and I appreciate that."

Nogle's long list of accomplishments includes working with olympic athletes, being the first female head athletic trainer in the Big 10 and being inducted in to the National Athletic Trainers Associations Hall Of Fame in 2012.

Despite all of her success, some of Nogle's greatest accomplishments come from more than just being in the training room.

"Part of it would be the players that have gotten back to play that were injured significantly and were able to play and I helped them do that," Nogle said. "And that to me is a very good accomplishment to see them be able to compete again."

Another one of her greatest accomplishments doesn't have anything to do with football at all.

"I feel like I've kept a pretty good balance of my family life and my work life," Nogle said. "And so I feel like I was able to not miss too much of my children's activities."

Nogle said she is busy year round with MSU's football team and is excited to see what the future holds for this team.

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