Chris Gillespie has done much in his 32-year career as a certified athletic trainer. He served on the faculty and staff at Samford from 1982-2013. During his tenure at the Birmingham, Alabama university Chris served in many roles – as Head Athletic Trainer, Director of Sports Medicine, Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine & Football Administration, Director of Athletic Training Education, and as a full-time faculty member. This the summer of 2013 he retired from Samford University and joined the University of Georgia Sports Medicine staff as Associate Director of Sports Medicine working alongside his first student athletic trainer and longtime friend, Ron Courson. This move was accomplished through a joint effort with the National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS) founded by world renowned orthopedic surgeon, Larry Lemak. Chris also serves as Associate Executive Director for Research and Education with NCSS. In addition to his professional life, Chris is the founder and executive director of TEAM 413 - GRACERUNNER MINISTRIES, the largest ministry for endurance athletes in the world. He and his wife, Kiki, travel to more than 30 marathons and other running events each year. Chris has spoken at athletic training and sports medicine seminars, churches, schools, and marathon speaker seminars from coast to coast. He has also served on numerous athletic training committees at the state, district, and national levels. Chris has served as president of the Alabama Athletic Trainers' Association and the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association. In addition, Chris served as a member of the Alabama Athletic Trainers' Association Licensure Task Force and was a member and Vice-Chair of the Alabama Board of Athletic Trainers for more than a decade. He was a member of the Inter-Associational Task Force for Sickle Cell Trait in the Athlete that helped change the NCAA policy on dealing with this high risk population. Chris was an athletic trainer for track & field and the marathon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Among his many professional awards are the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Service Award, the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association District Award, the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association Educator Award, and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. Chris was inducted into the Alabama Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2008. The highest honor of his stellar career came in June 2012 when he was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame an honor that exists to recognize the very best in the profession of athletic training. A native of Pontotoc, Mississippi, Chris and his wife, Kiki, now live in Athens, Georgia. Chris has two daughters, Morgan (29) and Ashley (27) and two step children, Gerrit (16) and Hanna (14).