Jerry "Hawk" Rhea

Atlanta Falcons Head Athletic Trainer, 1969-1994

A Career of Leadership and Service

·     President of the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation.

·     Elected President of the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA) in 1982.

·     National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) District IX Director in 1984. 

·     Elected president of the NATA serving from 1986-88 and served on multiple NATA committees.

And a Career of Honor and Success

·     The NATA Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year 1979 and 1982. 

·     Induction into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1985.

·     Induction into the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 1987.

·     Recipient of the SEATA Award of Merit in 1988.

·     Recipient of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Distinguished Service Athletic Trainer Award in 1991.

·     Recipient of the Tim Kerin Excellence in Athletic Training Award in 2001.

·     Induction into the inaugural Georgia Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame in 2004, which also honored him with an annual award in his name, the Jerry Rhea Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.

·     The Atlanta Falcons honored Mr. Rhea by endowing an NATA Foundation Scholarship and as well as both an undergraduate and graduate SEATA Scholarship in his name.

·     The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) created the Jerry "Hawk" Rhea Award in his honor that is given annually to the NFL team physician who has made the greatest contributions to both the NFL and the profession of Athletic Training.

·     Induction into the inaugural PFATS Hall of Fame in 2022.

·     Recipient of the inaugural Professional Football Hall of Fame's Award of Excellence in 2022.

·     The Atlanta Falcons Athletic Training Room was named "The Jerry Rhea Athletic Training Room" in 2022.