PELLA— Frank Neu, Central College's longtime head athletic trainer, is the newest inductee into the Iowa Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Honor.
           
Neu will be formally inducted at the IATS Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium April 11 in West Des Moines.
           

The IATS Hall of Honor recognizes the best of the athletic training profession and is the organization's highest honor. To be eligible for consideration, the nominee must be a member of the IATS and the National Athletic Trainers' Association, have at least 20 years of service as a certified athletic trainer and be licensed in good standing by the State of Iowa.
           
Neu is the second Central staff member to receive the award. Associate professor of kinesiology John Roslien was inducted in 2007.
           
"We are so fortunate at Central to have Frank leading our athletic training program and are thrilled that he's receiving this honor," said vice president for athletics Eric Van Kley. "The health and well-being of our student-athletes is always his top priority, and he truly cares for them, working tirelessly on their behalf. He was critical in helping guide Central athletics through the global pandemic and his voice is highly respected within our department. I know I speak for our coaches and student-athletes in congratulating Frank and expressing how proud we all are of him."
           
An NATA member since 1990, Neu joined the IATS in 2005 and was the organization's president after previously serving as treasurer. He was named the IATS College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2017.
           
A 1991 Central graduate, Neu previously served as assistant athletic trainer at Drake University for five years. Earlier, he spent eight years as head athletic trainer at Lycoming College (Pa.). He earned a master's degree at Drake and served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer there for three years.
           
He returned to Central as an assistant athletic trainer in 2010 and was promoted to head athletic trainer in 2011.
           
Roslien, who served as Central's head athletic trainer from 1986-2003 before transitioning to the role of athletic training program director, has served as a mentor and, later as a colleague, for Neu.
           
"He came in as a freshman from New Jersey who really had no idea what he was getting into but I think he developed the skills at Central that allowed him to become a leader within the program here, within the American Rivers Conference and within the state and district associations," Roslien said. "He's passionate about athletic training and I think he was very instrumental in helping the conference get through the athletic training side of things during the pandemic."
           
Neu has worked at numerous championship and other postseason events, including 17 trips as an athletic trainer for the AFCA Division III all-star football squad at the Aztec Bowl in Mexico. He was the sports medicine coordinator for the Budd Whitehill Division III National Wrestling Duals from 1998-2005.
           
While at Lycoming, Neu was a member of the Eastern Athletic Training Association, the Pennsylvania Athletic Training Association and the College Athletic Trainers' Society. He was the athletic training chair of the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2004-05.
           
"Frank bleeds Central red," Roslien said. "I think from the moment he walked on campus, he realized that Central was where he wanted to be. That was his passion and he's been an integral part of our success for all these years."