PELLA— He didn't realize it was a life-changing moment back at his home in Maywood, New Jersey in the mid-1980s, when Frank Neu opened a recruiting letter from a small college in Iowa he'd never heard of.
           
More than 35 years later, Neu announced his retirement as longtime head athletic trainer at Central College, the school that provided the backdrop for much of his personal and professional life. He'll wrap his last Dutch athlete's ankle—officially, at least--at the end of the academic year.
           

Inducted into the Iowa Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Honor last April, Neu also teaches in Central's kinesiology department and serves as coordinator of the drug education and testing program.
           
He served as an athletic training student assistant at Central, graduating in 1991 before earning a masters degree at Drake University, where he was a graduate assistant. That was followed by eight years as head athletic trainer at Lycoming College (Pa.) and five years as assistant athletic trainer at Drake University. But the road inevitably led back to Central in 2010 and he was promoted to head athletic trainer in 2011.
           
"When I graduated from Central, I always wanted to come back here and work, so this was my dream job," he said. "Once I got this job, I have never looked for another job since. It's not like I'm really working. I enjoy what I do.
           
"I might complain about the hours, but I love my job. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
           
Vice President for Athletics Eric Van Kley called Neu a trusted resource.
           
"Frank is an integral part of the Central athletics leadership team," he said. "His expertise and guidance were invaluable during the pandemic, not only for our athletics department for the entire campus. He's deeply committed to Central College but more importantly, loves our student-athletes. In our conversations, it's always about what is best for them."
           
Neu has pondered the decision for a while.
           
"The main reason for retiring is just to spend time with my wife, Stacy, and my family," he said. "Counting my years as a G.A., I've done this for 32 years. It just feels like the right time."
           
Which doesn't mean leaving will be easy.
           
"I'm going to miss the student-athletes," Neu said. "They're the biggest reason it was such a hard decision to make. Here at Central, we have great student-athletes. I love working with them. I love seeing them come back on the field after an injury and do well. That's the most rewarding part."
           
Rachel Evans Kleis '15 is among many of those athletes who followed Neu into the profession. Kleis is now the clinical education coordinator and assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. But at Central, in addition to serving as an athletic training student, she was an often-injured women's basketball player who saw Neu through an athlete's eyes. Their connection started when she suffered an ACL tear as a freshman and had to go through a lengthy rehab, which also clarified her career choice.
           
"I worked with Frank about 95% of the time and it was working with him thar really solidified that, yes, this is what I want to do, because working with him was such a good experience," Kleis said.   "He is really personable, supportive and honest. So even if you have to hear bad news, he delivers it in a way that is honest but caring. So you know physically that your recovery is going to go well but then also emotionally, he's able to kind of tailor the rehab to help you heal in that way, too, because being taken away from your sport is as hard mentally as it is physically."
           
It's in those vulnerable moments for a student-athlete that Neu also served as therapist, in many ways.
           
"Outside of my parents, honestly, Frank is probably the person that has seen me cry the most in my life," Kleis said with a laugh.
           
Central coaches trust and respect Neu's evaluations on a student-athlete's playing status, according to NFCA Hall of Fame softball coach George Wares. But his contributions go beyond that.
          
"Obviously, Frank is good at what he does, but I think when you have somebody with you that long, he becomes a part of your team," Wares said. "He has a better understanding of what we as coaches and players are trying to do and has a passion for it. The trust you establish with somebody like that makes them not just easy to work with, but enjoyable."
          
Few sports place more demands on an athletic trainer than football, a team Neu has covered for much of his Central career.
          
"Frank has done an outstanding job of taking care of our players," said veteran coach Jeff McMartin. "He's really created a lot of trust in the players with him and with the coaching staff. We know if he says somebody is unable to play, then that's what's best for that player and for the team."
          
He's an instructor as well.
          
"He's a phenomenal athletic trainer but that is only about half of that equation," Kleis said. "He's also a really good teacher in helping you understand what to do and why you do it.
           
"Now that I'm a working professional, his ability to continuously break down scenarios is helpful. There's not always a right answer, so to bounce ideas off of him has just helped me continue to grow as an athletic trainer and helped me with my clinical and ethical decision-making."
 
Neu has worked at numerous postseason events, including serving as co-medical coordinator for four NCAA Division III Baseball Championships.. He also made 17 trips as an athletic trainer for the AFCA Division III all-star football squad at the Aztec Bowl and Stars and Stripes Bowl games in Mexico. He was the sports medicine coordinator for the Budd Whitehill Division III National Wrestling Duals from 1998-2005.
          
A National Athletic Training Association member since 1990, Neu joined the Iowa Athletic Trainers' Association in 2005 and was the organization's president from 2016-18 after previously serving as treasurer for four years. He was a member of the IATS executive team for 10 years and was named the IATS College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2017.
           
Neu is grateful to retired kinesiology faculty member John Roslien, the college's first full-time athletic trainer, for his mentorship. They met on Neu's first campus visit, never imagining that Neu would someday take over his job and continue building Central's popular and highly regarded athletic training program.
           
"John has been a huge influence," Neu said. "A lot of the things I have done throughout my career have been modeled after what John did. I modeled it at Lycoming, and I modeled it when I was at Drake because I thought John did it the right way."
           
Neu is also grateful for the backing he's received from Central.
           
"We have great support," he said. "Eric Van Kley and (senior associate athletics director) Alicia O'Brien have been great. And we have very good coaches here. They all support and respect what we do. We have a good athletic training room and when it comes to adding new equipment and things, the Central Club has always supported us through the years."
           
Neu proudly notes that all five members of the athletic training staff are Central graduates.
           
"I can't say enough about my staff. I think it's one of the best," he said. "I love working with them, we all get along and we just have a really good connection."
           
Neu's Central ties run deep. His wife, Stacey Profit Neu, is a 1992 Central graduate and West Des Moines physician. Their children, Dani '21 and Ryan '24 are also Central grads. Ryan also was a two-time all-conference wide receiver on the Dutch football team. Neu savors that memory.
          
"That was one of the most memorable experiences in my career," Neu said. "Working as an athletic trainer, having my son play football and being on the sidelines was just fun. He loved playing football and he had a great group of friends that I became close to as well. It was special."
          
McMartin said Neu's passion for Central is obvious.
          
"He loves Central College and has been connected to this place for a long time," he said. "He's somebody who really cares about the athletes and wants what's best for Central and for Central's athletes."
         
 Kleis said her memories of Central will always include Neu.
           
"Obviously there have been others associated with the athletic training program, we've had a lot of really good staff at Central, but if you ask any of the alumni, Frank and John (Roslien) are Central athletic training," she said. "Frank deserves retirement, but he will be missed immensely."