NM State Athletic Training History

New Mexico State University Athletics

The Official Website of New Mexico State University Athletics

In 1955, C.R. “Brick” Bickerstaff was hired as the first Athletic Trainer at what was then known as New Mexico A & M College. Mr. Bickerstaff opened the first Athletic Training Room in D. W. Williams Gym. Mr. Bickerstaff was followed by one of his former students, C. Frank Randall.
Randall served from 1960-1964. Both Bickerstaff and Randall continued to work as Athletic Trainers after leaving Las Cruces and had very distinguished careers at Iowa State University.
Tom Little was the next Aggie Athletic Trainer. He was recruited by then Football Coach Warren Woodson and worked at NMSU from 1964-1968. Little went on to work at Chico State University and is in their Athletic Hall of Fame. Little was followed by George Westbrook.
Westbrook worked as a Graduate Student in 1966 before being named, by then Athletics Director Lou Henson, as Head Athletic Trainer in 1968. Mr. Westbrook served as the Head AT until he moved to the College of Education to begin the Athletic Training Education Program in 1981. Westbrook served as the ATEP Director until 1989. Mr. Westbrook was instrumental in bringing Athletic Training Licensure to New Mexico. He then moved on to private practice and later was an athletic trainer in Alabama and Texas.
The next Head Athletic Trainer was Edwin “Ed” Sunderland. Ed was at NMSU from 1981-1985. Mr. Sunderland later worked in colleges in Texas and Oklahoma. Ed was followed by Ricky A. Mendini in the fall of 1985.
Ricky was the Head Athletic Trainer until 1993, when he left to become the Head Athletic Trainer at Southern Utah University.
Mendini was followed by Mike O’Larey. Mike came to NMSU in 1989 as the Assistant Athletic Trainer and was named Head Athletic Trainer in 1993. He still serves in that capacity today.
1956, First Athletic Training Room opened in D. W. Williams Gym (current Arts Building). The Pan American Center opened in 1968 and housed a fully functioning Athletic Training Facility.
The Aggie Memorial Fieldhouse Athletic Training Room opened in the fall of 1978.
In 2004, the new Athletic Training Facility opened at the Stan Fulton Athletic Center.
In 2005, NM State celebrated 50 years of Athletic Training. In 2006, NM State opened a new Athletic Training Facility in the Pan American Center Annex after the old Pan Am Athletic Training Facility was removed during remodeling. with a new X-ray unit.
In 2011, Dr. William Baker, DO (Team Physician) was inducted into the NMSU Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2012, C. R. Bickerstaff was inducted into the NMSU Athletic Hall of Fame.