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Wally Blase begins his seventh season with the Atlanta Hawks as the team's Head Athletic Trainer. He is responsible for the day-to-day health of the team, the evaluation and rehabilitation therapy of athletic injuries, and the supervision of the Hawks Sports Medicine staff.
Blase, 36, came to the Hawks organization in 2000 after four years as the assistant athletic trainer with the Chicago Bulls, during which he was part of two NBA championships. As the Bulls assistant, he was actively involved with assisting the head athletic trainer with all aspects of the team's medical needs, including the prevention, care, and rehabilitation of the athletes.
He is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and is a certified Performance Enhancement Specialist, through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
An active member of the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association (NBATA), Blase has served on the executive committee, as well as been the NBATA Foundation Board of Trustees Vice President for the past four years. He also spearheads an annual product trade show for members, which raises thousands of dollars for the organization’s scholarship foundation. In 2005, the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA) named Blase the Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year.
A native of Niles, Illinois, Blase has done several internships in the athletic training department of the NFL's Chicago Bears (the summers of 1994, '96 and '98). He also spent time as the head athletic trainer with the Cincinnati Rockers arena football team (1993). Additionally, Blase served as the Athletic Trainer for the NBA’s Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2003, when the game was held at Philips Arena.
Blase spent three seasons as a student athletic trainer at Winona State University, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in sports medicine in 1992. In 1996, he earned his masters in sports psychology from Syracuse University while serving two years as a graduate assistant trainer. | 