This is David Craig’s 35th year as the head athletic trainer for the Pacers. In that time, he has distinguished himself as one of the best athletic trainers in sports because of his professionalism, knowledge, work ethic, organizational skills and personality.

With all of those things combined, the 57-year-old (8/6/47) Craig has given the Pacers a valued employee whom many consider irreplaceable.

Craig’s athletic training education began as a junior at West Lafayette High School when he began working under Purdue University’s William “Pinky” Newell, widely regarded as the father of modern day athletic training. That schooling continued for Craig as an undergraduate at Purdue and during summers he worked camps for the NFL’s Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.

Craig joined the Pacers prior to the 1970-71 season and was part of two ABA championship teams which he cites as “very important” moments in his career. Craig adds he “looks forward to being part of an NBA championship” team.

During his years with the Pacers, Craig has been justly honored. He was the first president of the Indiana Athletic Trainers Association and in 1993 won the organization’s “Professional Clinician/Athletic Trainer of the Year” Award. In 1995, he was inducted into the IATA Hall of Fame. He served as the trainer for the Eastern Conference in the 1985 and 1996 NBA All-Star Games. In 2001, he won the Distinguished Trainer Award from the National Athletic Trainers Association. In 2003, he as named the recipient of the Joe O’Toole NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year Award and served as the athletic trainer for the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo.

Recently, David received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Purdue University. In 2004, he served as one of the athletic trainers for the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team in Greece and was also honored as a “Sagamore of the Wabash” by the Governor of Indiana.

Locally, from 1978 to 1993 Craig served as president of Indianapolis Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, Inc., a business he co-founded and oversaw an expansion of to six Indianapolis area clinics.

David and his wife Cheryl reside in Acton, Ind., have four children, Jennifer, Brian. Adam and Ashley.