Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Ron Rappel served as Concordia University’s head athletic therapist from 1986 to 2004 and was the architect of the modern varsity athletic therapy program. At a time when services were fragmented and team-specific, he established a centralized model that provided comprehensive medical care to all varsity athletes.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Ron developed and led an extensive internship program, guiding hundreds of athletic therapy students while ensuring consistent, high-quality care across every varsity team.

He developed strong physician partnerships, continually improved clinical operations and played a key role in establishing full-time athletic therapy and strength and conditioning positions to better support athlete health and performance.

In addition to his clinical leadership, Ron served as an associate professor of Exercise Science, teaching emergency care and related courses. Nationally, he served as president of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association and helped bring its national conference to Concordia.

Ron’s leadership set enduring standards for athlete care and athletic therapy education at Concordia. After leaving the university, he became a highly successful healthcare entrepreneur and business leader.