July 19, 2010

Arthur Poitras, entering his 30th year at UMass Lowell, received the Bill Bulloch District I (Northeast Region) Unsung Hero Award at the 2010 National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Convention at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel.

Poitras, entering his 30th year at the University and 12th as the head athletic trainer, was presented the award by Jeff Stone, head trainer at Suffolk University and outgoing District I director, at the NATA District I business meeting.

“For me it’s just very humbling to be honored by my peers,” Poitras said. “Ultimately, it’s not a ‘me’ award, this is a ‘we’ award. I accept it for anyone who has cared for a student-athlete here including my predecessors, assistants and interns.”

Poitras, who joined the University in 1981, has served as the ice hockey trainer for 29 years. He and his staff oversee the health care for more than 300 student-athletes representing 17 women’s and men’s sports.

The Bill Bulloch Unsung Hero Award honors outstanding service to student-athletes and is presented to a District I athletic trainer who has been at the same college or university for at least 15 years. The award is named after the late Bill Bulloch, who was the head trainer at Salem State for 38 years and was regarded as a legendary figure in the field.

Poitras is a 1981 graduate of Springfield College and received a master’s degree in education from UMass Lowell in 1995. He is a native of Dracut, Mass., where he lives with his wife, Leslie, and son Timmy (14).