Historical Archive

ACSM was founded in 1954 by a small group of physical educators and physicians who recognized that health problems were associated with certain lifestyle choices, especially smoking and lack of exercise. Since then, ACSM members from all professional backgrounds have applied their knowledge, training and dedication in sports medicine and exercise science to promote healthier lifestyles for people around the globe.

In 1984, the ACSM National Center relocated to Indianapolis, IN, and our strong heritage, combined with our visionary approach to the future, means ACSM continues to grow and prosper as the world’s premier sports medicine organization.

For more detail about ACSM history, view our interactive timeline or read Out of Many, One: A History of the American College of Sports Medicine by Jack W. Berryman, Ph.D., FACSM. Click here for more information about the book.

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ACSM Founders

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ACSM Presidents

Joseph B. Wolffe: 1954-1958 
Louis F. Bishop: 1958-1959
Albert S. Hyman: 1959-1960
D. Bruce Dill: 1960-1961
Peter V. Karpovich: 1961-1962
Henry J. Montoye: 1962-1963
Allan J. Ryan: 1963-1964
Elsworth R. Buskirk: 1964-1965
Bruno Balke: 1965-1966
Warren R. Guild: 1966-1967
Carl S. Blyth: 1967-1968
Fred L. Allman, Jr.: 1968-1969
Leonard A. Larson: 1969-1970

Lyle J. Micheli: 1989-1990
Neil B. Oldridge: 1990-1991
Brian J. Sharkey: 1991-1992
Robert C. Cantu: 1992-1993
Russell R. Pate: 1993-1994
Timothy P. White: 1994-1995
Steven P. Van Camp: 1995-1996
Steven N. Blair: 1996-1997
Charlotte A. Tate: 1997-1998
Paul D. Thompson: 1998-1999
Barry A. Franklin: 1999-2000
Priscilla A. Clarkson: 2000-2001
Angela D. Smith: 2001-2002
Edward T. Howley: 2002-2003
W. Larry Kenney: 2003-2004
William O. Roberts: 2004-2005
Carl Foster: 2005-2006
J. Larry Durstine: 2006-2007
Robert E. Sallis: 2007-2008
Melinda Millard-Stafford: 2008-2009
James M. Pivarnik: 2009-2010

Leonard A. Larson: 1969-1970
John P. Naughton: 1970-1971
John A. Faulkner: 1971-1972
Albert B. Craig, Jr.: 1972-1973
Howard G. “Skip” Knuttgen: 1973-1974
Charles M. Tipton: 1974-1975
Roy J. Shephard: 1975-1976
David L. Costill: 1976-1977
John L. Boyer: 1977-1978
Jack H. Wilmore: 1978-1979
James S. Skinner: 1979-1980
David R. Lamb: 1980-1981
Henry S. Miller, Jr.: 1981-1982
Michael L. Pollock: 1982-1983
William L. Haskell: 1983-1984
John A. Bergfeld: 1984-1985
Carl V. Gisolfi: 1985-1986
John R. Sutton: 1986-1987
Peter B. Raven: 1987-1988
Barbara L. Drinkwater: 1988-1989
Lyle J. Micheli: 1989-1990

James M. Pivarnik: 2009-2010
Thomas Best: 2010-2011
Barbara Ainsworth: 2011-2012
Janet Walberg Rankin: 2012-2013
William Dexter: 2013-2014
Carol Ewing Garber: 2014-2015
Lawrence Armstrong: 2015-2016
Elizabeth Joy: 2016-2017
Walter R. Thompson: 2017-2018
Kathryn H. Schmitz: 2018-2019
William E. Kraus: 2019-2020
NiCole R. Keith: 2020-2021
L. Bruce Gladden: 2021-2022
Anastasia Fischer: 2022-2023
Irene Davis: 2023-2024
Stella Volpe: 2024-2025

ACSM Distinguished Leader Series

The Distinguished Leaders in Sports Medicine and Exercise Science is a historical project capturing interviews with ACSM Past Presidents and other leaders of the College. ACSM is most fortunate to have been able to capture reflections on the College and the fields of sports medicine and exercise science as part of this program.

You can view the interviews on ACSM’s YouTube channel.

1960s and 1970s

1980s

1990s