into Ropes’s office and said, “How are ya doing, Ropes?” She said the athletes in the room loved the name, and it was what Ropes went by until his death. That fateful day happened during his 34th year as head athletic trainer, after he had blazed a trail in athletic training and served for many years as one of the few professional trainers in collegiate sports. For his efforts, he was chosen to serve as the athletic trainer for the U.S. Track and Field Team that participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964, and he went on the Oregon Universities Rugby Tour of England and Wales not long after. In 1967, he toured Southeast Asia with the Special Services branch of the Army to instruct soldiers in athletic training and preventive medicine. He also served as trainer for the state high school Shrine game in Portland for 18 years. In 1968, he was inducted into the “Helms Foundation Hall of Fame” for athletic trainers, which is now the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame. He also continued mountain climbing, scaling Mt. Hood 25 times and visiting his beloved Mt. Rainier whenever he could. In 1972, he and Dick Irvin created OSU’s academic athletic training program. This program was among the first 15 in the country to be approved by NATA, and Dick served as its inaugural director. In 1980, Ropes had an “apparent heart attack” and died doing what he loved most — caring for athletes. REMEMBERING AN OSU ICON Ropes’s memorial service was held at Gill Coliseum, and 400 people, including OSU alum Dick Fosbury, came from as far away as Hawaii to honor “one of Oregon State’s great human beings.” The governor declared the day “Bill Robertson Day.” “He was just a guy you always thought of when you thought of Oregon State. He’d give you his opinion on what should or shouldn’t be done, and he’d give you a good boot in the pants if you needed that, too,” said former basketball standout Mel Counts. Ropes’s son, Bill Robertson Jr., described growing up in a home that was never locked, and where a variety of people would drop by at any time. “I can’t tell you what an incredible life it was,” he said. “There was so much love and so much warmth. “Rope-Sole, what a trainer. Rope-Sole, what a friend. Rope-Sole, what a father. Rope-Sole, what a hell of a man.” Editor’s note: In an effort to preserve and honor Ropes’s memory and contributions, we dug into OSU’s archives and talked with Bill’s daughter, Nancy Kramer, who honors her father by serving as chair of the 10th Mountain Division Foundation. We’ve done our best to provide an honest account. For a more complete story on Ropes, with additional details, quotes and photos, visit health.oregonstate.edu/ropes. Dick Fosbury, Ropes, Steve Preece Synergies Winter 2025-26 ▴ 9
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