Henry Leroy "Buck" Andel was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1921. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1943, where he lettered in both
baseball and football, he joined the U.S. Army. Serving in Europe during World War II, he was wounded in the arm by a German mortar. Andel received a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts for his service. He also spent a year in various hospitals recovering from his wounds.
After the war, Andel began to learn athletic training. From 1948 until 1969, he was the head athletic trainer at Georgia Tech. He was an athletic trainer for the U.S. Olympic team in 1960.
Andel was a member of the first NATA Board of Directors in 1950, where they chose him to the the first Chair of the Board, even though that position did not officially exist. He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1986. He passed away on February 13, 2005.
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