Randy Biggerstaff and Brent Holtgrewe, athletic trainers at Warrenton, have shared a strong bond for over 25 years. Though there's a 32-year age difference, the two still greet each other with a hug and a simple, "How are you doing?"

Biggerstaff, now 74, and Holtgrewe, 42, first met at church. Holtgrewe, then 16 at the time, attended a three-day spiritual retreat called Chrysalis, where Biggerstaff was an adult leader. Holtgrewe remembers joking, "You were still gray back then." Biggerstaff responded with a laugh, "I never had any hair back then, whether it was gray or not."

While church brought them together, their bond deepened after Holtgrewe sprained his MCL during his senior year of high school at football. He went to Biggerstaff for help, who started the athletic training program at Lindenwood University in 1997. 

At the time, Biggerstaff was the only athletic trainer within 15 miles. He was brought to Lindenwood after the president of the university sought him out to start an educational program for future athletic trainers. 

Biggerstaff was a pioneer in the start of the athletic training program, which was later accredited in 2003. 

Biggerstaff knew he wanted to become an athletic trainer in the ninth grade. He tried playing football at Parkway Central, and decided he looked “more like a snowman than an athlete” after putting on his helmet. 

Instead of playing for the football team, he decided to become the team manager with his friend after the coach had asked him. From there, he went on to be the manager for basketball and track and field as well. 

“In the midst of all that, we were starting to tape ankles and doing that sort of stuff. We really enjoyed it and I thought there’s got to be something out there where people do this,” Biggerstaff said. 

He eventually was given a newsletter called “Cramer First Aid,” that was essentially a pamphlet for athletic trainers. Inside were training courses people could take. 

“The coaches said if you want this, we’ll buy it for you and the two of you can do it over the summer. He and I both got a job with the athletic director from Parkway, who owned a camp down in the Ozarks for sports,” he recalled. 

Some point along the line, Biggerstaff started to question where he could go to school for this, and if it was something he could really pursue as a career. 

“It wasn’t really a well publicized profession but I really had a great time and I loved it,” he said. “That’s why I’ve done this for so long.”  

By the time he graduated high school, there were only three colleges in the country that offered the program. He ended up going to Mizzou. After he graduated, Biggerstaff was the only certified athletic trainer in the Greater St. Louis area. In 1979, he helped open the first sports medicine clinic in the Midwest. 

He has opened five more sports medicine practices since then. 

Biggerstaff went on to win countless awards and recognitions. Most notably, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. 

“When they brought me in, the lady said we would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for Biggerstaff, because we would not have the jobs. We’d be teaching all these athletic trainers but there would have been nowhere for them to work,” he said. 

Holtgrewe, inspired by Biggerstaff, later pursued a career in athletic training himself.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do and I was like, ‘Oh man, there is this amazing world where I can hangout with athletes, treat them and get them back on the field,’” Holtgrewe said. “When I got hurt, I thought maybe I could fix people.” 

The two ran into each other frequently over the years, especially when Holtgrewe attended Central Methodist University and Biggerstaff worked at Lindenwood. Both schools were in the same conference, so their paths often crossed during events. Holtgrewe fondly recalls how, every Thanksgiving, Biggerstaff would take care of the MSHSAA state football championships while Holtgrewe and his dad provided care for the event.

“We’ve been close ever since (church). (Biggerstaff) was always a mentor, a father figure,” Holtgrewe said. 

After spending 13 years in Panama City, Holtgrewe returned back to Missouri and the duo reunited professionally at Warrenton. This is the first time the two have worked officially hand-in-hand. 

Biggerstaff joined the school this fall, while Holtgrewe has been working there for six years. Holtgrewe had asked Biggerstaff to pick up a couple of days at the school when he began teaching at Lindenwood University. 

“It’s great to work with somebody you know,” Biggerstaff said. “It’s kind of like a machine, you know each other so well. You know what his good points are and what my good points are, and shift them back and forth.”

Holtgrewe reflected on the impact Biggerstaff has made on him, adding it’s nice to work with someone who has similar passions. 

“I tell people that I’m becoming [Biggerstaff]. His love and passion for athletic training and the kids is what really drove him and what I saw out of it,” Holtgrewe said. “Being able to teach at Lindenwood and step into his old stomping ground to teach the next generation, it’s been a cool dynamic…

“...I never thought we would be here looking back on it, but it’s cool to see how it’s all intertwining.” 

The 20-plus years of friendship and mentorship goes far beyond just work. Biggerstaff added he is proud of not only the athletic trainer Holtgrewe has become, but the person he has grown to be. 

“He and I have a bit more lifetime experiences and he’s always been very appreciative. He comes into town, makes sure he calls me and all this stuff, where some of the other ones [students] live in town and I don’t see them very much,” Biggerstaff said. “He’s a fine young man and that’s from his mom and dad. They are really good people and I’ve known them for quite some time.”