Chuck Barta

The 2026 season will mark Chuck Barta’s 20th year with the Minnesota Lynx as head athletic trainer and his second season as director of player performance. He brings more than 30 years of athletic training experience to the organization and has played a key role in all four of the franchise’s WNBA championships and seven WNBA Finals appearances.

Prior to joining the Lynx, Barta spent four seasons as a student athletic trainer with the Minnesota Vikings during training camp before being hired full-time as an assistant athletic trainer following his college graduation. In 1996, he was part of the Vikings medical staff named NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year. He was promoted to head athletic trainer in 1999, becoming only the second individual in franchise history to hold the position.

During his 18 seasons with the Vikings, including seven as head athletic trainer, Barta contributed to the advancement of player care protocols across the organization. In 2004, he helped establish the team’s safety committee, guided OSHA compliance efforts and served on the NFL’s Cardiovascular Health Subcommittee.

A native of Columbia Heights, Minn., Barta earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. He is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the Minnesota Athletic Trainers’ Association (MATA), where he previously served as vice president (1990–1992) and on the MATA Golf Tournament Committee (1993–2002).

In 2019, Barta helped organize the inaugural WNBA athletic trainers meeting in Tampa, Fla. In 2024, he co-founded the Women’s Professional Basketball Athletic Trainers Association (WPBATA). That same year, he joined the NBA/WNBA Emergency Preparedness Committee.