Dr. Larry Starr, head athletic trainer for the Cincinnati Reds for 21 years, including the “Big Red Machine” teams of the 1970s, will be the keynote speaker for Bluffton University’s annual Civic Engagement Day.

His March 25 address on athletics and lifelong learning is free and open to the public beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Yoder Recital Hall.

Starr was the Reds’ head trainer from 1972-92, which included World Series championships in 1975, ’76 and ’90. He then moved on to the Florida, now Miami, Marlins for nine years, adding another World Series ring in 1997. During his 30-year Major League Baseball career, he was also the trainer for the National League team in five All-Star games, in 1976, ’77, ’85, ’88 and ’95.

Now president of Starr Athletic Solutions LLC, Starr is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and Florida Athletic Trainers halls of fame. The recipient of NATA’s Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2006, he is also current alumni coordinator and past executive board secretary for the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

In addition, he is an athletic trainer observer for the National Football League at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, and co-founder of Miracles for Life, a nonprofit that promotes organ donation.

Starr earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Ohio University in 1968 and ’71, respectively, and a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2013. He is a member of the OU Alumni Association Board of Directors and a recipient of the association’s Medal of Merit.

Bluffton’s civic engagement theme for 2014-15 is “Education Matters! Learning for Life, Vocation and Responsible Citizenship.” Each year’s theme is a contemporary issue that is related to the university’s mission and becomes the subject of cross-disciplinary exploration throughout the academic year.