Trailblazer famed sports surgeon J. Richard Steadman dies at 85

After Bay Area attorney Paula Canney tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee while skiing in 2011, she consulted several San Francisco-area surgeons who recommended ligament replacement surgery.

However, Canney’s close friend, personal finance expert and author Suze Orman and Orman’s partner, KT, suggested that Canney visit Dr. J. Richard Steadman, an orthopedic surgeon in Vail, Colorado, for his opinion. bottom.

“I flew to Colorado and had (Stedman) look at my knee,” says Canney, 67. I think he can heal naturally. He drilled some holes in his bones to get blood flow to the area.I couldn’t bend his knee for a while, but he gave me strength exercises and aggressive physical therapy. I let it happen. In April he underwent surgery. I was trekking in the Himalayas in October.

“Stedman was a genius”

Steadman, who died in his sleep on January 20 at the age of 85, was a renowned orthopedic surgeon who founded The Steadman Clinic in Vail, whose name was on Rolodex’s final list of all professional athletes, including James Andrews and the late Frank Jobe. Over the past half-century, many star players, including NFL Hall of Famer defensive his end Bruce Smith, have credited Stedman’s knee surgery with saving their careers.

“My knee was in bad shape,” Smith said in a 2019 interview with The Steadman Clinic. “(The Buffalo Bills) had a sour relationship with their previous surgeon, so I had to do some research to find a surgeon to handle the day. “Steady” was there for you, not only to protect you, but to make sure that your quality of life is paramount.

Stedman was born in Texas in 1937, and after playing football at Texas A&M University under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Bryant went to Alabama to coach the likes of Joe Namath. According to an obituary on The Steadman Clinic’s website, Steadman earned his medical degree from Texas Southwestern Medical School and then served in the Army for two years.

He was named Chief Physician of the U.S. Ski Team in 1976, and over the years his client list has been star-studded with professional skiers, including former Olympian Cindy Nelson (1976 downhill bronze medalist) and Andy Mill. was part of

“Rip Doc. Helped so many people and made an incredible impact especially in the Vail Valley. My condolences to the family,” said Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn after Stedman’s death. Tweeted.

In 1990, Stedman founded the eponymous Vail Clinic and was also Co-Chair of the Stedman Philippon Institute. Stedman was behind the pioneering “microfracture” surgery for his knee injury. He retired from active duty in his 2014, according to the Steadman Clinic website.

Canney says that when she was treated by Stedman, the walls of the clinic and Stedman’s office were like showcases in the “Hall of Fame,” adorned with jerseys, photographs and memorabilia of the orthopedic surgeon’s famous patients.

From Hall of Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and John Elway, to Olympic skier Bode Miller, tennis great Martina Navratilova, golfer Greg Norman, and numerous MLB and NHL stars, Stedman has counted. Helped maintain or extend a career as a million-dollar professional athlete. .