W. Michael Walsh, M.D.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, I began my sports medicine career with a Fellowship under Dr. Jack Hughston, one of the founding fathers of orthopedic sports medicine. Part of that experience included learning the value of the MD – AT team through working with outstanding Athletic Trainers such as Kenny Howard and George McCluskey. I took that lesson with me to Omaha in 1980 when I became the team physician for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the first Director of Sports Medicine at the University of the Nebraska Medical Center. Until retirement in 2012, my entire career revolved around sports medicine, athletic injuries and comprehensive care of the athlete. My work was truly a labor of love. Having the opportunity to be around young, motivated athletes in the athletic training room and on the sidelines, as well as in my office, was exhilarating. Adding to that pleasure was the honor of working with other incredible Athletic Trainers: Wayne Wagner, Denise Fandel, Tom Frette and Rusty McKune, not to mention all the outstanding assistants and graduate assistants. Being involved with Athletic Training students and their education, introducing them to the world of orthopedics and sports medicine, was a further privilege. It’s impossible to calculate how many hours of my life were spent covering high school and college athletics, but one thing is for sure. I would do it all over again.
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