From Baylor to the NFL to Harvard — and now to Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Mark Adickes’ career has taken him from the o-line to the O.R. (operating room), and now the 1984 Baylor business graduate — whose resume also includes both a Super Bowl ring and a Harvard medical degree — has found a fitting new home. Last month, he joined Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) as chief of the division of sports medicine and professor of orthopedic surgery.

The first phase of Adickes’ professional life gave him unique insight into the second. He earned All-America honors as a Baylor offensive lineman in 1983 and went on to play for six seasons in the NFL, winning Super Bowl XXVI as a member of the Washington Redskins. A back injury forced his retirement after that season — and set him up for an impressive second act.

After being accepted to Harvard Medical School, he graduated in 2000 and later began practicing sports medicine in Houston. In 2009, Baylor fans appreciated the unique symmetry of his career when he performed the surgery to repair Robert Griffin III’s torn ACL. Baylor fans weren’t the only ones to recognize his expertise; both Fox Sports and ESPN have brought him in to provide insight into the nature of sports injuries on many of their programs.

Now, 32 years after earning a management degree from Baylor (and 20 years after being named to the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame), it only seems right that he is back under the Baylor umbrella. His BCM appointment, also fittingly, is multi-faceted. In addition to seeing patients, he’ll train future doctors and work with his colleagues to build a “comprehensive sports medicine program” within the Baylor College of Medicine to grow their reputation as one of the nation’s most highly-regarded and innovative medical schools.

Sic ’em, Dr. Mark Adickes!