Super Bowl invokes special memories for orthopedic surgeon

Any child who is a football fan has played the scene out with their friends in the backyard – the deciding moment of the Super Bowl. Baylor College of Medicine's Dr. Mark Adickes did the same thing as a child, but never thought he'd actually have the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl one day.

"Running out on to the Super Bowl field – that was a surreal moment," said Adickes, chief of the division of sports medicine and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor.

He recalls running on to the field during the Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in 1992 as one of two special moments in his football career. The other was during his first game with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1986 at Arrowhead Stadium, the same stadium where he sat as a child in the second row from the very top in the corner of the end zone with his father for the first-ever Chiefs game played there.

In the Super Bowl, Adickes played backup offensive lineman with the Redskins. It was his second-to-last year in the NFL, and that Super Bowl-winning team often is referred to amongst the best teams that ever played the game.

"That Redskins team – every single guy on the team was a leader. It seemed like one of those years when everything is going your way," he said. "You're winning games. The games you play well, you blow people out. The games you play poorly on the road, you still find a way to win. It just seemed pretty magical."

When the team was 11 and 0, the Super Bowl buzz began. Adickes recalls superstars like Kevin Costner and Bruce Willis being on the sidelines during practices as the team's momentum grew through the season. For the team, however, the focus was still on the game.

"Everyone's trying to get their body as healthy as they can and really stay in the moment so that they have a chance to go to the Super Bowl," he said.

Adickes recalls that euphoric week once the Redskins earned a spot in Super Bowl XXVI.

"Practices are fun and a little light that week. Everybody is healing up and taking care of the extra stuff that the Super Bowl is going to require," said Adickes.

The team travelled to Minneapolis a week before the big game, where in addition to practicing they took part in media days and other events surrounding the game.

On the day of the game, Adickes remembers how incredibly loud the stadium was, as well as how it was filled with smoke from the fireworks following the pregame festivities.

The team knew that everything was on the line – winning the game meant a bonus check, the Super Bowl ring and, of course, football immortality.

"As the game is winding down, you're like 'oh my gosh, this is really going to happen,' so it's really fun," he said.

Finally, the stadium was filled with confetti, hats, T-shirts and hugs, and that childhood moment suddenly became a reality.

"The feeling upon expiration of the clock with the Redskins ahead on the scoreboard was pure elation," he said. "An instant bond is formed between you and the men with whom you accomplished this rare feat."

Adickes has attended one Super Bowl as a guest since then, in 1993 when the game was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and Michael Jackson was the halftime performer.

After his retirement, Adickes pursued a career in medicine, attending Harvard Medical School and then going on to pursue his residency training in orthopedic surgery and a fellowship in sports medicine.

"I chose orthopedic surgery and sports medicine as my second career as a way to tie my first career to my second. As an athlete who overcame a number of injuries, surgeries and rehabilitations, my perspective is unique and allows me to easily put myself in my patient's shoes," said Adickes.

Adickes has found a way to stay involved in the game by serving as a sports medicine expert for both ESPN and DirecTV and providing injury analysis for sports fans across the country.

As he thinks about the upcoming game in Houston, the memories come flooding back.

"They want the Super Bowl to be at a destination where the stadium is state of the art," he said. "NRG is as nice a stadium as there is in the country. I think it's a perfect venue. As a player, I'd be excited to come to Houston. The weather's going to be good and you don't have to worry about freezing. At the same time there's going to be tons to do."

"I think it's a huge compliment that they want to have it in Houston. Houston is a fabulous destination – it's a cosmopolitan town and it's a foodie town. It will be fun for all of the people coming."

Provided by Baylor College of Medicine