Northwestern University Athletics
Dr. Howard Sweeney Honored on His Retirement
6/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 7, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - One of the longest-running relationships in the Northwestern athletic department -- and the University as a whole -- officially came to a close on Friday, June 7.
Dr. Howard Sweeney, whose association with NU began in 1943 when he enrolled in the University's pre-med program, was honored with a retirement party at the Allen Center on campus. Sweeney began his work with the athletic department in 1964 as an orthopedic surgeon, and became the head physician in 1984. In his position as head physician, he has overseen the treatment of all injuries for every NU athlete in all sports.
"Well, you don't truly know when it's time to get out," said Sweeney, who maintains a full work schedule despite the fact that he turns 76 soon. "I mean, I was operating two days a week until I did my last one on Tuesday. And nobody's pushing me out -- President Bienen told me he thought he'd retire before I did. But I just decided to stop while things were going great and I'm doing fine. 76 is old enough."
Tory Aggeler, a member of the training staff for eight years now including the last three as head athletic trainer, was reverential when asked to talk about Sweeney.
"'Doc' has infinite wisdom," he said. "I'm going to really miss his experience. The greatest effect he's had here, in my opinion, has been mastering a sound ethical base. He is a father figure and a confidant, and someone you can look to for direction."
Sweeney graduated from the pre-med program at Northwestern (at the time a three-year program) in the summer of 1946, and then after a year in the army came back to finish up medical school. He graduated in June, 1951, then after his residency came back to practice at Evanston Hospital starting in 1957.
"I've been on the medical school faculty ever since that time," he says proudly.
How long has Sweeney's relationship run with the Wildcat teams? Consider that when he started, Aggeler was six years from being born. At the time, Alex Agase was the head football coach -- the first of eight Dr. Sweeney has worked with.
"The orthopedic work had been done by a number of doctors," Sweeney recalled of his introduction to Northwestern athletics, "and it just wasn't working out because every surgeon had a different idea of how things should be treated. A lot of stuff in the medical world at that time was in flux. Players with ligament injuries were being treated with casting, and it wasn't doing the job.
"So one day I had lunch with Dr. Stephen Reid, who was the chief physician at the time, and we got to talking about ligament injuries. I told him I thought casting was a lot of baloney, I believed they should be operated on or repaired. He said fine, and I started doing the team's surgeries. From 1964 until I was named head physician, I did all the orthopedic work.
"I did that for years, and I just started going over to the training room more and more. Soon I was going on the football trips -- paying my own way -- and then eventually they just sort of put me on the roster and started paying my way."
With the number of athletes and injuries that he has diagnosed, surely there must be some stories. However, when pressed to come up with the one thing he will remember, Sweeney throws a bit of a curve.
"There was a single event that occurred, and I don't remember exactly when it was but I can remember who was President -- Bob Strotz," he said. "He took a look at athletics at NU and put into effect two things. One was that the head team physician would be appointed by and responsible to the President of the University -- I don't believe there is another school in the entire United States that does that. I've talked to guys from all over the country and they think it's unbelievable.
"The other thing he did was put in a format that if an athlete missed practice or competition for five days, before he or she went back into action, the trainer had to sign a form saying you were all right, the team physician had to sign it, and the athlete had to sign it. That's a powerful thing -- the only time I can recall us ever having a conflict came under Dennis Green, because all three parties signed it and Dennis still wouldn't put the kid back in. He still thought that something was wrong."
Aggeler cited Sweeney's integrity as one of his greatest assets.
"He has great character, and that encompasses a lot," said Aggeler. "He sticks to his beliefs, and he has never used this job to his advantage. He's never allowed the job to be a financial or power trip, and he could never stand people who were in it for what he considered the wrong reasons. He did it because he loved doing it, and he would never allow this place to become a meat market.
"At the same time, one of his greatest attributes was his ability to adapt to change," Aggeler continued. "The way athletes are treated today is much different than when he first got involved, but he has always been open to new technology and philosophical changes. He has stayed ahead of the game."
Talking with Sweeney, his integrity and passion for the job quickly become apparent. He is also extremely philosophical. Among his gems:
* "Not everything has worked right or was perfect over the years, but you try to make it perfect. Surgery is one of the few professions where everything is supposed to work perfectly 100 percent of the time. There isn't anything else like that in the world. We try, though. It's an interesting occupation that way."
* "In this job, you need to get along with everybody. I'm not about to get into arguments with the coaches or with [Athletic Director] Rick Taylor, and I don't tell them, 'look, I'm going to do this because I'm appointed by the University President.' It doesn't work that way, and it shouldn't."
* "You have to adapt to changes that are being made in the field. We're really blessed at Northwestern. We've had great people -- the administrators are great, the trainers are great, the physicians are great. It's unbelievable, and it's been this way for years. I'm sure we've probably spent more money than sometimes we should on these kids, but we do it because we think it's necessary. If you need an MRI or something to get done, it's going to get done. That's the way it should be -- players should not be used."
* "I think a lot of sports medicine is psychological. For instance, take an athlete who gets hurt and tries to come back and can't make it...most of them really try. But it isn't their fault, their body just doesn't respond and they can't get back. They won't quit, though, because they're afraid that everyone will think they're a quitter, or they're giving up and harming the team. What I tell them is, 'you're not quitting. I'm TELLING you you're not playing anymore. If you want to blame somebody, or the team wants to blame somebody, or the coach wants to blame somebody, tell them to blame me.' So I take the load off of them, because I can stand it but they can't sometimes -- at age 20 or whatever, they're much more brittle. And you can see, it's like a cloud lifts off of them."
* "I look at this place as a family. I really do. I take every kid's problem to heart."
His favorite part of the job? Sweeney has a quick answer.
"Putting somebody back together and having them function," he said. "The other night the NGN had a function, and [former All-American and current coach] Pat Fitzgerald complimented me on his ankle. I see guys all the time come back that I operated on. Some guy walks in, he's married and he's holding his kids and I remember when I operated on him. That makes it worthwhile."
Worst part of the job? "Ruling a kid out for drugs. I hate doing that. Absolutely hate it. Fortunately, Tory takes over most of that stuff now."
One would assume that Sweeney's life will slow down with this retirement. Maybe time for his wife of 53 years, Kathleen, and him to settle down. With 10 children and 19 grandkids, there are plenty of people to see and visit.
Think again. 'Doc' will be as busy as ever.
"I'm having a big retirement party at my house this weekend, but it's not a retirement party -- we're calling it a 'Next Beginning Party.'
"I've set up a not-for-profit foundation called the Global Arthroscopy Foundation, and its purpose is to bring fellows here from other countries and teach them how to do arthroscopic surgery at our lab out by O'Hare," he continues, his eyes beginning to twinkle with excitement. "Then I'm going to have them come to Evanston Hospital to observe. And I'm going to have companies donate all the equipment to them, then I'll send them back home and put an American surgeon with them for a week to 10 days to get them up and running.
"I've been to several places all over the world in recent years, and they have never performed surgeries what we would consider simple here in America. So I know the need is great."
Sounds like a full-time job. But wait, there's more.
"The other thing I want to do is work with residents, training them on motor skills in terms of arthroscopic surgery," he continued. "This would be a one-on-one thing, not a class. I've done a lot of this for the last 35 years and I enjoy it. I'll keep doing that."
In the meantime, Dr. Greg Palutsis will take over as head physician for NU athletics. Amazingly, he will be just the third person to assume that position since World War II, after Reid and Sweeney. And while University President Henry Bienen ultimately made the hire, there was an endorsement that could not be ignored.
"Dr. Palutsis is a hand-picked successor -- you better believe it," said Sweeney. "He's been with me for 15 years, he was a resident at Northwestern, got his fellowship in sports medicine at Iowa, and joined us after that. Very, very solid guy -- he's got good judgement, he's used to handling the athletes here at Northwestern, and he's a good surgeon. He's perfect for the job."
Friday's fete brought together a veritable who's who of Northwestern athletic luminaries, as Wildcats past and present gather to honor the man affectionately known as 'Doc.'
But remember, the party did not celebrate the end of an era...only a New Beginning. Doc wouldn't want it any other way.
