The doctor is in (Hall of Fame, that is)

~ Longtime Southeast team physician Thorpe will be inducted into the state athletic trainers shrine in a ceremony Saturday at the school.

Dr. William Thorpe likes to tell people that he came to Cape Girardeau for the weather but stayed because of Southeast Missouri State.

On Saturday, Thorpe's nearly quarter of a century involvement with Southeast -- namely the university's athletic department -- will be recognized with his induction into the Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association Sports Medicine Hall of Fame.

Thorpe, Southeast's longtime former team physician for all sports, will be enshrined during the Hall of Fame banquet at 11:30 a.m. in the Dempster Hall atrium on the Southeast campus.

Thorpe, 58, will be recognized for outstanding service, dedication and contributions in sports medicine.

"When you get old, they start saying nice things about you," said Thorpe, who spent 23 years as Southeast's team physician before stepping down from that role in 2004 because of family obligations.

Thorpe, who remains in full-time practice with Orthopaedic Associates of Southeast Missouri, is a New York native who had spent his entire life in the Northeast before moving to Cape Girardeau in 1982 because he and his wife felt a change of climate was in order.

"We just got tired of the weather. My gosh, it snowed 200 inches a year in New York," Thorpe said. "I had a medical school classmate from Sikeston, so I came to the area for a visit. We liked it and moved here."

But little did Thorpe know at the time that he would never leave, thanks primarily to an early visit from then Southeast president Bill Stacy, athletic director Marvin Rosengarten and athletic trainer Red Williams (also a member of the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame).

"My first day on the job Bill, Marvin and Red came over to my office," Thorpe recalled. "I didn't even know who they were, but they asked if they could talk to me.

"Bill said he had heard I was interested in sports medicine and asked if I would be interested in becoming a team physician. I had a background in sports, I said sure, so I started from Day One in Cape Girardeau being the team physician at Southeast Missouri State."

That's why Thorpe said it is accurate when he says, "I always tell people I came to Cape Girardeau to get out of the cold of New York but I stayed because of Southeast Missouri State."

That Thorpe served as Southeast's team physician for so long was probably fitting, because it combined two of his great loves: sports and orthopedic surgery.

Thorpe played football for four years at Princeton University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1969.

"My background in sports got me interested in sports medicine," said Thorpe, who graduated from Harvard University Medical School in 1973. "To this day in life, I still believe you get a better education when you play a sport.

"Not a day doesn't go by in my practice where something I learned in athletics doesn't help me."

Thorpe said some of the best times of his life involve Southeast athletics.

"There were so many great memories. I got to know so many wonderful coaches, trainers, athletes, professors, all kinds of people," he said. "Athletes I took care of, I still exchange cards with; I get invited to weddings.

"I had to make a living, but no question my heart was with the sports program at Southeast Missouri State. I really miss it."

Thorpe, who also served as a team physician for Southern Illinois University-Carbondale during the time he worked for Southeast, was nominated for the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame by current Southeast trainer Rob Hunt.

In his letter of nomination, Hunt wrote, "As athletic trainers, we often have contact with individuals who go beyond the call of duty to sustain our efforts. Bill Thorpe is one of those individuals who always went the distance to make sure an athlete was cared for and the athletic trainer was supported."

Continued Hunt in his nomination letter: "The staff and athletes at Southeast Missouri State knew that Dr. Thorpe would provide the best care he could which was always in the best interest of the student-athlete. Dr. Thorpe is a man with great integrity and dignity. His compassion and kindness is what separates him from the average physician. Dr. Thorpe embodies all the qualities of the individuals currently represented in the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame."

Said Thorpe: "I'm very excited about it. It's a great honor, and it's always nice to be appreciated."

Also being inducted into the Sports Medicine Hall of Fame on Saturday will be Dr. Richard Lehman of The U.S. Center for Sports Medicine in St. Louis. He has served as team physician for a number of high schools, colleges and professional teams in the St. Louis area.

In addition, Dr. Amanda Sinclair, assistant professor of health, human performance and recreation at Southeast, will be recognized as the Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association's Athletic Trainer of the Year for her contributions to the field.

The Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association is made up of more than 600 certified and licensed athletic trainers throughout the state and focuses on promoting the athletic training profession.

The Sports Medicine Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1984, with this year's inductees bringing the total to 52.