History
How It All Began: An Interview with Dr. John McCarroll
In 1980, Dr. John McCarroll came up with a concept - following in the footsteps of the man he calls the father of sports medicine, Dr. Thomas Brady. Have a walk-in clinic for injured athletes. Start a hotline so patients could reach a doctor at any hour. And market that practice by letting patients take home the branded T-shirts and shorts they changed into for their exams and giving away the branded clothing to trainers of high school and college athletes. Twenty-seven years later, that concept lives on at Methodist Sports Medicine / The Orthopedic Specialists.
In those early days, Dr. McCarroll, Dr. Art Rettig and several other physicians joined forces across the street from Methodist Hospital to start the first standalone sports medicine clinic in Indianapolis. Today, Dr. McCarroll and Dr. Rettig are the heart and soul of the practice - raising the bar throughout their careers by providing excellent care to professional and everyday athletes and giving back to the medical community through teaching, training and fellowships.
What was it like in the old days?
How have things changed over the years?
What should people know about Methodist Sports Medicine / The
Orthopedic Specialists?
Looking back, what has been most satisfying for you?
Since 1980, how have you changed?
What was it like in the old days?
It was great. As team doctors, we all had different high schools - Ben Davis, Cathedral. and every Saturday after football our walk-in clinic waiting room would be filled with 40 or 50 people from all over the state. We still see walk-ins to this day. We saw everyone then because we were the only game in town. And between us, we covered basketball and football at Indiana University, got started at Purdue, and when the Colts came to town, we became their team physicians.
We did a little bit of everything then - knees, shoulders - and progressed to where we are today. We knew Chuck (Van Meter) and Gary (Misamore) as residents and interns, and we needed someone for total joins and shoulders, so they joined the practice. After that, Tom (Klootwyk), Pete (Sallay) and Dave (Porter) came onboard. And because of our reputation, people came to us with questions about other things we didn't do, so we said, "Why not do it all?" One doctor and one patient at a time, we built our practice.
How have things changed over the years?
In some ways, it's a whole different world. We have amazing advances in x-rays, MRI's, radiology, cartilage restoration - and it's important that we stay on the cutting edge. But in other ways, it's not just taking good care of patients anymore. There's insurance, bureacracy and more competition, and for some it has become just a business. Their hearts aren't where ours were and still are. In the old days and now, we have always cared about every patient.
What should people know about Methodist Sports Medicine / The Orthopedic Specialists?
People need to know that for us, it's always been the true love of what we do. Even though we're bigger today and we have a new name - inside the doors, we're still the same - our philosophy, our caring. We demand it of each other and hold each other accountable.
Looking back, what has been the most satisfying for you?
There are few places I go that I don't know someone I took care of or met - Rushville, Bedford - North Lawrence. The people have always been more important to me than financial rewards. At one time, I took trips to watch the high school games, and had gone to every high school in the state except three or four because I never wanted to miss the kids I treated from there.
There have been a lot of good times and I remember every one - Bowl Games at IU, seven national championships for IU Soccer, getting to meet professional and college athletes and caring for kids who became family lawyers and doctors. I'll never forget when one of my patients who owned a lumber company in town took a Methodist Sports Medicine T-shirt and planted it on top of Mount Everest. Every one of our physicians has personal stories like these.
Since 1980, how have you changed?
I don't think I've changed much. I've slowed down, but I'm not retiring. I still see patients and cover events. I'm older, fatter and a little more cantankerous. But I never see a defeat. I always try to win. I see myself now as the old man, the coach, the historian - because I take the past and blend it with the future.
Mission
“Our mission is to be the best place to give care and the best place to
get care.”
