Roll Call Tribute

John Richard Steadman

June 4, 1937 - January 20, 2023

Dr. J. Richard Steadman passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Vail, Colorado on January 20th at the age of 85.

He was born in 1937 in Sherman, Texas.  He graduated in 1959 from Texas A&M University, and received his M.D. in 1963 from the University of Texas (Dallas).

After spending two years in the Army, stationed in Germany, he did his residency in orthopaedics at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He started practice in South Lake Tahoe in California. He founded the renowned Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO.  Dr. Steadman’s direct involvement in providing care for elite athletes got its start with his association with the United States Olympic ski teams in the 1970s. He served as the team physician for the US Alpine Ski Team for nine consecutive Winter Olympics, beginning in 1976. Finally, he moved to the Vail Valley in 1990, where he built their life long home. His unrivalled bedside manner and sage advice made him beloved by his patients and colleagues alike.

Dr. Steadman was a leading expert in the repair and rehabilitation of knee injuries, including cartilage repair with microfractures, meniscus reconstruction using implants or ligament recovery by healing response, and his understanding of the fundamental role of the rehabilitation process with minimal immobilization after surgery, as well as the close following of his patients through the use of outcomes. He was also a brilliant sports medicine surgeon that took care of hundreds of athletes of different sport fields.

Dr. Steadman is survived by his loving wife, Gay, his sister Mary, his son Lyon, his daughter Liddy, his six grandchildren, and his four great grandchildren.