Longtime Virginia orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank C. McCue III passed away Sunday. He was 82 years old. McCue headed up the sports medicine program for the University of Virginia athletic department for more than 40 years.
Dr. McCue was a doctor and medical assistant for the UVa athletic program from 1961 to 2003. A native of Lewisburg, W.Va., Dr. McCue received his undergraduate degree (1952), medical degree (1956), and completed his residency at the University.
After leaving for a hand-surgery fellowship in California, Dr. McCue returned to UVa in 1961, where he became a professor of orthopedic surgery and later the director of UVa’s Division of Sports Medicine and Hand Surgery.
“Frank McCue represented the values that make the University of Virginia great. He was selfless, dedicated, professional and always ready to serve the University he so loved,” said UVa President Teresa A. Sullivan. “His presence will be greatly missed, and his contributions simply cannot be overstated.”
During his tenure at UVa McCue treated a variety of Cavalier student-athletes and other athletes and patients from the across the state. He served as surgeon to the University of Richmond, William and Mary and VMI athletics programs before they had their own doctors.
“No one loved the University of Virginia more nor has anyone done more to contribute to the welfare of citizens across the Commonwealth than Frank McCue,” said Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage. “When I think about people that truly made a difference in the welfare of others, Dr. McCue will be at the top of my list. He was more than a pioneer in the fields of sports medicine and hand surgery. Dr. McCue dedicated his life to ensuring the health and welfare of athletes of all levels and citizens around the country and the region. It is hard to estimate the number patients he served, the number of aspiring doctors and trainers he mentored or the number of hours he volunteered during his career. He’ll be missed and there will never be another like him.”
McCue retired in 2003 and was named Professor Emeritus of Orthopedics at the University of Virginia’s hospital. He later became the first inductee to the Order of the Crossed Sabres, which is noted as the Virginia Football Alumni Club’s highest honor. His presence in sports medicine continued as the Virginia High School Coaches Association annually presents a sports medicine award in his honor.
In 1998, the McCue Society was created and provides a variety of scholarships in the field of Sports Medicine to both graduates and undergraduates. The McCue Society, made up of McCue’s former colleagues, fellows, athletic trainers and students and friends, also provides a forum for sports medicine education and research among other contributions to the field of study.
The McCue Center, Virginia’s primary athletics support building, was dedicated in 1991 and named in his honor.
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