E. Harvey O'Phelan, MD Age 91, Orthopaedic Surgeon MN Twins, MN Gophers USA Olympic Team.
E. Harvey O'Phelan was born on December 5th, 1915 to James and Kathleen O'Phelan in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The family moved to St. Paul in 1920 when James O'Phelan became the sports editor and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Harvey attended St. Mark's grade school, Cretin High School and the College of St. Thomas where he received the coveted "Mr. Tommy" award in 1937. In 1941 he was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical School and due to the intense need for physicians during WWII, completed his medical school education in 3 years. After finishing his residency at Fordham Hospital in New York City in 1945, Harvey began his military service as a physician for the U.S. Army at Waltham Regional Hospital in Boston where he cared for injured American Troops as well as captured German soldiers. This experience initiated his interest in pursuing an Orthopaedic specialty. Reaching the rank of Captain in 1946, he was transferred to Germany to care for the occupying forces. During this time he attended the Nuremburg Trials and furthered his medical education at the University of Vienna. After completing his military service, Harvey joined Dr. John Moe and Dr. Lester Carlendar in their private practice known as Orthopaedic Consultants. In 1957, he became an investor in the Minneapolis Lakers and developed a further specialty treating athletic injuries. In 1962, Harvey started his tenure with the University of Minnesota Gophers as their physician and continued this association through the 1983 season. Harvey is a member of U of M's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1968, Calvin Griffith asked Harvey to handle the orthopaedic needs for the Minnesota Twins. This association continued through spring training of the 1991 season. During his tenure with the Twins, Harvey formed an association of Major League Baseball team physicians to further the treatment of athletic injuries. In 1972, the United States Olympic team selected Harvey as their Orthopaedic Specialist for the Summer Games held in Munich, West Germany. This experience led to similar opportunities with USA teams competing in the World University Games (WUG) in 1977 and 1979. In 1980, Harvey joined the International Medical Commission governing the treatment and doping control of athletes competing in the WUG. In 1986, he joined USA Hockey and along with Dr. George Nagabods attended to the medical needs of U.S. teams competing in the World Championships of Hockey. His association with USA Hockey continued into 2007.
Harvey passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family on September 21, 2007. He is preceded in death by his brother Pat (1961), son Sean (1987), beloved wife Kathleen "Kitty" (1990) and cherished companion Dorothy Dolphin (2007). He is survived by daughter, Moonyeen "Missy" (Wayne Knutson, Jr., Colonel USAF) of San Antonio, TX; son, Timothy (Maria) of St. Paul; son Edward of Forest Lake; and daughter, Cachene "Cassie" (Martin Tschida IV) of Maplewood; grandchildren Christopher and Chloe Knutson, Conor, Timothy and Coleman O'Phelan and Kathleen and Marti Tschida.
Visitation Wednesday, September 26th, 2-8 PM at O'Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home on Snelling Ave. in St. Paul. (651-698-0796). Funeral Mass is on Thursday, September 27th at 10 AM at St. Mark's Catholic Church in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the James and Kathleen O'Phelan scholarship fund at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Article in Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sept. 23, 2007:
Dr. O'Phelan was always in for athletes
A sports medicine pioneer, he was a physician for the Minnesota Twins, the U and the U.S. Olympic Team.
By Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune
Anytime the doorbell rang at the O'Phelan house in Minneapolis in the 1960s and '70s, chances were good that a local professional athlete was standing on the other side, hoping to get some on-the-side medical advice from Dr. Harvey O'Phelan.
"They'd just show up at the front door," said Tim O'Phelan, son of the longtime Minnesota Twins orthopedic physician. "Maybe they didn't want their coach or manager to know they were hurt. But if you mentioned it to the doctor, it was kind of privileged information. A lot of times, guys just wanted to make sure the knee was fine or the shoulder was OK. But they made a point of seeking him out and coming to our home."
O'Phelan, a pioneer in sports medicine and former physician for the Minnesota Twins, the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Olympic Team, died at his home Friday. He was 91.
Tim O'Phelan said his father's metastatic melanoma was diagnosed in January.
Patrick Smith, the orthopedic consultant to the University of Minnesota football and wrestling teams, said O'Phelan was one of the first to perfect "the art" of sports medicine, treating thousands of local athletes in a career spanning three-plus decades.
His patient list included Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. He operated on the knees of former Twin outfielder Tony Oliva seven times.
"He did it at a time when people weren't involved in sports," Smith said. "Now, people are dropping all over each other trying to get involved. He developed sports medicine."
Smith said one of O'Phelan's greatest strengths was winning the confidence of the athletes he was working with.
"Harvey could sit with a person for two minutes and they felt he'd been with them for an hour," Smith said.
Lou Nanne, the former North Stars player and general manager, said Sunday, "If you ever needed someone to counsel you on a very important life decision, he was the guy you would want to talk to."
Nanne did just that in 1982. His son Michael, then 18, was badly hurt in a motorcycle accident in Ontario. Doctors worried that they might have to amputate his leg to save his life. "They said gangrene could set in and it could spread," Lou Nanne recalled. He called O'Phelan, who reassured him that amputation was probably "the right decision," Nanne said. "So we went ahead with it."
O'Phelan grew up in St. Paul the son of a sports editor. He played quarterback and running back at the College of St. Thomas. He later enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1941. After the war, he joined an orthopedic practice, then became an investor and sports physician with the Minneapolis Lakers.
In the fall of 1962, he became the physician for the Minnesota Gophers sports teams, a post he held for two decades. When Gophers basketball star Lou Hudson hurt his wrist in the mid-1960s, O'Phelan created a cast that let Hudson to finish the season.
"That created a sports controversy at the time," Tim O'Phelan said. "He was always experimenting with different casts and techniques."
In 1972, O'Phelan was the orthopedic specialist for the U.S. Olympic Team at the Summer Games in Munich when Palestinian terrorists seized 11 members of Israel's Olympic delegation. "He could see the whole standoff taking place," Tim O'Phelan said, and delivered a live, on-air report to WCCO Radio.
A funeral mass for O'Phelan is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mark's Catholic Church, 1976 Dayton Av., St. Paul.
E. Harvey O'Phelan was born on December 5th, 1915 to James and Kathleen O'Phelan in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The family moved to St. Paul in 1920 when James O'Phelan became the sports editor and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Harvey attended St. Mark's grade school, Cretin High School and the College of St. Thomas where he received the coveted "Mr. Tommy" award in 1937. In 1941 he was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical School and due to the intense need for physicians during WWII, completed his medical school education in 3 years. After finishing his residency at Fordham Hospital in New York City in 1945, Harvey began his military service as a physician for the U.S. Army at Waltham Regional Hospital in Boston where he cared for injured American Troops as well as captured German soldiers. This experience initiated his interest in pursuing an Orthopaedic specialty. Reaching the rank of Captain in 1946, he was transferred to Germany to care for the occupying forces. During this time he attended the Nuremburg Trials and furthered his medical education at the University of Vienna. After completing his military service, Harvey joined Dr. John Moe and Dr. Lester Carlendar in their private practice known as Orthopaedic Consultants. In 1957, he became an investor in the Minneapolis Lakers and developed a further specialty treating athletic injuries. In 1962, Harvey started his tenure with the University of Minnesota Gophers as their physician and continued this association through the 1983 season. Harvey is a member of U of M's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1968, Calvin Griffith asked Harvey to handle the orthopaedic needs for the Minnesota Twins. This association continued through spring training of the 1991 season. During his tenure with the Twins, Harvey formed an association of Major League Baseball team physicians to further the treatment of athletic injuries. In 1972, the United States Olympic team selected Harvey as their Orthopaedic Specialist for the Summer Games held in Munich, West Germany. This experience led to similar opportunities with USA teams competing in the World University Games (WUG) in 1977 and 1979. In 1980, Harvey joined the International Medical Commission governing the treatment and doping control of athletes competing in the WUG. In 1986, he joined USA Hockey and along with Dr. George Nagabods attended to the medical needs of U.S. teams competing in the World Championships of Hockey. His association with USA Hockey continued into 2007.
Harvey passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family on September 21, 2007. He is preceded in death by his brother Pat (1961), son Sean (1987), beloved wife Kathleen "Kitty" (1990) and cherished companion Dorothy Dolphin (2007). He is survived by daughter, Moonyeen "Missy" (Wayne Knutson, Jr., Colonel USAF) of San Antonio, TX; son, Timothy (Maria) of St. Paul; son Edward of Forest Lake; and daughter, Cachene "Cassie" (Martin Tschida IV) of Maplewood; grandchildren Christopher and Chloe Knutson, Conor, Timothy and Coleman O'Phelan and Kathleen and Marti Tschida.
Visitation Wednesday, September 26th, 2-8 PM at O'Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home on Snelling Ave. in St. Paul. (651-698-0796). Funeral Mass is on Thursday, September 27th at 10 AM at St. Mark's Catholic Church in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the James and Kathleen O'Phelan scholarship fund at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Article in Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sept. 23, 2007:
Dr. O'Phelan was always in for athletes
A sports medicine pioneer, he was a physician for the Minnesota Twins, the U and the U.S. Olympic Team.
By Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune
Anytime the doorbell rang at the O'Phelan house in Minneapolis in the 1960s and '70s, chances were good that a local professional athlete was standing on the other side, hoping to get some on-the-side medical advice from Dr. Harvey O'Phelan.
"They'd just show up at the front door," said Tim O'Phelan, son of the longtime Minnesota Twins orthopedic physician. "Maybe they didn't want their coach or manager to know they were hurt. But if you mentioned it to the doctor, it was kind of privileged information. A lot of times, guys just wanted to make sure the knee was fine or the shoulder was OK. But they made a point of seeking him out and coming to our home."
O'Phelan, a pioneer in sports medicine and former physician for the Minnesota Twins, the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Olympic Team, died at his home Friday. He was 91.
Tim O'Phelan said his father's metastatic melanoma was diagnosed in January.
Patrick Smith, the orthopedic consultant to the University of Minnesota football and wrestling teams, said O'Phelan was one of the first to perfect "the art" of sports medicine, treating thousands of local athletes in a career spanning three-plus decades.
His patient list included Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. He operated on the knees of former Twin outfielder Tony Oliva seven times.
"He did it at a time when people weren't involved in sports," Smith said. "Now, people are dropping all over each other trying to get involved. He developed sports medicine."
Smith said one of O'Phelan's greatest strengths was winning the confidence of the athletes he was working with.
"Harvey could sit with a person for two minutes and they felt he'd been with them for an hour," Smith said.
Lou Nanne, the former North Stars player and general manager, said Sunday, "If you ever needed someone to counsel you on a very important life decision, he was the guy you would want to talk to."
Nanne did just that in 1982. His son Michael, then 18, was badly hurt in a motorcycle accident in Ontario. Doctors worried that they might have to amputate his leg to save his life. "They said gangrene could set in and it could spread," Lou Nanne recalled. He called O'Phelan, who reassured him that amputation was probably "the right decision," Nanne said. "So we went ahead with it."
O'Phelan grew up in St. Paul the son of a sports editor. He played quarterback and running back at the College of St. Thomas. He later enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1941. After the war, he joined an orthopedic practice, then became an investor and sports physician with the Minneapolis Lakers.
In the fall of 1962, he became the physician for the Minnesota Gophers sports teams, a post he held for two decades. When Gophers basketball star Lou Hudson hurt his wrist in the mid-1960s, O'Phelan created a cast that let Hudson to finish the season.
"That created a sports controversy at the time," Tim O'Phelan said. "He was always experimenting with different casts and techniques."
In 1972, O'Phelan was the orthopedic specialist for the U.S. Olympic Team at the Summer Games in Munich when Palestinian terrorists seized 11 members of Israel's Olympic delegation. "He could see the whole standoff taking place," Tim O'Phelan said, and delivered a live, on-air report to WCCO Radio.
A funeral mass for O'Phelan is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mark's Catholic Church, 1976 Dayton Av., St. Paul.
E. Harvey O'Phelan, MD Age 91, Orthopaedic Surgeon MN Twins, MN Gophers USA Olympic Team.
E. Harvey O'Phelan was born on December 5th, 1915 to James and Kathleen O'Phelan in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The family moved to St. Paul in 1920 when James O'Phelan became the sports editor and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Harvey attended St. Mark's grade school, Cretin High School and the College of St. Thomas where he received the coveted "Mr. Tommy" award in 1937. In 1941 he was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical School and due to the intense need for physicians during WWII, completed his medical school education in 3 years. After finishing his residency at Fordham Hospital in New York City in 1945, Harvey began his military service as a physician for the U.S. Army at Waltham Regional Hospital in Boston where he cared for injured American Troops as well as captured German soldiers. This experience initiated his interest in pursuing an Orthopaedic specialty. Reaching the rank of Captain in 1946, he was transferred to Germany to care for the occupying forces. During this time he attended the Nuremburg Trials and furthered his medical education at the University of Vienna. After completing his military service, Harvey joined Dr. John Moe and Dr. Lester Carlendar in their private practice known as Orthopaedic Consultants. In 1957, he became an investor in the Minneapolis Lakers and developed a further specialty treating athletic injuries. In 1962, Harvey started his tenure with the University of Minnesota Gophers as their physician and continued this association through the 1983 season. Harvey is a member of U of M's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1968, Calvin Griffith asked Harvey to handle the orthopaedic needs for the Minnesota Twins. This association continued through spring training of the 1991 season. During his tenure with the Twins, Harvey formed an association of Major League Baseball team physicians to further the treatment of athletic injuries. In 1972, the United States Olympic team selected Harvey as their Orthopaedic Specialist for the Summer Games held in Munich, West Germany. This experience led to similar opportunities with USA teams competing in the World University Games (WUG) in 1977 and 1979. In 1980, Harvey joined the International Medical Commission governing the treatment and doping control of athletes competing in the WUG. In 1986, he joined USA Hockey and along with Dr. George Nagabods attended to the medical needs of U.S. teams competing in the World Championships of Hockey. His association with USA Hockey continued into 2007.
Harvey passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family on September 21, 2007. He is preceded in death by his brother Pat (1961), son Sean (1987), beloved wife Kathleen "Kitty" (1990) and cherished companion Dorothy Dolphin (2007). He is survived by daughter, Moonyeen "Missy" (Wayne Knutson, Jr., Colonel USAF) of San Antonio, TX; son, Timothy (Maria) of St. Paul; son Edward of Forest Lake; and daughter, Cachene "Cassie" (Martin Tschida IV) of Maplewood; grandchildren Christopher and Chloe Knutson, Conor, Timothy and Coleman O'Phelan and Kathleen and Marti Tschida.
Visitation Wednesday, September 26th, 2-8 PM at O'Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home on Snelling Ave. in St. Paul. (651-698-0796). Funeral Mass is on Thursday, September 27th at 10 AM at St. Mark's Catholic Church in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the James and Kathleen O'Phelan scholarship fund at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Article in Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sept. 23, 2007:
Dr. O'Phelan was always in for athletes
A sports medicine pioneer, he was a physician for the Minnesota Twins, the U and the U.S. Olympic Team.
By Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune
Anytime the doorbell rang at the O'Phelan house in Minneapolis in the 1960s and '70s, chances were good that a local professional athlete was standing on the other side, hoping to get some on-the-side medical advice from Dr. Harvey O'Phelan.
"They'd just show up at the front door," said Tim O'Phelan, son of the longtime Minnesota Twins orthopedic physician. "Maybe they didn't want their coach or manager to know they were hurt. But if you mentioned it to the doctor, it was kind of privileged information. A lot of times, guys just wanted to make sure the knee was fine or the shoulder was OK. But they made a point of seeking him out and coming to our home."
O'Phelan, a pioneer in sports medicine and former physician for the Minnesota Twins, the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Olympic Team, died at his home Friday. He was 91.
Tim O'Phelan said his father's metastatic melanoma was diagnosed in January.
Patrick Smith, the orthopedic consultant to the University of Minnesota football and wrestling teams, said O'Phelan was one of the first to perfect "the art" of sports medicine, treating thousands of local athletes in a career spanning three-plus decades.
His patient list included Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. He operated on the knees of former Twin outfielder Tony Oliva seven times.
"He did it at a time when people weren't involved in sports," Smith said. "Now, people are dropping all over each other trying to get involved. He developed sports medicine."
Smith said one of O'Phelan's greatest strengths was winning the confidence of the athletes he was working with.
"Harvey could sit with a person for two minutes and they felt he'd been with them for an hour," Smith said.
Lou Nanne, the former North Stars player and general manager, said Sunday, "If you ever needed someone to counsel you on a very important life decision, he was the guy you would want to talk to."
Nanne did just that in 1982. His son Michael, then 18, was badly hurt in a motorcycle accident in Ontario. Doctors worried that they might have to amputate his leg to save his life. "They said gangrene could set in and it could spread," Lou Nanne recalled. He called O'Phelan, who reassured him that amputation was probably "the right decision," Nanne said. "So we went ahead with it."
O'Phelan grew up in St. Paul the son of a sports editor. He played quarterback and running back at the College of St. Thomas. He later enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1941. After the war, he joined an orthopedic practice, then became an investor and sports physician with the Minneapolis Lakers.
In the fall of 1962, he became the physician for the Minnesota Gophers sports teams, a post he held for two decades. When Gophers basketball star Lou Hudson hurt his wrist in the mid-1960s, O'Phelan created a cast that let Hudson to finish the season.
"That created a sports controversy at the time," Tim O'Phelan said. "He was always experimenting with different casts and techniques."
In 1972, O'Phelan was the orthopedic specialist for the U.S. Olympic Team at the Summer Games in Munich when Palestinian terrorists seized 11 members of Israel's Olympic delegation. "He could see the whole standoff taking place," Tim O'Phelan said, and delivered a live, on-air report to WCCO Radio.
A funeral mass for O'Phelan is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mark's Catholic Church, 1976 Dayton Av., St. Paul.
E. Harvey O'Phelan was born on December 5th, 1915 to James and Kathleen O'Phelan in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The family moved to St. Paul in 1920 when James O'Phelan became the sports editor and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Harvey attended St. Mark's grade school, Cretin High School and the College of St. Thomas where he received the coveted "Mr. Tommy" award in 1937. In 1941 he was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical School and due to the intense need for physicians during WWII, completed his medical school education in 3 years. After finishing his residency at Fordham Hospital in New York City in 1945, Harvey began his military service as a physician for the U.S. Army at Waltham Regional Hospital in Boston where he cared for injured American Troops as well as captured German soldiers. This experience initiated his interest in pursuing an Orthopaedic specialty. Reaching the rank of Captain in 1946, he was transferred to Germany to care for the occupying forces. During this time he attended the Nuremburg Trials and furthered his medical education at the University of Vienna. After completing his military service, Harvey joined Dr. John Moe and Dr. Lester Carlendar in their private practice known as Orthopaedic Consultants. In 1957, he became an investor in the Minneapolis Lakers and developed a further specialty treating athletic injuries. In 1962, Harvey started his tenure with the University of Minnesota Gophers as their physician and continued this association through the 1983 season. Harvey is a member of U of M's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1968, Calvin Griffith asked Harvey to handle the orthopaedic needs for the Minnesota Twins. This association continued through spring training of the 1991 season. During his tenure with the Twins, Harvey formed an association of Major League Baseball team physicians to further the treatment of athletic injuries. In 1972, the United States Olympic team selected Harvey as their Orthopaedic Specialist for the Summer Games held in Munich, West Germany. This experience led to similar opportunities with USA teams competing in the World University Games (WUG) in 1977 and 1979. In 1980, Harvey joined the International Medical Commission governing the treatment and doping control of athletes competing in the WUG. In 1986, he joined USA Hockey and along with Dr. George Nagabods attended to the medical needs of U.S. teams competing in the World Championships of Hockey. His association with USA Hockey continued into 2007.
Harvey passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family on September 21, 2007. He is preceded in death by his brother Pat (1961), son Sean (1987), beloved wife Kathleen "Kitty" (1990) and cherished companion Dorothy Dolphin (2007). He is survived by daughter, Moonyeen "Missy" (Wayne Knutson, Jr., Colonel USAF) of San Antonio, TX; son, Timothy (Maria) of St. Paul; son Edward of Forest Lake; and daughter, Cachene "Cassie" (Martin Tschida IV) of Maplewood; grandchildren Christopher and Chloe Knutson, Conor, Timothy and Coleman O'Phelan and Kathleen and Marti Tschida.
Visitation Wednesday, September 26th, 2-8 PM at O'Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home on Snelling Ave. in St. Paul. (651-698-0796). Funeral Mass is on Thursday, September 27th at 10 AM at St. Mark's Catholic Church in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the James and Kathleen O'Phelan scholarship fund at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Article in Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sept. 23, 2007:
Dr. O'Phelan was always in for athletes
A sports medicine pioneer, he was a physician for the Minnesota Twins, the U and the U.S. Olympic Team.
By Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune
Anytime the doorbell rang at the O'Phelan house in Minneapolis in the 1960s and '70s, chances were good that a local professional athlete was standing on the other side, hoping to get some on-the-side medical advice from Dr. Harvey O'Phelan.
"They'd just show up at the front door," said Tim O'Phelan, son of the longtime Minnesota Twins orthopedic physician. "Maybe they didn't want their coach or manager to know they were hurt. But if you mentioned it to the doctor, it was kind of privileged information. A lot of times, guys just wanted to make sure the knee was fine or the shoulder was OK. But they made a point of seeking him out and coming to our home."
O'Phelan, a pioneer in sports medicine and former physician for the Minnesota Twins, the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Olympic Team, died at his home Friday. He was 91.
Tim O'Phelan said his father's metastatic melanoma was diagnosed in January.
Patrick Smith, the orthopedic consultant to the University of Minnesota football and wrestling teams, said O'Phelan was one of the first to perfect "the art" of sports medicine, treating thousands of local athletes in a career spanning three-plus decades.
His patient list included Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. He operated on the knees of former Twin outfielder Tony Oliva seven times.
"He did it at a time when people weren't involved in sports," Smith said. "Now, people are dropping all over each other trying to get involved. He developed sports medicine."
Smith said one of O'Phelan's greatest strengths was winning the confidence of the athletes he was working with.
"Harvey could sit with a person for two minutes and they felt he'd been with them for an hour," Smith said.
Lou Nanne, the former North Stars player and general manager, said Sunday, "If you ever needed someone to counsel you on a very important life decision, he was the guy you would want to talk to."
Nanne did just that in 1982. His son Michael, then 18, was badly hurt in a motorcycle accident in Ontario. Doctors worried that they might have to amputate his leg to save his life. "They said gangrene could set in and it could spread," Lou Nanne recalled. He called O'Phelan, who reassured him that amputation was probably "the right decision," Nanne said. "So we went ahead with it."
O'Phelan grew up in St. Paul the son of a sports editor. He played quarterback and running back at the College of St. Thomas. He later enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1941. After the war, he joined an orthopedic practice, then became an investor and sports physician with the Minneapolis Lakers.
In the fall of 1962, he became the physician for the Minnesota Gophers sports teams, a post he held for two decades. When Gophers basketball star Lou Hudson hurt his wrist in the mid-1960s, O'Phelan created a cast that let Hudson to finish the season.
"That created a sports controversy at the time," Tim O'Phelan said. "He was always experimenting with different casts and techniques."
In 1972, O'Phelan was the orthopedic specialist for the U.S. Olympic Team at the Summer Games in Munich when Palestinian terrorists seized 11 members of Israel's Olympic delegation. "He could see the whole standoff taking place," Tim O'Phelan said, and delivered a live, on-air report to WCCO Radio.
A funeral mass for O'Phelan is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mark's Catholic Church, 1976 Dayton Av., St. Paul.
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