Honoring Two Pillars in the Sports Medicine Field and Leaders in Our Society
Robert J. Johnson, MD, AOSSM Past President
On February 2, 2026, AOSSM Past President and legendary figure in sports medicine Dr. Robert J. Johnson passed away at the age of eighty-six.
Dr. Johnson, known to many as Bob or Johns, dedicated much of his life to the advancement of the field of orthopaedic surgery as a clinician, surgeon, teacher, mentor, and researcher. He was deeply devoted to AOSSM, serving as president in 1993. He won numerous academic and publishing awards and served as the godparent for the Traveling Fellowship in 1996. He was awarded the Robert E. Leach Sports Medicine Leadership Award and inducted into the AOSSM Hall of Fame in 2002.
The family gratefully acknowledges donations given in his memory. Donations can be made in the name of Dr. Robert J. Johnson and sent to the UVM Foundation, 411 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401. As a Past President of AOSSM, his legacy and contributions to the Society will be further honored in an upcoming issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Lyle J. Micheli, MD
Dr. Lyle Joseph Micheli passed away Sunday December 14, 2025, after suffering complications following a medical procedure. Dr. Micheli was a member of AOSSM for more than 25 years, serving on numerous committees and winning the Robert E. Leach Sports Medicine Leadership Award in 2011.
In 1974, Dr. Micheli co-founded the nation's first sports medicine clinic dedicated exclusively to young athletes, which ultimately became the Boston Children’s Sports Medicine Division. In 2005, he was appointed Full Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard and was named the O’Donnell Family Chair in Orthopedic Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. The Lyle J. Micheli Chair in Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School was in the midst of being established at the time of his passing. In 2013, he founded The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention in Waltham, Massachusetts, with a focus on research to prepare young athletes in scholastic, amateur, and professional arenas.
Over the course of his career, Micheli also led numerous national and international organizations, including serving as President of the American College of Sports Medicine, Secretary General of the International Federation of Sports Medicine, and Co-Chair of the Olympic Sports Medicine committee focused on the well-being of young athletes. He was also inducted into the US Rugby Hall of Fame.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Micheli Center in Lyle’s memory. You can also view Dr. Micheli’s official memorial page and sign the online guest book.