Nov. 15, 2007

Mark Adickes attended Kileen High School before coming to Baylor. With the Bears he was a 1983 All-American, lettering in 1978 and 1981-83, before being named to the All-Decade Team for the 1980s. Adickes was an All-Southwest Conference selection in his final season and participated in the 1984 Hula Bowl and Senior Bowl.

Following a successful collegiate career, Adickes was drafted in the first round and played two seasons in the now-defunct USFL before reaching the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1986; Adickes became a member of the Washington Redskins in 1990.

He spent seven seasons protecting quarterbacks and blocking for running backs as an offensive lineman in the NFL, even winning a Super Bowl with the Redskins.

After making a name for himself in the NFL, Adickes decided to go to medical school. "I decided I wanted to go to med school so I could tie my two careers together," he said.

Before he could apply to medical school, Adickes, who had earned a business degree at Baylor, had to go back to college for three years to take the science courses he needed. After that, he was accepted to Harvard Medical School. Adickes remembers being told by an advisor that if he got straight A's and did well on the MCAT, he could go to any medical school he wanted. And that is exactly what he did.

Adickes is currently living in Houston, Texas, and is an orthopedic surgeon at Memorial Hermman Medical Plaza. His typical week is filled with clinics three times a week and surgeries twice a week. Adickes operates mostly on ACL reconstruction, shoulder repairs, hip repairs and other sports injuries.

Adickes says he can relate to these players, their injury, and the pain they are going through because he tore his own ACL one time.

"The most important thing to being a good doctor is to treat everyone like they are family," Adickes said. "That is the way I approach all my patients."

In addition to surgery, Adickes keeps busy with his family of seven. He was introduced to his wife through a blind date and was married five months later. Currently, Adickes has five children all under the age of ten. Adickes stays busy with many school plays and football games.

Adickes will be honored in Floyd Case Stadium on Nov. 17 as a Baylor Legend.