It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Lyle J. Micheli, MD, director emeritus of Boston Children’s Sports Medicine Division. Dr. Micheli was a beloved colleague and a transformative figure in pediatric medicine whose visionary work fundamentally changed how we care for young athletes.

Born into a family of immigrant coal miners in Illinois, Dr. Micheli earned a National Merit Scholarship to Harvard. After his orthopedic training at Harvard Medical School, he joined the Air Force, serving during Vietnam as a Major and surgeon at Andrews Air Force base. In 1974, he co-founded the nation's first sports medicine clinic dedicated exclusively to young athletes at Boston Children's, which ultimately became the Sports Medicine Division.

Through his leadership, Dr. Micheli effectively created the field of pediatric sports medicine itself. He saw what others had not yet recognized: that children and adolescents are not simply small adults, and their growing bodies require specialized knowledge, techniques, and care when it comes to sports injuries.

Dr. Micheli also served as president of the American College of Sports Medicine, secretary general of the International Federation of Sports Medicine, and a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, where he mentored generations of physicians.

A pioneer in dance medicine, he was the Boston Ballet Company’s physician for over four decades and a medical consultant to the Boston Ballet School. He also volunteered with the Boston Marathon, serving as finish line director for 50 years and playing an essential role in the trauma response at the finish line following the 2013 marathon bombing. Dr. Micheli was an athlete himself: he played rugby for decades, even stepping back on to the field at age 60, before being inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame.

Dr. Micheli’s legacy will endure in every young athlete who receives specialized, compassionate care, in every physician trained in pediatric sports medicine, and in The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, which continues his life's work. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and the countless lives he touched throughout his remarkable career. 

The family indicates that a public service will follow in 2026. In lieu of flowers, they invite donations to the Micheli Center.