University of Minnesota Athletics
Dr. George V. Nagobads - M Club Hall of Fame
Dr. George V. Nagobads
Class of 2010
Hockey: 1958-92
It's fitting the annual Unsung Hero Award for the University of Minnesota men's hockey award is named for Dr. George V. Nagobads.
Few people have had such a behind-the-scenes impact on a greater number of hockey players than Nagobads himself, serving 34 years as the team physician for the Gophers, working with countless U.S. national teams and serving on international medical committees. Nagobads worked with the University of Minnesota hockey team from 1958-92, assisting with the Gophers' national championship teams in 1974, 1976 and 1979.
Nagobads was the team physician for U.S. Olympic teams in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1984 and 1988. He also worked with 15 U.S. National teams and six U.S. National junior teams from 1967-90, in addition to numerous other tournaments. Nagobads served as the physician for the first U.S. women's national team at the 1990 world championships.
For all his work with USA Hockey, Nagobads was the 2003 recipient of the Paul Loicq Award, which is presented by the International Ice Hockey Federation to an individual who served international hockey in an extraordinary manner promoting ice hockey worldwide. He was the only American to win the award in its first 12 years of existence and is also a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1984, Nagobads became USA Hockey's chief medical officer and held the role until 1992. He also served on the organization's Protective Equipment Committee and the IIHF Medical Committee. In addition to his work with the Gophers, Nagobads was the team physician for the Minnesota North Stars from 1984-92 and the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey League from 1973-76.
Born in Riga, Latvia in 1921, Nagobads began playing hockey at age 10. He attended the University of Latvia and University of Giesen before earning his medical degree from the University of Tubingen in Frankfurt, Germany. He came to the U.S. to do a general residency at the Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis in 1952 and came in contact with the Gopher hockey team while working at the University of Minnesota Student Health Center.