Inducted on February 24, 1984
Dr. Max Novich is a surgeon, author, and specialist in sports-related injuries; he is a pioneer in the rapidly expanding specialty of sports related injuries; he is a pioneer in the rapidly expanding specialty of sports medicine. He was an outstanding boxer in his intercollegiate days, and competed in the Olympic Golden Gloves in 1936. During World War II he served (as captain, after a battlefield promotion) in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, was wounded in battle, and received the Purple Heart,the Bronze Star, and four Battle Participation Stars. Dr. Novich is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Surgeons, Clinical Professor of Surgery and Director of the Division of Sports Medicine at CMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School, Director of Sports Medicine at the United Hospitals Orthopedic Center, and physician to Olympic boxing teams. He was ringside physician at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics; 1972 Munich Olympics; and 1976 Montreal Olympics. He was chief physician for the 1965, 1969 and 1973 U.S. Maccabiah Teams, consultant in boxing on the President’s Commission on Olympic Sports, and physician to the New Jersey AAU Boxing and Golden Gloves Championships.
Dr. Novich was also selected as one of the 60 top athletes in the history of the University of North Carolina intercollegiate athletics. He has been a team physician for New Jersey high schools since 1946. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Special Olympics and recently was named to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness.. Following serious injury and then later, death to many athletes in the boxing profession, Dr. Novich determined that the need for a National Boxing Safety Center deserved apriority. The United Hospital National Boxing Safety Center was formed under his direction. Dr. Novich’s associates in this endeavor are listed on the side of this page.