Inductees

The signed National Football League game-day footballs sit on display at his home, some inscribed with personal messages from Kansas City Chiefs coaches and players themselves.

From afar, one might assume those are for throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass or key blocks that led to the win column. In reality, they are for work that, arguably, was far more important.

“A number of them mean more than anything else,” Dr. Cris Barnthouse said, “because it’s a sign that the coaches, the front office and the team thought of it as a job well-done.”

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame agrees wholeheartedly and is proud to induct Dr. Barnthouse with the Class of 2019 for his work in the field of sports medicine, particularly as an orthopedic specialist, including 27 years with the Chiefs in roles of Assistant Team Physician and Head Team Physician.

In many ways, Barnthouse played every down with the Chiefs without a spot on the official, 53-man roster. It was his work, often alongside Dr. Jon Browne (MSHOF 2017), that kept players healthy – or wisely kept them off the field – and helped to transform the Chiefs into one of the NFL’s most consistent winners.

During his time with the Chiefs, the team advanced to the NFL playoffs 21 times since 1990.

The impetus was that Barnthouse and Browne had gone into practice together and soon were approached by then-Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson and coach Marty Schottenheimer.

“It was meaningful that the best people in their profession wanted us to do this important work,” Barnthouse said. “From a professional standpoint, being a surgeon, the goal was to treat athletes at the highest level. It was both a compliment and an expression of confidence.”

Today, Dr. Barnthouse is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery.

This year also marks the 19^th for the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, which was launched by Dr. Barnthouse and Dr. Browne and 10 others physicians. Its success is leading to an expansion, with a reputation as the best in the Midwest.

“To see where we were 20 years ago to where it is now, in my opinion, it’s one of the best orthopaedic centers in the Midwest,” Barnthouse said. “And that has been rewarding.”

Dr. Barnthouse also is the Co-Director of the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City with Dr. Browne.

His journey to the top of the profession was remarkable. Barnthouse grew up in Winfield, a small town on the frontier plains of southern Kansas, and eventually played basketball for the University of Kansas, earning Academic All-American honors.

In 1986, Dr. Barnthouse completed his orthopaedic training at the University of Kansas Medical Center and then went on to complete a fellowship in sports medicine through Harvard University at Massachusetts General in 1987.

At Harvard, he found mentors in Dr. Bertram Zarins and Dr. Arthur Boland. Zarins was the longtime doctor for the New England Patriots of the NFL as well as for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Barnthouse was a fellow at the same time as Dr. Mark Adams (MSHOF 2014).

“I saw the dedication to the idea of how they treated athletes and patients,” Barnthouse said of Drs. Zarins and Boland. “Harvard Mass General certainly was challenging academically, but it was a great environment.”

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Barnthouse and his wife relocated to Kansas City, and he teamed with Dr. Browne, with the Chiefs turning to them for medical care.

The two shared the same vision and professionalism in the sense that, while they wanted to see the Chiefs perform well, they refused to try to win at all costs.

“First and foremost, the athletes are patients. That’s never to be lost,” Dr. Barnthouse said. “The goal is to help them compete, do their best but do it safely.”

Even better, Peterson and Schottenheimer supported Browne’s and Barnthouse’s recommendations, as disappointing as it could be at times, Barnthouse said.

Dr. Barnthouse also invited to be the Head Team Physician of two Pro Bowls. The selections are based on peer nominations as well as role with a team.

For Barnthouse, his career benefitted from the efforts of so many others, and none more important than those of his wife, Carrie, and children, Kristi and Nick.

“It’s an enormous commitment,” Barnthouse said. “My wife and children made so many sacrifices to allow me to do it, and I am in constant appreciation for that.”