WASHINGTON – The Georgetown Athletics community mourns the passing of Lorry Michel, who has been part of the Georgetown University Athletics Department since 1977. Michel passed away on Tuesday, September 17 at the age of 71 following a long battle with cancer. Inducted into the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, Michel was the longtime men's basketball athletic trainer and even had stints as an athletic trainer in international competition, including the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.
 
Michel began her career at Georgetown as an assistant trainer in 1977, working with all student-athletes. Four years later, she became the head trainer for men's basketball at the request of Head Coach John Thompson Jr. During the first four years in Michel's new position, the Hoyas advanced to three national championship title games and captured the championship trophy in 1984. For more than 30 years, she labored tirelessly to keep all Hoya men's basketball players healthy and ready to compete, day in and day out. 
 
Her service to Georgetown Athletics was exemplary and put Michel in position to shine on an international stage. She served on the training staff at the 1987 Pan Am Men's Basketball Team Trials, at the Olympic Basketball Team Trials in 1988, with the 1988 European Tour of the USA Men's Basketball Select Team, and at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in 1989. She joined the sports medicine staff at the 1990 Summer Olympic Festival in Minneapolis and at the 1991 World University Games in England. She reached the pinnacle of her profession as a member of the sports medicine staff at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
 
Meticulous and steadfast, Michel's personal blend of caring, toughness, perseverance, respectfulness and humor was genuine and endearing to her student-athletes and colleagues alike. Her commitment, strength and stamina were inspiring to all.
 
Michel graduated with a bachelor's degree from Salisbury University (Md.) and a master's degree in athletic training from Indiana State University. She served as a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse and has been published in the Journal of the National Athletics Trainers' Association and was an Editorial Board member for The Comprehensive Manual for Taping and Wrapping Techniques. Michel was also a review board member for Conquering Athletic Injuries and previously served on the District III National Association of Athletic Trainers Scholarship Committee.
 
In 2013, Michel was inducted into the Georgetown University Athletics Hall of Fame as part of a six-person class. Her legacy on the Hilltop was further cemented in 2016 when the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center opened its doors. In recognition of her selfless dedication and her outstanding contribution to the safety, health and welfare of Georgetown student-athletes, the sports medicine facility was named in her honor. The Lorry Michel Sports Medicine Center, a state-of-the-art facility, provides services for all of Georgetown's 30 varsity sports and more than 700 student-athletes.
 
She is survived by her brother, Walter G. Michel; sister, Barbara M. Ackermann (Charles); and brother, William R. Michel (Kristin); and several nieces and nephews.



A STATEMENT FROM THE THOMPSON FAMILY
The Thompson family would like to extend condolences to the family of Lorry Michel and the entire community of those that had the honor of loving and being loved by her. 

Dad often would look across the room and comment that Lorry was "one special lady." He appreciated her drive and respected her professionalism and innovation courtside. Most importantly, he found fortitude in their friendship.  Lorry's strength and tenacity were legendary, and if you know the Georgetown Basketball program, you understand that she also was a force of love. 

More than a master of her craft, Lorry was a caregiver and a best friend.  She was the first one you'd see after surgery, the first one to call to see how you were feeling and give you a care plan, and the one to show up and make sure you were following directions. Her dedication to the health and well-being of everyone in the program was essential to the team's history of success. 

May her legacy be a guide to those that will follow in her footsteps and her memory be a comfort to the loved ones she leaves behind. 

HOYA SAXA, Ms. Michel! Rest well.