A legacy of heart health for student athletes

For more than four decades, Larry Rink, MD, has been caring for the health of Indiana University student athletes.

His efforts to care for the hearts of these young individuals earned him an induction to the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.

“I never made one basket, never made one goal—I never broke a sweat in the training room,” says the IU Health cardiologist. “They say it’s not the honor, it’s the journey, and I have to say my journey has been incredible."

One of the main reasons he came to Bloomington was IU’s hiring of Bob Knight as basketball coach.

Rink got involved in sports medicine through their friendship, and since then, he’s cared for college, high school, and Olympic athletes.

“IU Health’s played a prominent role in sports cardiology in the United States—actually all over the world,” says Rink. “Probably what I’m most proud of is to actually show the world that athletes with heart disease can play safely the majority of the time.”

Learn more about his legacy of heart care in Bloomington and across the globe in the video above.