Dr. James Andrews Net Worth

What is Dr. James Andrews' net worth and salary?

Dr. James Andrews is a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine pioneer who has a net worth of $100 million. Dr. James Andrews is widely regarded as the most trusted name in athletic injury care. Over five decades, he became the go-to doctor for elite athletes facing career-threatening injuries, performing thousands of knee, shoulder, and elbow surgeries that saved countless sports careers. Andrews co-founded several leading institutions, including the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Alabama and the Andrews Institute in Florida, and played a central role in advancing minimally invasive surgical techniques. According to various reports in 2008, at that time, Dr. Andrews' clinics were generating $60 million in gross revenue per year.

Early Life and Education

James Rheuben Andrews was born in 1942 in Homer, Louisiana. A standout student-athlete, he attended Louisiana State University on a track-and-field scholarship as a pole vaulter, winning an SEC Championship. His early goal was to merge his twin passions for sports and medicine. After earning his bachelor's degree from LSU in 1963, Andrews completed his M.D. at LSU School of Medicine in 1967. He went on to complete his orthopedic residency at Tulane University and pursued advanced fellowships in sports medicine at the University of Virginia and the University of Lyon in France. These experiences exposed him to cutting-edge arthroscopic surgery, a field in which he would later become a global leader.

Medical Career and Achievements

Dr. Andrews began his professional career under the mentorship of Dr. Jack Hughston in Columbus, Georgia, one of the early innovators of sports orthopedics. During this time, Andrews helped pioneer arthroscopic surgical techniques for shoulders and elbows—minimally invasive methods that would revolutionize sports medicine. He also trained with Dr. Frank Jobe, the creator of the "Tommy John" ligament reconstruction surgery, becoming one of the first surgeons outside California to master the procedure.

In 1986, Andrews relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, where he co-founded the Alabama Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center (now the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center) and launched the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), a nonprofit research foundation devoted to injury prevention and rehabilitation. Two decades later, he expanded to Florida by co-founding the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze. The Florida facility, which opened in 2008, is a 140,000-square-foot, $50 million complex that serves both professional and amateur athletes.

Throughout his career, Dr. Andrews performed tens of thousands of operations, averaging as many as 30 surgeries per week at his peak. His clients included some of the most famous names in sports: Roger Clemens, Drew Brees, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, John Smoltz, Brett Favre, and Adrian Peterson, among many others. A breakthrough moment came in 1985, when Andrews performed a then-novel arthroscopic shoulder repair on a young Roger Clemens—an operation that allowed the pitcher to return stronger than ever and cemented Andrews' reputation as "the surgeon who saves careers."

His influence extended beyond the operating room. Through ASMI, Andrews spearheaded landmark research linking overuse in youth baseball to rising rates of pitching injuries. His advocacy led to national Little League pitch count limits and broader education about injury prevention. He also trained more than 300 orthopedic surgeons through his fellowship program, creating a global network of specialists who continue to advance the "Andrews method" of athlete care.

In addition to his surgical work, Andrews served as a team physician or consultant for numerous professional and collegiate organizations, including the Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Commanders, and Auburn University, while also advising the University of Alabama's athletic department. He has served as Medical Director for the LPGA and was honored with inductions into both the Alabama and Louisiana Sports Halls of Fame. The NCAA awarded him the Gerald R. Ford Award for his leadership in promoting athlete welfare and safety.

(Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Later Career and Legacy

After more than 50 years in practice, Dr. Andrews retired from active surgery in 2023, though he remains active as a consultant and educator. His legacy lives on through the institutions he founded and the generations of surgeons he mentored. Many experts credit Andrews with changing the trajectory of modern sports by giving athletes second chances at their careers. His impact can be felt in virtually every professional league and collegiate program in the United States.

Personal Life, Real Estate, and Wealth

Dr. Andrews has been married to his wife, Jenelle, for decades, and the couple has six children and several grandchildren. Since the 1980s, they have lived primarily in Mountain Brook, an affluent suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, and also maintain a waterfront residence near Pensacola Beach, Florida, close to his Florida institute.

Outside of medicine, Andrews has pursued entrepreneurial and recreational passions. In the late 1970s, he purchased a minor league baseball team, the Columbus Astros, for $40,000 to prevent it from relocating. He later sold the team for $1 million when he moved to Alabama. Andrews is also an avid sailor and once owned the yacht "Abracadabra III," which competed in the 2000 America's Cup. Known to appreciate fine cars and private aviation, he has been reported to own several luxury automobiles and a private jet used to travel between his clinics and speaking engagements.

Financially, Dr. Andrews stands among the wealthiest doctors in the United States. While the average orthopedic surgeon earns roughly $576,000 annually, Andrews' earnings have been many multiples higher thanks to his brand recognition, speaking fees, surgical practice, and consulting roles. At its peak, his Birmingham practice was reportedly generating more than $60 million per year in revenue. In recent years, Andrews has invested in healthcare real estate and partnered with development firms to expand sports medicine facilities across the country.

Despite his financial success, colleagues often describe Dr. Andrews as humble and deeply patient-focused. He is known to treat amateur athletes and weekend warriors with the same care and respect he gives professional stars. His career represents a rare combination of surgical genius, entrepreneurial vision, and genuine compassion. In 2022, he was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, honoring his rise from small-town Louisiana to global medical prominence.

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