The Trojan Nation has lost an ardent supporter, friend and caregiver with the passing of Dr. Mickey DiChiara.

For decades, DiChiara served TROY students as University Physician and team physician for the TROY Trojans Athletics, a role he began in 1987. In 1990, he was named University Physician in the Student Health Center, and was named primary team physician in 2007 by the Athletics Department.

“On a personal level, Dr. DiChiara was loved by my family and by me,” Troy Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. said. “Not only was he our family physician, he was our friend. He will be missed by the community and by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

DiChiara died Aug. 12 after a fight with cancer. A Bessemer native, DiChiara – voted “cutest” in his senior class – was a graduate of the University of Alabama. Following a stint in the U.S. Army, he attended physician’s assistant school in Birmingham and came to Troy initially with a clinic assignment with Dr. Stewart Adendorf.

He married Troy native and alumna Cheryl Colley, who passed away in 2021, and entered medical school at UAB. After medical school, DiChiara returned to Troy and joined Dr. J.O. “Tip” Colley in practice until he and his wife established Pike Internal Medicine, one of the most successful medical practices in the history of Pike County.

“He impacted the lives of so many students over his decades of service,” said Dean of Students Herb Reeves, who oversees the Student Health Center. “He has been a true Trojan and has served our students and student athletes not out of a motivation for profit, but out of a genuine desire to have a positive impact in their lives.”

“Mickey DiChiara will be missed by our entire University family,” he added.

University Attorney Nick Cervera called DiChiara “one of the most caring physicians” he had ever encountered and pointed to his faith and family as the underlying principle by which he lived.

“Mickey and I hit it off because of our Italian descent and our families were very close. He was dedicated to caring for others,” he said. “He cared for the students, for the athletes and strangers as well. We will miss him, not only within the University but throughout the city.”

A Funeral Mass at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church was held Aug. 16. A full obituary is available at Green Hills Funeral Home in Troy.