Frank James Jobe (July 16, 1925 – March 6, 2014) was an American orthopedic surgeon and co-founder of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Jobe pioneered both elbow ligament replacement and major reconstructive shoulder surgery for baseball players.

In 1974, Jobe performed the first ever "Tommy John surgery" on then-Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. The procedure has become so prevalent an estimated one-third of all major league pitchers have undergone it. Jobe also performed the first major reconstructive shoulder surgery on a big league player in 1990, which allowed Dodger star Orel Hershiser to continue his career. Jobe served as a special adviser to the team until his death.

Early life

Frank Jobe was born in 1925 in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from Collegedale Academy in Collegedale, Tennessee in 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army and reported to Camp Barkeley for training. Serving in World War II as a medical staff sergeant in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, he landed by glider at Normandy and later was briefly captured during the Siege of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge. Successfully escaping, he went on to earn the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Medical Badge, and Glider Badge with one star.