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OB-GYN doc commits to MUSC intramurals

by Chris West
Public Relations
Many may not know the story of Roger “Dancing Bear” Newman. But from the annals of MUSC sports lore, he is a legacy becoming a legend.

The Not Ready for Prime Time Players from left Steve Scanga, Gene Chang, Roger “Dancing Bear” Newman, Chip Lamden, and Susan Krombach. 

The story of Roger Newman, M.D., professor and vice chairman of academic affairs in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and division director for Maternal Fetal Medicine, is one rooted in time. From humble beginnings as a youth in Columbia, his love of sports began with his devout love for childhood heroes.

“Dr. J and Wilt Chamberlain were and still are my basketball heroes, but as a kid I would pretend to be Steve Carlton, the ex-Phillies pitcher,” Newman said with adoration in his eyes. “But basketball was always where my heart was.”

Newman took his natural talent for sports with him to Seton Hall University while studying for his bachelor’s degree in biology. There he took the intramural league by storm, excelling in volleyball, softball, football but mainly basketball. It was here that he laid the groundwork for an acclaimed career to come. His greatest performances would lie ahead.

Relocating back to the South, Newman decided to apply his skill in a different “league,” the pinnacle that was, and still is, the MUSC intramural sports “league.” With MUSC intramurals offering the same sports as Seton Hall, the attraction was immediate. But Newman knew the hardships that lie ahead in maintaining his medical school studies all the while honing his talent and skills for competitive play in various different sports at a new university. Entering the league in 1976, Newman found himself in the company of many like-minded, sports-loving medical students who were more than ready to collaborate and create a new team to take part in intramural sports.

“I have always enjoyed playing but when I came to MUSC, intramurals served as a nice diversion from studies that could encompass an entire day, everyday,” he said. “Exercise and relaxation aside, I also realized intramurals were a positive reinforcement for my medical education. The sense of ‘team’ and ‘competition’ were, in my opinion, important elements of the success I had in medical school.”

But Newman would encounter more than a few bumps in the road. As a fledgling team at a university with no facilities to call their own, the team, now donning the name Not Ready for Prime Time Players, found themselves as players without a home. “We had no gym of our own, so many local venues found themselves as a temporary home for the intramural games. We played in many area schools and recreation facilities,” Newman said. “And we also had no referees, so we had to supply refs for the games from amongst ourselves and fellow students. I think student activities paid us $5 per game we refereed.”

But through hard work and time invested, the players began to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Branching out to multiple sports such as volleyball and softball, the Not Ready Players began to enjoy success in all sports they played and eventually began to make a name around campus. Newman continued his career into his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, done here at MUSC. Always embracing the studies before him, but never straying from his love of the court and field. It was during this early success that team members began to create colorful monikers for themselves and the nickname Dancing Bear was born. 

In the late 70s and early 80s, Newman and the team found their main on-campus rivals in the College of Dental Medicine. Like the Lakers to the Celtics, the CDM team and the Not Ready Players fought long and hard matches in intercampus games during many seasons. “The rivalry was very intense back then,” he said.

That one-time intense rivalry still exists, but those involved have changed. Through the years new talent has emerged in the form of new medical students and OB-GYN residents, who predominantly make up the team. Of the 20 current residents in the OB-GYN program, more than half participate. But the career of the Dancing Bear also continues to flourish. Now, in the form of a player-coach like the baseball teams of yesteryear, Newman finds himself in managerial roles such as recruitment and leadership both in sports and in clinical settings. 

“Both medical students and residents alike would do well to share some of the attributes of the competitive athlete,” Newman said. “They train hard,  they dedicate time and effort into what they are trying to accomplish, they set goals, they are never satisfied with anything less than their best effort, they hate to lose, they are confident and they understand the commitment to excellence that is required. I want someone with those qualities taking care of me if I become ill.”

Meanwhile, Newman is enjoying his past accomplishments and looking forward to those to come. Quite possibly the greatest and most tenured multi-sport player in the history of MUSC intramurals, he humbly acknowledges his past accomplishments. “I am unquestionably the league career leader in scoring and rebounds,” he said. “Even though I haven’t got a shred of evidence to back it up. Having played for almost 25 years, I think I’m entitled.” 

Now hailing from the Harper Student Wellness Center, Newman continues to champion new teams of Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Winning the non-competitive softball and volleyball league championships last spring and enjoying three consecutive seasons of championships in soccer, the only disappointment came with a second place finish in the non-competitive basketball finals. 

With names like Larry Bird, Jabar and Magic Johnson as historical players who changed the face of the game, Newman has no regrets not being one of them. “They just couldn’t fit me under the salary cap,” He said contently. And to clear up the long-standing rumor that white men can’t jump, Newman has the definitive answer—“No, they can’t and that’s fair. However, that said, I remain the greatest 6-foot -2 inch white, center who can’t run, jump or dribble.”

And what does the future hold for the magnificent career of MUSC’s Dancing Bear? “I am very fortunate to have not had any significant injuries. But my agent (wife--Diane "The Jersey Peach" Newman) shakes her head with apprehension every time I leave to go play. If I come home with an injury, she’s said she won’t renew my contract and will retire me for good. Otherwise, I guess I will keep playing until I start to embarrass myself.”