UPMC announced via statement that Dr. Freddie Fu, the creator of UPMC’s world-renowned sports medicine program and head team physician for the University of Pittsburgh athletic department died on Friday surrounded by his family at the age of 70.

A native of Hong Kong, Dr. Fu came here to attend Pitt’s medical school in the 1970s and went on to chair its Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

In the late 1990s, Dr. Fu helped lead the development of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, pairing sports medicine programs within training facilities for the Steelers and Pitt Panthers.