Somber day for NASCAR as Marvin Panch dies... Former Daytona 500 champ Marvin Panch dies Thursday 31st December, 2015 . -- Thursday was a somber day for NASCAR, as Marvin Panch was found unresponsive in his car.
NY Yankees reliever Luis Arroyo: Luis pretty much started the closer role for relief pitchers - it was his work that made the 1961 Yankees the best team of that era. His out pitch was the screwball which is the most injurious pitch to the arm in the game (I used it in my youth and it ended my amateur pitching career so I know first hand). Was a favorite among Yankees fans for many years.
Olympian Downhill Skiing Champion, Bill Johnson, Dies at 55... Bill Johnson, U.S. Olympic Downhill Skiing Champion, Dies at 55 JAN. 22, 2016 - William Dean "Bill" Johnson, the first American male to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, died on January 21 after a long illness related to a disastrous ski crash. He was 55.
Walt "No Neck" Williams: he did not particularly like his nickname but was very popular with his team mates and was reputed to be a genuine nice guy
BMX icon dies at age 41... BMX icon Dave Mirra dead at 41 in apparent suicide: police Fri Feb 5, 2016 - BMX bike icon Dave Mirra died on Thursday after apparently shooting himself, police said.
Ken Stabler with John Madden after winning Super Bowl XI in 1977. It was bittersweet to hear that the late great Ken Stabler was finally elected into the Hall of Fame last weekend. Sadly, he passed away before he received the honor, but it was long overdue. I'll be tipping a glass to The Snake at his induction ceremony later this year. Former Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler named to Pro Football Hall of Fame http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/c...rs-quarterback-ken-stabler-named-pro-football Ken Stabler was the real hero of real Oakland http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_29485698/ken-stabler-was-real-hero-real-oakland
Tennis commentator Bud Collins has died... Bud Collins, barrier-breaker and tennis authority, dies at 86 March 04, 2016 - In the early 1960s, after joining The Boston Globe as a tennis writer, Bud Collins took a giant leap into the future of sports journalism when he stepped in front of a TV camera to offer commentary. As he expanded the reach of columnists, he called himself a scribbler and a babbler, and the words that emerged were as colorful and memorable as the custom-tailored pants he wore while covering more than a half-century of tennis championships.
Commentator Joe Garagiola dies at 90... Joe Garagiola, Baseball Player Who Became a Broadcasting Star, Dies at 90 MARCH 23, 2016 - Joe Garagiola, who spent nine forgettable seasons in the major leagues as a weak-hitting catcher and then parlayed his witty tales of life as a baseball underachiever into a far more notable career as a folksy broadcaster and television personality, died on Wednesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 90. Major League Baseball announced his death.
Swiss snowboard champ Estelle Balet dies in avalanche... Swiss snowboard champ Estelle Balet killed in avalanche April 20, 2016 -- Swiss snowboard champion Estelle Balet was killed Tuesday in an avalanche in the Swiss alps.
WWE Legend Chyna Dead at Age 45 Source: Eonline World Wrestling Entertainment legend Chyna, born Joanie Laurer, has passed away at age 45, E! News has learned. An official statement was released on her Twitter account that read: "It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero. Joanie Laurer, AKA Chyna, the 9th Wonder of the World has passed away. She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her." Chyna's manager told E! News that "she was found peacefully in her home in Redondo Beach this afternoon." As of now, the cause of her death is unknown. http://www.eonline.com/news/758638/wwe-legend-chyna-dead-at-age-45
and now another sports legend has been lost: Brooklyn's Pearl Washington: http://www.startnetzero.net/news/re..._syracuse_star_pearl_washington_dies_at_52-ap After a modestly successful NBA career, he went back home to Brooklyn where he coached high school ball and enjoyed a sterling reputation.
From WWII internment camp to Olympic weightlifting champion... Olympic weightlifting champion Tommy Kono dies in Hawaii April 30, 2016 Tommy Kono, who took up weightlifting in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans and went on to win two Olympic gold medals for the United States, has died. He was 85.
Moses Malone goes to the big hoops game in the sky... Three-time NBA MVP Moses Malone dies at age 60 Sep 14, 2015 | Three-time NBA MVP and Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Moses Malone died Sunday in Norfolk, Virginia, at the age of 60.
Athletes like him who just play the game without causing controversy often are ignored by the media and by sponsors. Perhaps his death had not been widely reported by the newspapers though it was in sports tv such as espn and fox.
Three dindu nuffins kill Tyson Gay's sweet talented daughter, Trinity... Three charged over shootout after Tyson Gay's daughter killed Tuesday 18th October, 2016 - Three men have been charged in connection with a shootout which police say left the 15-year-old daughter of US Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay dead.
Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka has passed away, family reports...... The family of wrestling star Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka has reported via Instagram that he has passed away. No cause of death was immediately released, although he had been in hospice care since mid-December. Tamina Snuka posted the following image on Instagram on January 15: Snuka was one of the early stars of the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), and his theatrical, daredevil style set the stage for much of wrestling’s current image and persona. Here he was as The Undertaker’s first “victim” in Wrestlemania VII: Snuka’s career began tapering off in the mid-1990s, and by the 2000s he was only appearing in cameo and non-wrestling roles. However, in 2015 even those appearances were halted when a legal matter from Snuka’s past resurfaced. Snuka was 73, and is survived by his wife and four children......snip~ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jimmy-superfly-snuka-has-passed-away-family-reports-201832708.html R.I.P. Jimmy Snuka.
George the Animal Steele: George The Animal Steele, WWE Star, Dies at 79 William James Myers, better known by his name in the WWE ring, George "The Animal" Steele, has died, WWE announced Friday morning. He was 79. The wrestling company issued a statement after Hulk Hogan tweeted out, "George 'the Animal' Steel, RIP my brother, only love, only grateful." No other details about his cause of death have been released. View image on Twitter Follow WWE ✔ @WWE BREAKING: WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer George The Animal Steele has passed away at age of 79. http://wwe.me/MVu3KZ 9:50 AM - 17 Feb 2017 4,663 4,663 Retweets 5,240 5,240 likes A Detroit native, Steele attended Michigan State and played for the university's football team. After earning his bachelor's and master's, he coached wrestling and football in Michigan. Steele first entered the ring under the pseudonym "The Student." But when he was scouted and began appearing on television, he changed his name to George Steele. Legendary professional wrestler George "The Animal" Steele makes an appearance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park in 2012. Barry Chin / Boston Globe via Getty Images Earning his nickname "The Animal," Steele was known for tearing up the turnbuckle with his teeth, sticking out his green tongue and generally acting like a wild man. He was inducted into the professional wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005. Outside of wrestling, Steele made his film debut in 1994 with Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" in which he played Swedish wrestler-turned-actor Tor Johnson. His other credits include several shorts, 1997's "Blowfish" and 2003's "Small Town Conspiracy." Wrestling legends, including Kurt Angle and Triple H, remembered Steele on social media for the energy he brought to the ring. Hulk Hogan ✔ @HulkHogan George"the Animal"Steel,RIP my brother,only love,only grateful. HH 8:38 AM - 17 Feb 2017 651 651 Retweets 1,502 1,502 likes Triple H ✔ @TripleH George Steele was a one of a kind performer who could make fans smile or boo...and his competitors laugh or cry... 11:21 AM - 17 Feb 2017 565 565 Retweets 2,315 2,315 likes Tommy Dreamer ✔ @THETOMMYDREAMER I feared him as a kid. I cheered him as a teenager I became friends w/him as an adult Never be another like George the Animal Steele 9:55 AM - 17 Feb 2017 Kurt Angle ✔ [MENTION=3512]real[/MENTION]KurtAngle Sad to hear of #georgetheanimalsteele's passing. Incredible memories for all of his fans. #RIPLegend!! pic.twitter.com/4hbthTbM8G 10:01 AM - 17 Feb 2017 George still loves Miss Elizabeth
pro wrestling legend Bobby the Brain Heenan: http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/09/17/wwe-star-bobby-brain-heenan-dies
Roy Halladay, Ex-Phillies pitcher killed in plane crash... Roy Halladay: Former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher dies in plane crash Tue, 07 Nov 2017 - Former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay dies after a plane he was flying crashes in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tommy Nobis - Atlanta Pro Ball star his last few years were not happy ones as he battled illness: http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/206550472/tommy-nobis-life-after-football
a man of genuine class: https://news.yale.edu/2018/01/04/memoriam-carmen-carm-cozza-ivy-leagues-winningest-football-coach “Coach Carm Cozza was one of our nation's outstanding role models and leaders of young men. His legacy will have a lasting influence on the Yale community and beyond,” said Tom Beckett, director of Yale Athletics.