Sports Legends who have Passed

This story just broke my heart. I have actually had the pleasure of meeting Steve on several occasions and have even had drinks at the bar with him..... He was a great guy and a fantastic athlete.

He did not deserve this.



Man its dangerous to be a celebrity these days!

 

Police say when McNair went to his downtown condo sometime between 1:30 and 2 a.m. on Saturday Kazemi's car was already there. He was sitting on the sofa, likely asleep, when she shot him twice in the head and twice in the chest. Then she sat down next to him, positioning herself so that she would fall into his lap, and shot herself.

For full article:

McNair's girlfriend distraught over love and money - Yahoo! News

When a guy has his mid-life crisis, and looks for a "wild and crazy" girlfriend he should, apparently make dang sure he doens't really find one!

 

Another great personality and manager gone. R.I.P. Bobby!

Sir Bobby passes away aged 76 | Latest News | Football News from TEAMtalk

A statement issued on behalf of his family said: "It is with great sadness that it has been announced today that Sir Bobby Robson has lost his long and courageous battle with cancer.

"He died very peacefully this morning at his home in County Durham with his wife and family beside him.

 

was honoured only last week in an england v germany match at newcastles ground,and the players who were part of the italia 1990 squad,from both sides...he certainly did,nt look well then,sad loss...r.i.p.

 

will be missed, RIP Sir Bobby

 

It is my sad duty to report the death of Merlin Olsen at the age of 69. He was a member of the Los Angeles Rams' defensive line known as the "fearsome foursome". He went on to become both a presence in the broadcast booth of the NFL games, and a star on the television and big screen.

Out of the years he played, he made the Pro-Bowl all but one or two years (I think) of his long career between 1968-1976. Truely a "gentle giant" who made fine movies for Disney. May he rest in peace.

Goto:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100311/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_obit_olsen

 

Rest in Peace coach…

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- John Wooden, college basketball's gentlemanly Wizard of Westwood who built one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports at UCLA and became one of the most revered coaches ever, has died. He was 99.

See:

News from The Associated Press

 

It is my sad duty to report the death of Maute Bol. I always enjoyed watching him play, and his efforts back in Africa to ease the sufferring of others.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –Manute Bol, a lithe 7-foot-7 shot-blocker from Sudan who spent 10 seasons in the NBA and was dedicated to humanitarian work in Africa, died Saturday. He was 47.

See:

Manute Bol, NBA player-humanitarian, dies at 47 - Yahoo! News-

He wasn't a "super star" in the NBA, but he was a "star" in many other ways.

 

Very sad to die so young. He made his life count for something beyond himself.

 

I didin't add this latest obituary for an American NFL and college coach who just passed away, simply because since it is World Cup time, the non-NFL posters might think I was confiscating the "football" moniker.

I assure you I am not. Don Coryell was probably the most influencial coach in both American football levels, college and professional, with his wide open "air attack" style. They didn't call it "Air Coryell" for nothing. Sad to see he has passed on at age 85, but he will be remembered always for making our game more than "three yards and a cloud of dust".

Rest in Peace Coach.

 

The hurricane finally died.....Alex Higgins, the legendary two-times world snooker champion known as much for his wild lifestyle as his flamboyant play on the green baize, died yesterday aged 61.

Snooker legend Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins is dead - Home News, UK - The Independent

 

R.I.P. Alex...!

It was always a pleasure to watch him play...

 

The Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum, known as "The Assassin" passed away on tuesday from a massive heart attack. He was 61.

He was never a favorite of mine, but he was a hell of a player. Too young for a heart attack, but then again....

 

Sad to see someone pass away so young.

But his reputation peceded him and he wasnt liked by many players or fans.

 

He paralyzed another player didn't hit? Severed the spine with a hit?

 

Yeah, he drove Daryl Stingley head-first into the ground and broke his neck and paralyzed the man.

 

Remember the moment, even MASH used this Pennant Game as a basis for a story plot. I'll never forget Winchester laying on his back with the cheering in the background when Bobby Thomson ended the series with that hit.

NEW YORK – We've heard the frenzied call forever, echoing through baseball lore. "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"

Bobby Thomson, the man immortalized with his "Shot Heard 'Round the World" in 1951, died Monday night at his home in Savannah, Ga. He was 86 and had been in failing health for several years, the Fox & Weeks funeral home said Tuesday.

He was a good player, not a Hall of Famer. Yet on that October afternoon, with one swing, Thomson transformed a pennant race for one season into a baseball moment for the ages.

Goto:

Famed home run hitter Bobby Thomson dead at 86 - Yahoo! News

Rest in Peace Mr. Thomson.

 

Even though Thompson's memorable hit happened well before my time, growing up when my friends and I would play baseball, if one of us hit a homerun we would always say "the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant"

I agree he was not a Hall of Famer, but his hit is a lasting memory that will be seen and heard for generations yet to come!!!

RIP Mr. Thompson