Aaron, Hagler, Lasorda among legends lost

By David Mullen

In the tradition of this column at year’s end, we look back at sports participants and personalities who left us, including some that never played in a game. All had a profound impact — locally and nationally — on the sports they represented.

Henry “Hank” Aaron, 89. On January 22, baseball lost one of its greatest players. A 25-time All-Star, Aaron was a home run champion, famously passing Babe Ruth as baseball’s all-time home run king in 1974 despite hate mail and death threats. He remains a universally respected figure in sports history.

Elgin Baylor, 86. The NBA Hall of Famer played for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, reaching the NBA Finals eight times. He later became a head coach and front office executive.

Bobby Bowden, 91. The head coach became synonymous with Florida State football and was the second-winningest coach in NCAA football history, earning two national titles.

Dr. Bobby Brown, 96. A Metroplex cardiologist, Brown was interim president of the Texas Rangers and American League president from 1984 to 1994. He played third base for the New York Yankees, was a member of four World Series championship teams and a veteran of two wars. He died in Fort Worth.

Dave Campbell, 96. A Waco-native, he founded Texas Football magazine, which became “the Bible of Texas football.” 

John Chaney, 89. Never shy to give his opinion, the gravel-voiced head basketball coach at Temple led the Owls to 17 NCAA tournament appearances.

Irv Cross, 81. He was one-fourth of the groundbreaking “NFL Today” show on CBS with Brent Musburger, Phyllis George and Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. He was also a star NFL defensive back.

Curley Culp, 75. A wrestling champion and All-American defensive tackle at ASU, Culp had a Hall of Fame career with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers, earning six Pro Bowl honors. 

Mike Davis, 65. Davis, a safety, made the most famous interception in Oakland Raiders history in the 1981 AFC divisional game in the bitter cold of Cleveland. The Raiders went on to win Super Bowl XV.

Terry Donahue, 77. Best known as the head football coach of the UCLA Bruins from 1976 to 1995, Donahue had more wins than any football coach in Pac-12 history. 

He coached Troy Aikman, Ken Norton and Kenny Easley in college.

Mark Eaton, 64. A defensive specialist, the 7-foot-4 center played his entire career with the Utah Jazz.

Lee Elder, 87. The golf trailblazer faced unparalleled racism in his quest to become a professional golfer. He would become famous as the first Black man to play in the Masters (1975) and the first elected to a U.S. Ryder Cup team (1979). 

Tony Esposito, 78. Hall of Fame Chicago Blackhawks goalie recorded 15 shutouts as a rookie.

Lee Evans, 74. Two-time gold medal winner at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City for Team USA who, on the winner’s podium, raised his fist to protest racism.

Jim Fassel, 71. Won NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1997 with the New York Giants.

Ray Fosse, 74. An All-Star catcher for the Cleveland Indians, Fosse ‘s bright career was dimmed by a vicious home plate collision in the 1970 All-Star Game. Fosse went on to win two World Series titles with the Oakland A’s and remained in Oakland to become a beloved radio and TV broadcaster for decades. 

Bill Freehan, 79. An 11-time All-Star catcher for Detroit Tigers and 1968 World Series champion.

Rod Gilbert, 80. Hockey Hall of Fame forward remains the leading scorer in New York Rangers history.

Bill Glass, 86. The Texarkana native played defensive end for 11 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns. He starred at Baylor University and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Pedro Gomez, 58. The popular ESPN reporter had unique access to Barry Bonds and chronicled his chase of Aaron’s home run record in 2007.

Jim “Mudcat” Grant, 85. With the Minnesota Twins, Grant became the American League’s first Black pitcher to post a 20-win season.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler, 66. Born Marvin, he adopted “Marvelous” as his first name. The boxing legend was an undisputed middleweight champion in the 1980s when he fought greats like Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard. Hagler was a career 62-3-2.

LaMarr Hoyt, 66. Winner of the CY Young Award and 24 games with the Chicago White Sox in 1983.

Sam Huff, 87. The NFL Hall of Famer was considered one of the greatest linebackers of all time. Primarily a New York Giant, Huff finished his career with the Washington Redskins (now WFT) and became a fixture on their radio broadcasts for three decades.

Tunch Ilkin, 63. A legend in Pittsburgh, Ilkin was the first Turkish-born player in the NFL, played 12 seasons for Steelers and served as the vice president of the Players’ Association.

Vincent Jackson, 38. He came from the small school University of Northern Colorado to become a top NFL wide receiver in a 12-year pro career. He suffered from chronic alcoholism and stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain injury caused by playing football.

Darrius Johnson, 47. Former NFL defensive back was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos and a favorite of teammates and fans. 

Larry King, 87, and Rush Limbaugh, 70. They were two of the most famous and bombastic radio personalities of history. King, who died on January 23, was a broadcaster for the Miami Dolphins in the early 70s and a lifelong fan of the Brooklyn (and later) Los Angeles Dodgers. Limbaugh, who died on February 17, worked in group sales and special events for the Kansas City Royals.

Charlie Krueger, 84. Born with the face of a football lineman, Krueger starred at Texas A&M under coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and later became a Pro Bowl player with the San Francisco 49ers.

Pete Lammons, 77. Won a national title with the Texas Longhorns in 1963 and a Super Bowl with the New York Jets in 1968.

 Tommy Lasorda, 93. No one bled Dodger blue more than Lasorda. Starting with Brooklyn in 1954, he served the team in multiple capacities for more than 65 years. He managed Los Angeles to two World Series victories and was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Floyd Little, 78. He was a three-time All-American running back at Syracuse and starred with Denver Broncos, leading to induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Mike Marshall, 78. The first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, he appeared in a MLB season-record 106 games for the 1974 Dodgers.

Tom Matte, 82. The Baltimore Colts running back was known as the first “emergency QB” when coach Don Shula put him in to replace injured starter Johnny Unitas and backup Gary Cuozzo.

John Muckler, 86. Edmonton Oilers’ coach and executive that played a key role in five Stanley Cup championships from 1984 to 1990.

Mark Pavelich, 63. A member of the “Miracle on Ice” 1980 U.S. Olympic gold medal hockey team, Pavelich played 355 games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.

David Patten, 47. Three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver for the New England Patriots.

Terez Paylor, 37, and Sekou Smith, 48. Two sports journalists who died young. Paylor covered the NFL for Yahoo Sports. An award-winning journalist for NBA.com, Smith was well respected by coaches, players and his journalistic peers.

Jerry Remy, 68. Second baseman with the California Angels and Boston Red Sox became voice of the Red Sox broadcasts for decades. 

J.R. Richard, 71. At 6-foot-8, Richard was an imposing force on the mound for the Houston Astros. A two-time NL strikeout leader, he suffered a stroke warming up before a game in 1980 and never pitched in the Major Leagues again.

John Roach, 87. Local football great played football for Highland Park, SMU and the Dallas Cowboys. 

Howard Schnellenberger, 87. The longtime pro and college football coach won the 1983 national championship at the University of Miami.

Marty Schottenheimer, 77. The NFL head coach won 200 games for the Cleveland Browns, Chiefs, Redskins and the San Diego Chargers.

Leon Spinks, 67. An Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight boxing champion of the world, the instantly recognizable Spinks — noted for the gap between his front teeth — is best remembered for defeating Muhammad Ali in 1978.

Arlene Piper Stine, 90. In 1959, she became the first woman to complete the grueling Pikes Peak Marathon.

Don Sutton, 75. A Hall of Fame pitcher, Sutton won 324 games with Los Angeles, Houston, the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland and California. After his playing career, he became a popular broadcaster with the Atlanta Braves on WTBS and Turner Sports.

Mick Tingelhoff, 81. The NFL Hall of Famer started at center for the Minnesota Vikings in 240 regular-season games. 

Tony Trabert, 90. A pioneer of American professional men’s tennis, Trabert was a 10-time Grand Slam winner and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

Al Unser Sr., 82. A four-time Indianapolis 500 winner including a win in 1987 at 47-years-old, Unser was a racing legend with 39 professional victories. 

Bill Virdon, 90. NL Rookie of the Year in 1955 with the St. Louis Cardinals, longtime Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder and manager of four MLB teams. 

Paul Westphal, 70. The dapper five-time NBA All-Star guard was head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings. He was an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks in 2007-08.

Other sports deaths in 2021 include NBA coaches Stan Albeck, 89 and Bob “Slick” Leonard, 88, football’s Ted Thompson, 68, Colt Brennan, 37, Keith McCants, 53 and Otis Armstrong, 70, baseball’s Grant Jackson, 78, Joe Altobelli, 88 and Dick Tidrow, 74 and jockey Miguel Mena, 34.

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