Sad topic, but pays tribute and remembers the great sport's figures whose careers were cut short and those who died tragically.

Knute Rockne -- Coach of the Notre Dame football team, famous for his "Win one for the Gipper" speech, died in a plane crash.

Sonny Liston -- Heavyweight fighter who overdosed in 1970.

Roberto Clemente, of the Pittsburg Pirates, died in a plane crash in 1970 enroute to earthquake stricken Nicaragua to deliver aid and supplies.

The entire West Virginia Marshall University Football team, coaches and some fans were killed in a plane crash in 1970. Only one player wasn't on the plane as he was attending his father's funeral.

Daryl Stingley of the New England Patriots was paralyzed for life during a game in 1978.

Len Bias -- First Draft Pick for the Boston Celtics overdosed in 1986.

Reggie Lewis -- Captain of the Boston Celtics, collapsed and died of a heart ailment in 1993.

Donnie Moore - the former Major League pitcher was one strike away from leading the then-California Angels to their first World Series in 1986. But Red Sox slugger Dave Henderson played the killjoy and hit a two-run homer to put the Red Sox ahead 6-5. The Angels tied it but lost on Henderson's extra-inning sac fly, giving the Bosox a 7-6 win. The Angels lost the next two games and lost their chance for their first pennant. In 1989, an extremely depressed and dejected Moore, who was recently released from a minor league club, shot and seriously injured his wife and shot himself. He couldn't let go of it.

Tony Coligliaro of the Red Sox wielded a good bat but his promising career was cut short when he was hit in the face by a pitch. He returned a long while later but his career was never the same again.

Ray Chapman is the only player to die due to injuries suffered in a Major League game. In 1920, he was struck in the head by a Carl Mays' pitch and died the next day.

Chapman was a very good shortstop, leading the AL in putouts three times and assists once. He hit .300 three times and led the AL in runs scored and walks in 1917.

His death was one of the reasons the spitball was outlawed.

http://www.indiejournal.com/indiejournal/columns/baseballtragedy.htm

Yeah, I read about that. Those were the days when helmets weren't worn.

Billy Martin died on Christmas day in 1989 when the pickup truck in which he was riding in crashed. I hope to make a movie about the guy someday.

Dave Dravecky of the San Francisco Giants threw a pitch one day and broke his arm in 1989. It was the last pitch he would ever throw, as his arm would later be amputated. The same freakish accident would happen to Tampa Bay Devil Ray Tony Saunders (the Rays' first pick in the expansion draft). It happened twice, once with the Rays and a year or so later during rehab and Saunders had to retire after the second occurence. Luckily his arm didn't have to be amputated.

1976 Rookie of the Year, Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers, had a very promising career ahead of him. After an awesome rookie season, his career suddenly made a turn for the worst. During spring training in 1977, he decided to catch pop flies but in a freak accident, tore up his knee. He would pitch a few more years but never made it back to the big leagues after 1980.

Former Rookie of the Year Thurman Munson of the Yankees died in a plane crash in 1979. The indident unnerved Billy Martin tremendously.

Lou Gehrig of the Yankees had to retire due to illness. He suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He died in 1941. Catfish Hunter would die of the same illness decades later.

Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 on February 18, 2001. He was one of the greatest.

Brian Piccoli of the Chicago Bears died of cancer at age 26. His death inspired the movie, Brian's Song.

Lyle Alzado, although out of sports at the time of his death, showed the world the danger of abusing steroids. He died of brain cancer in 1992 at the age of 42.

Florence Griffith-Joyner -- Three-time Olympic gold medalist died at the age of 38 in 1998 of a heart problem. Mystery and speculation surround the actual cause of her death.

Duk Koo Kim sustained brain injuries and died in a fight with Boom Boom Mancini in 1982.

Jerome Brown a starting defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles and voted the defensive rookie of the year in 1987, was killed in a car car accident in Florida on June 25th,1992.

http://www.insidetheeagles.com/jbrown.jpe

Marc Bonticonti(son of former Dolphin great Nick) paralyzed from the waste down while trying to make a tackle and fell down hard!!

And of course, who could forget the OJ thing!!

Darryl Kile died in his sleep in a Chicago Hotel of a heart attack in 2002

Brandon Burlsworth former Arkansas tackle killed in car accident a week after being drafted by the colts in 1999.

Brook Berringer a Nebraska backup quarterback killed in a plane crash in 1996.

Derrick Thomas died from injuries in car crash happend a month earlier in 2000.

Rocky Marciano, World Heavyweight Champion died in a plane crash in 1969. He was 46.

malik sealy who played his final games as a minnesota timberwolve who died in a car accident.....i dont remember what year it was though

"Florence Griffith-Joyner -- Three-time Olympic gold medalist died at the age of 38 in 1998 of a heart problem. Mystery and speculation surround the actual cause of her death."

I didnt remember she died.

Sergei Grinkov collasping on the ice and dying while holding is wife at his side Kata Goordeva.

Originally posted by EricIdlefan
Sergei Grinkov collasping on the ice and dying while holding is wife at his side Kata Goordeva.
I remember that. It was the saddest thing.

I'm trying to remember a story about athletes, teammates, in a boating accident. I think one of them died. They were drinking....I think charges were filed for recklessness.

Does anyone remember this story?

Originally posted by Janice
I'm trying to remember a story about athletes, teammates, in a boating accident. I think one of them died. They were drinking....I think charges were filed for recklessness.

Does anyone remember this story?


Are you talking about the boating accident in the early 1990s in which two Major League Baseball players were killed and one seriously injured during spring training? I remember one of them was Steve Olin of the Mets, I believe.

Originally posted by Brian
Are you talking about the boating accident in the early 1990s in which three Major League Baseball players were killed during spring training? I remember one of them was Steve Olin of the Mets, I believe.
That must be it. Wow, three men died. :eek: Awful.

http://www.baseballlibrary.com

IN THE NEWS: Cleveland pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews are killed, and Bob Ojeda is seriously injured, when the motorboat in which they are riding strikes a pier on Little Lake Nellie in Florida. Crews and Olin are the first active major leaguers to die since Thurman Munson in 1979.

Originally posted by Janice
That must be it. Wow, three died. :eek: Awful.


Actually, two. I edited the post while you replied.

Originally posted by Brian
Actually, two. I edited the post while you replied.
Thanks Brian.
I sort of recall the surviver faced charges, but I could be wrong.

Although he brought it upon himself, it was very sad to see Lyle Alzado waste away and eventually die.

The entire US figure skating team died in a plane crash in 1960~not sure of the exact date or year, but it wiped out any hopes of a medal at the Olympics. After that Peggy Fleming became the darling on skates.

Flo Hynman, volleyball player died on the court of a ruptured aorta.

Tennis great Arthur Ashe died from AIDS in 1993. He contracted the disease during heart surgery. Terrible shame.

The SMU football play for pay scandal of the 80's after the NCAA slap them with probation they did it again it was so bad the NCAA gave them the "death penalty" it was tragic because so many kids and coaches careers were destoryed beacause of this incidient.

Herb Brooks, Olympic hockey coach who led the USA team to victory in 1980, died in a car crash last year. He was 66.

Figure Skaters John Curry, Rudy Galindo, and an one half of the Canadian Ice Dancing couple Robin McCall having AIDS. Galindo is alive but the two are deceased.

There are two baseball greats had passed on. Babe Ruth and Lou Gerig. Babe was the first home run king on both the Red Sox and the Yankees. And Lou Gerig was the player for the Yankees. They nicknamed it "Iron Horse". I watched these two biographical films:

1. "The Babe Ruth Story" (1948)
2. "The Pride of the Yankees" (1942)

Fred Lane, Carolina Panther's running back, was shot to death by his wife in 2000. He was 24.

Rae Carruth, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers is serving up to 24 years in prison for his role in the 1999 shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend. The baby survived.

Jim Fixx, running guru who popularized the sport with his bestselling book, "The Complete Book of Running", died of a heart attack while running in 1984. He was 52.

Jimmy Foxx had a 20-year career in baseball, mostly for the Red Sox. He choked to death in 1967 while having dinner at his brother's home. He was 66.

Korey Stringer Minnesota Vikings player died from a heatstroke during the very hot weather in 2001

Oklahoma State Basketball crew and 2 players killed in a plane crash in Colorado in 2001.

Julissa Gomez , 1988 Olympic hopeful in Gymnastics. She was performing a vault and smacked head first, breaking her neck. She spent the next 3 years in a coma until she died. Her mother was on Oprah talking about her story.