2014 Notable Sports Deaths


Save Story

Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Jan. 1 — Dave Martin, 59, longtime Associated Press photographer collapsed on the field of the Georgia Dome after taking one of his signature photos: the coach getting doused by his players. Martin was working the sidelines at Texas A&M's 52-48 win over Duke in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

Jan. 2 — Jadarius Garner, 20, Troy football player was found dead on a Mississippi highway. The defensive end was a sophomore for the Trojans after transferring from Jones County Community College.

Jan. 3 — Don Gill, 84, longtime broadcaster and former voice of Nebraska football and men's basketball.

Jan. 5 — Terry Biddlecombe, 72, three-time English champion jockey. Biddlecombe was a champion jockey in 1965, '66 and '69, when he shared the title with Bob Davies.

Jan. 5 — Eusebio, 71, Portuguese soccer star who was born into poverty in Africa but became an international sporting icon. Eusebio became affectionately known as the Black Panther for his athletic prowess and clinical finishing that made him one of the world's top scorers during his heyday in the 1960s for Benfica and the Portuguese national team.

Jan. 5 — Jerry Coleman, 89, Hall of Fame broadcaster and former major league ballplayer whose pro career was interrupted by two wars. Coleman spent more than 70 years in pro baseball, a career that included four World Series titles with the New York Yankees and was interrupted by World War II and the Korean War. Coleman also worked in the Yankees' front office before beginning a broadcasting career that eventually brought him to San Diego.

Jan. 6 — Karel Gut, 86, high-scoring defenseman who also coached Czechoslovakia to two world ice hockey titles and an Olympic silver medal. Gut scored 34 goals in his 114 international games for Czechoslovakia. He was in charge of the national team from 1973-79, winning world titles in 1976 and '77 and a silver medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

Jan. 6 — Todd Williams, 35, former NFL and Florida State offensive tackle. Williams was a redshirt freshman on the Seminoles' 1999 national champion team. He was drafted by Tennessee in the 2003 NFL draft and went on to play for Tampa Bay and Green Bay.

Jan. 8 — Phil Colella, 88, former Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure running back. The first time he carried the ball as a Notre Dame freshman in 1945 he sprinted 76 yards for the touchdown that helped the Irish upset Illinois, 7-0. The next year, Colella followed coach Hugh Devore to St. Bonaventure.

Jan. 8 — Ernie Derr, 92, record-setting stock car racing champion who competed between the 1950s and 1970s. Derr began his career in the International Motor Contest Association circuit in 1950. He won 12 championships and continues to hold the record for most IMCA championship titles by a single racer.

Jan. 8 — Jason Berryman, 28, former Iowa State defensive end. Berryman was part of the Cyclones football team in 2003 and 2005.

Jan. 9 — Bill Conlin, 79, former Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter and columnist whose career ended following multiple allegations of child abuse in 2011. The Hall of Fame baseball writer Started at the newspaper starting in 1965 and became the beat writer for the Phillies the next year. He held that job for 21 years and became a columnist in 1987.

Jan. 9 — Eric Palante, 50, Belgian motorcyclist died in the Dakar Rally. Palante, competing in his 11th Dakar Rally, failed to finish the fifth leg in Argentina.

Jan. 11 — David Walker, 82, former East Tennessee State track and field and cross country coach. Walker was a football player and a track athlete. He played with the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts. Walker returned to ETSU and coached the track program from 1963 until his retirement in 2012.

Jan. 12 — Jack Gardiner, 69, longtime NHL scout. Gardiner had worked for the San Jose Sharks since 2004. He also worked for St. Louis, Toronto and the Central Scouting Bureau in a nearly 35-year career as a professional hockey scout.

Jan. 13 — Norm Parker, 72, former Iowa defensive coordinator. Parker began his college coaching career in 1968. He made stops at Wake Forest, Minnesota, Illinois, East Carolina, Michigan State and Vanderbilt.

Jan. 15 — Curtis Bray, 43, Iowa State defensive line coach. Bray also coached at Duquesne, Western Kentucky and Villanova and Pittsburgh.

Jan. 15 — Markel Owens, 21, Arkansas State defensive lineman was fatally shot during a robbery in Jackson, Tenn.

Jan. 16 — Jose Sulaiman, 82, longtime head of the World Boxing Council who promoted renowned fighters and introduced rules to protect boxers. Sulaiman raised the profile of the sport in his four-decade leadership at the Mexico-based council. He also managed to institute new rules and regulations regarding boxers' safety and welfare, including the reduction in the number of rounds from 15 to 12.

Jan. 16 — Leroy Labat, 83, former LSU football team captain. Labat, who was nicknamed "The Black Stallion", was a two-year letter winner at halfback for the Tigers in 1951 and 1952.

Jan. 17 — Harry Pieper, 91, former College of Marin football coach and athletics director.

Jan. 17 — Quail Dobbs, 72, former rodeo clown and member of Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Dobbs, whose gags included a pretend hat-cleaning operation, spent 35 years as a rodeo clown and retired at the end of 1998.

Jan. 19 — Christopher Chataway, 82, former 5,000-meter world record-holder. Chataway competed at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, and was a pacemaker to help Roger Bannister become the first man to break the four-minute mile barrier in 1954.

Jan. 19 — Bert Williams, 93, goalkeeper for England who gave up the goal that allowed a team of journeymen Americans at the 1950 World Cup to produce one of soccer's great upsets. Williams, who played 24 times for his country, spent most of his playing career at central England club Wolves, winning the FA Cup in 1949 and the top-tier title in 1954.

Jan. 20 — Brian Hoffman, 49, all-time men's basketball scoring leader at Doane. His career scoring record of 2,505 points was the top mark in the state of Nebraska until December 2013 when Creighton's Doug McDermott surpassed him.

Jan. 20 — Billy Ross, 78, a survivor of the 1960 plane crash that killed 16 members of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo football team. Ross was an offensive tackle on the 1959 and 1960 Mustang football teams.

Jan. 21 — Dick Shrider, 90, longtime athletics director and former men's basketball coach at Miami (Ohio). Shrider coached for nine seasons from 1957 to 1966, leading the school to four MAC Championships and two NCAA appearances while compiling a record of 126-96. In 1964, Shrider assumed the role of director of athletics and held that position until his retirement in 1988.

Jan. 21 — Wilford Moore, 94, Former McMurry (Texas) football coach. Moore the most successful coach in the program's history and namesake of the school's football stadium. Moore led the Indians to a 48-25-5 record, four conference championships,

Jan. 22 — Willie Crafts, 75, All-American lineman at Texas A&I. Crafts helped win the school (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) win its first national title in 1959. He played in the AFL, NFL and CFL as a professional.

Jan. 24 — Brandon Robinson, 20, South Carolina State football player was shot to death outside a dormitory.

Jan. 25 — Dave Strack, 90, former Michigan basketball coach and Arizona athletic director. Strack coached basketball from 1960 to 1968 at Michigan, where his teams compiled a 113-89 record. His 1965 team, which featured Cazzie Russell, went 24-4 and lost the NCAA championship game to John Wooden's UCLA squad, 91-80. Strack was Arizona AD from 1972 to 1982. Shortly after taking the job, he hired Fred Snowden as the first black basketball coach at an NCAA Division I school.

Jan. 25 — Dennis Wirgowski, 66, former Purdue defensive end. In 1970, he was a ninth-round draft pick of the Boston Patriots of the NFL. He played three seasons with the Patriots and one with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jan. 25 — Larry Kramer, 71, former Emporia State football coach from 1983-1994. Kramer, the second winningest coach at the school with a 71-54 record, was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1989 when he led the Hornets to the NAIA National Championship game.

Jan. 26 — Tom Gola, 81, Hall of Famer who led La Salle to the 1954 NCAA men's basketball title and helped the Philadelphia Warriors win the 1956 NBA championship. Gola also led La Salle to the 1952 NIT title and a runner-up finish in the 1955 NCAA tournament. He set the NCAA Division I record for career rebounds with 2,201 and scored 2,461 points.

Jan. 28 — Harry Gamble, 83, former team president of Philadelphia Eagles. Gamble was football coach at Lafayette College from 1967 to 1970 before becoming head coach at Penn in 1971. He remained there until 1980. He joined the Eagles in 1981 as a volunteer assistant under Dick Vermeil and was team president from 1986 to 1994.

Jan. 28 — John Kreamcheck, 88, former defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears during 1953-55.

Jan. 30 — Danielle Downey, 33, former Auburn and LPGA player died in a single-car accident. Downey was in her second season as Auburn's director of golf operations. Downey She finished in the money 15 times on the LPGA Tour from 2006 through 2010, including a career-best fourth at the 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic.

Jan. 31 — Mike Reed, 39, former University of Washington fullback.

MORE

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent National Sports stories

Related topics

The Associated Press

    SPORTS NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button