On This Day

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Athletes Who Died in 1955

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  • Jan 7 Gerald Hartigan, South African cricketer (batsman in 5 Tests 1911-14), dies at 70
  • Jan 21 Archie Hahn, American athlete (Olympic gold 60m, 100m, 200m 1904), dies at 74
  • Feb 5 Ernest Blood, American Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Passaic HS, NJ, 200-1 record, 1915-24), dies at 82
  • Feb 6 Rosey Rowswell, American MLB broadcaster (Pittsburgh Prates 1936-54), dies from uremic poisoning at 71
  • Apr 18 Don Blackie, Australian cricket spin bowler (3 Tests, 14 wickets, BB 6/94; Victoria), dies at 46

Tommy Burns (1881-1955)

May 10 Canadian boxer (World Heavyweight Champion 1906–08), dies of a heart attack at 73

Tommy Burns
  • May 11 Gilbert Jessop, English cricket batsman (18 Tests; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1898), dies at 80
  • May 17 Alan Fairfax, Australian cricket all-rounder (10 Tests, 4 x 50, 21 wickets, BB 4/31; NSWCA), dies of war wounds at 48
  • May 17 Leslie Hylton, Jamaican cricketer and West Indies fast bowler, executed and hanged for murder at 50

Alberto Ascari (1918-1955)

May 26 Italian auto racer (World F1 champion 1952, 53), dies in a testing accident at 36

Alberto Ascari
  • May 31 Bill Vukovich, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1953-4), dies in a car crash at 36 while competing in the Indianapolis 500
  • Jun 10 Margaret Abbott, American golfer (1st American woman to win Olympic event, golf 1900), dies at 76
  • Jun 22 Sadashiv Garpatrao Shinde, cricketer (7 Tests for India), dies at 31
  • Jun 22 Sadu Shinde, Indian cricket spin bowler (7 Tests, 12 wickets, BB 6/91; Maharashtra, Bombay, Baroda), dies of typhoid at 32
  • Jul 9 Arch Ward, American sportswriter (Chicago Tribune - proposed baseball's all-star game), dies at 58
  • Aug 2 Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach, dies at 54
  • Aug 26 Sol White, American Baseball HOF executive (Philadelphia Giants 4 x consecutive black C'ships 1904–1907), dies at 87
  • Oct 21 Roy Minnett, Australian cricket all-rounder who played 9 Tests, 3 x 50, 11 wickets; NSW, dies at 69
  • Oct 27 Clark Griffith, American Baseball HOF pitcher (MLB ERA leader 1898 Chicago Colts/Orphans) and manager (Chicago WS, NY Highlanders, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Sens [owner]), dies at 85

Cy Young (1867-1955)

Nov 4 American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Cleveland Spiders, Boston Americans; most wins in MLB history 511), dies of a heart attack at 88

Cy Young
  • Nov 12 Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer (Olympic gold 100/200m 1896), soccer forward (1 cap) and manager (Hungary 1906), dies at 77

Honus Wagner (1874-1955)

Dec 6 American Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (8 x NL batting champion; 5 × NL RBI / stolen base leader; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 81

Honus Wagner
  • Dec 23 Len Braund, English cricket all-rounder (23 Tests, 3 x 100, 47 wickets; Surrey CCC, Somerset CCC), dies at 80


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