- Jan 14 John J "Johnny" Murphy, American baseball pitcher (NY Yankees), dies at 61
- Jan 17 Robert Lindley Murray, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1917-18), dies at 77
- Jan 27 Probir Sen, Indian cricket wicketkeeper (14 Tests, 31 dismissals; Bengal), dies at 43
- Jan 28 Tommy Andrews, Australian cricketer (16 Tests 1921-26, 592 runs), dies
- Feb 5 Rudy York, American baseball player (b. 1913)
- Feb 7 Abe Attell, American boxer known as "The Little Hebrew" and World Featherweight Champion (1906-12), dies at 86
- Feb 13 Herbert Strudwick, English cricket wicketkeeper (28 Tests, 73 dismissals; Surrey CCC), dies at 90
- Feb 23 Hirsch Jacobs, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (b. 1904)
- Mar 2 Paul Christman, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (University of Missouri; All-Pro 1946, 47; Chicago Cardinals, Green Bay Packers), dies from a heart attack at 51
- Apr 6 Maurice Stokes, American Basketball HOF power forward (NBA All-Star 1956, 57, 58; NBA Rookie of the Year 1956; Rochester/Cincinnati Royals), dies from a heart attack at 36
- Apr 15 Ripper Collins, American baseball first baseman (MLB All-Star 1935, 36, 37; World Series 1931, 34; NL HR leader 1934; St Louis Cardinals), dies at 66
- Apr 29 Forrest DeBernardi, American Basketball HOF center (5 × AAU C'ship; 5 × AAU All-American Westminster College), dies at 71
- May 19 Ray Schalk, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (World Series 1917; Chicago White Sox) and manager (Chicago White Sox 1927-28), dies from cancer at 78
Terry Sawchuk (1929-1970)
May 31 Canadian Hockey HOF goaltender who was a 4-time Vezina Trophy winner; Stanley Cup 1952, 54, 55 Detroit Red Wings, 67 Toronto Maple Leafs, dies from liver injuries at 40
- Jun 2 Bruce McLaren, New Zealand car racer and founder of eponymous race team, dies in a car crash at 32
- Jun 11 Camille Bombois, French circus wrestler and naïve painter, dies at 87
- Jun 16 Brian Piccolo, American NFL football running back, 1965-69 (Chicago Bears), and subject of the 1971 TV movie "Brian's Song", dies of cancer at 26
- Jun 17 Matthew Henderson, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (1 Test; New Zealand's first-ever Test match 1930), dies at 74
- Jun 27 Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler (b. 1902)
- Jul 4 Harold Vanderbilt, American yachtsman and America's Cup winner (1930, 34, 37), dies at 85
- Jul 17 Juano Hernandez, Puerto Rican stage and film actor (St Louis Blues; Stars In My Crown), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 73
- Jul 21 Bob Kalsu, American NFL football player, 1968 (Buffalo Bills), and US Army officer, killed in action in Vietnam at 25
- Jul 31 Jimmy Conzelman, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, coach, team owner (Chicago Cardinals), dies at 72
- Jul 31 Walter Briggs Jr, American sports executive (owner Detroit Tigers 1952-56), dies at 58
- Aug 6 Ingolf Dahl [Marcus], German-American pianist and composer (Allegro and Arioso), dies at 56
- Aug 7 Syd Buller, English cricket umpire (33 Tests 1956-69), dies at 60
- Aug 8 Johnny Goodman, American golfer (US Open 1933), dies at 60
- Aug 12 Glenn Hartranft, American athlete (discus WR 47.89m 1925; Olympic silver shot putt 1924), dies at 68
Vince Lombardi (1913-1970)
Sep 3 American Pro Football Hall of Fame coach (Green Bay Packers 1959-67; NFL Coach of the Year 1959, 61; Super Bowl I, II), dies at 57
- Sep 5 Jochen Rindt, Austrian auto racer (posthumous World F1 title 1970), dies of throat injuries in practice accident at 28
Cy Denneny (1891-1970)
Sep 10 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame left wing (NHL leading scorer 1923-24), dies at 78
- Sep 19 Greville Stevens, British cricketer (10 Tests for England 1922-29), dies at 69
- Oct 4 Curtis Turner, American auto racer (184 NASCAR races over 17 years, 17 wins), dies in aeroplane crash at 46
- Nov 21 Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey (Montreal Canadiens) and lacrosse player, dies at 83
- Dec 1 Frank Smailes, English cricket all-rounder (1 Test; 8 County C'ships, Yorkshire), dies at 60
- Dec 26 Lillian Board, British 400m athlete (Olympic silver 1968), dies at 22
Sonny Liston (1930-1970)
Dec 30 American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1962-64), dies of lung congestion and heart failure at 40; foul play suspected
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