Athletes Who Died in 1973

  • Jan 12 Glen "Turk" Edwards, American College-Pro Football HOF tackle (Washington State Uni; NFL C'ship 1937; 3 × First-team All-Pro; NFL All-Star 1939; Washington Redskins) and coach (Washington Redskins 1946-48), dies at 65
  • Jan 24 Alan Lissette, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (2 Tests, 3 wickets; Auckland, Northern Districts), dies from heart disease at 53
  • Jan 25 Masao Ohba, Japanese boxer (WBA flyweight champion 1970-73), dies in a car accident at 23
  • Feb 8 Herbie Taylor, South African cricket batsman and captain (42 Tests; 2,936 runs @ 40.77; 7 x 100s), dies at 83
  • Feb 16 Pieter Van der Bijl, South African cricket batsman (5 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 125; Western Province, Oxford University CC), dies at 65
  • Feb 26 Doc Hayes, American basketball coach (Southern Methodist University 1947-67), dies in an auto accident at 67
  • Mar 8 Gordon Leggat, New Zealand cricket batsman (9 Tests, 2 x 50; Canterbury), dies at 46

Frankie Frisch (1898-1973)

Mar 12 American Baseball HOF infielder (3 x MLB All-Star; 4 x World Series; NL MVP 1931; NY Giants, St.L Cardinals) and manager (St.L Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs), dies at 74

  • Mar 26 George Sisler, American Baseball HOF first baseman (AL MVP 1922; AL batting champion 1920, 22 St. Louis Browns) and manager (St. Louis Browns 1924–26), dies at 80
  • Mar 26 Johnny Drake, American football running back who was First-team All-Pro 1940; 3 × NFL All-Star, Cleveland Rams, dies at 56
  • Apr 1 Arthur Wood, English cricket wicketkeeper (4 Tests, 11 dismissals), dies at 74
  • Apr 27 Carlos Menditeguy, Argentine auto racer (11 x F1 GP) and horse trainer, polo player, dies from diabetes and Parkinson's disease at 57
  • Apr 27 Jim Sims, English cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 11 wickets; Middlesex), dies at 69

Clas Thunberg (1893-1973)

Apr 28 Finnish speed skater (Olympic gold 1500m, 5000m, allround 1924; 500m, 1500m 1928), dies at 80

  • May 12 Art Pollard, American racecar driver (b. 1927)
  • May 20 Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer, dies in a crash at Monza, Italy at 27
  • Jun 21 Frank Leahy, American football coach (Notre Dame), dies at 64
  • Jun 30 Elmer Layden, College Football Hall of Fame fullback (Notre Dame legendary 4-horsemen, 1st NFL Commissioner), dies at 70
  • Jul 2 Chick Hafey, American Baseball HOF outfielder (World Series 1926, 31 St. Louis Cardinals; NL batting champion 1931; MLB All Star 1933), dies at 70
  • Jul 2 George McBride, American baseball shortstop (AL fielding leader 1912-15 Washington Senators) and manager (Washington Senators 1921), dies at 92
  • Jul 2 Swede Savage, dies of injuries at Indianapolis 500
  • Jul 4 Leonid Stein, Russian chess player, dies at about 39
  • Jul 8 Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), dies at 75
  • Jul 8 Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer (4187 1st-class wickets, most ever), dies at 95
  • Jul 10 Wallace "Bud" Smith, American boxer (World lightweight title 1955-56), dies of gunshot wounds at 49
  • Jul 29 Roger Williamson, English racing driver (b. 1948)
  • Aug 7 Jack Gregory, Australian cricket all-rounder (24 Tests, 2 x 100, 7 x 50, 85 wickets, BB 7/69; NSW CA), dies at 77
  • Aug 9 Charlie Daniels, American swimmer (Olympic gold 220yd, 440yd, 4x50yd freestyle 1904, 100m freestyle 1908), dies at 88
  • Aug 31 Stan Worthington, English cricket all-rounder (9 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 128, 8 wickets, BB 2/19; Derbyshire CCC, Northumberland CCC), dies at 68
  • Sep 5 Jack Fournier, American baseball player, 1912-27 (White Sox; Cardinals; Brooklyn Robins), dies at 83

Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973)

Oct 2 Finnish middle & long distance runner (9 Olympic gold 1920, 24, 28), dies of Atherosclerosis at 76

  • Oct 24 Jack Iverson, Australian cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 21 wickets, BB 6/27; Victoria CA), dies from suicide at 58

Abebe Bikila (1932-1973)

Oct 25 Ethiopian distance athlete (Olympic gold marathon 1960 WR [barefoot], 64 WR; Africa's first WR breaking athlete in any sport), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 41

  • Nov 2 Earl Neale, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach (Virginia; NFL: Philadelphia Eagles) and MLB outfielder (Cincinnati Reds), dies at 81
  • Nov 19 Cyril Allcott, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (6 Tests, 113 runs @ 22.6, 6 wickets; Auckland), dies at 77
  • Dec 2 Watson Washburn, American tennis player (runner-up Wimbledon doubles 1924, US Nationals 1921, 23; founder International Tennis Hall of Fame), dies at 79
  • Dec 16 Sid Barnes, Australian cricket batsmen (13 Tests, 3 x 100, 5 x 50, HS 234; NSWCA), dies of barbiturate and bromide poisoning at 57
  • Dec 22 James Anderson, Australian tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1922, 24, 25), dies at 79
  • Dec 23 Arthur Richardson, Australian cricket all-rounder (9 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 100, 12 wickets; South Australia, Western Australia), dies at 85