- Jan 9 Don Brennan, cricket wicket-keeper (England in 2 Tests 1951), dies
- Jan 13 Adam Walsh, American College Football Hall of Fame center and coach (Notre Dame; Bowdoin), dies at 83
- Feb 7 Uday Merchant, Indian cricketer (brother of Vijay, prolific scorer), dies at 68
- Feb 10 Johnny Mokan, American MLB player (Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 89
- Feb 12 Van Lingle Mungo, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1934, 36, 37, 45; NL strikeout leader 1936; Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Giants), dies at 73
- Mar 2 John Kelly Jr, American rower (Olympic bronze single sculls 1956; president US Olympic Committee 1985) and brother of Grace Kelly, dies at 57
Eddie Shore (1902-1985)
Mar 16 Canadian ice hockey player and NHL hall of famer (Boston Bruins), dies of a lung infection at 82
- Mar 17 Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (Indian all-rounder, 31 Tests 1947-58), dies at 59
- Mar 29 Gerhard Stöck, German athlete (Olympic gold javelin, bronze shot put 1936), dies at 73
- Apr 5 Tyrell Johnson, West Indian cricketer (WI left-arm quickie, one Test 1939), dies at 68
- Apr 11 Bunny Ahearne, British ice hockey promoter, dies at 84
- May 6 Pete Desjardins, American diver (Olympic gold 10m platform, 3m springboard 1928), dies at 78
- May 18 Harald Andersson, Swedish discus thrower (world record 52.42m 1934), dies at 78
- May 29 39 people die in a confrontation at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium when Juventus and Italian fans are crushed against a wall escaping a breach by Liverpool fans
- Jun 10 Bob Prince, American sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates), dies of cancer at 68
- Jun 15 Andy Stanfield, American athlete (Olympic gold 200m, 4x100m relay 1952, silver 200m 1956; WR 200m: 20.60 1952), dies at 57
- Jun 15 Len Hopwood, cricketer (took 0-155 in two Tests Eng v Aust 1934), dies
- Jun 15 Percy Fender, English cricket all-rounder (13 Tests, 29 wickets, BB 5/90, HS 60; Sussex CCC, Surrey CCC, MCC), dies at 92
- Jun 22 Pat Hales, English tennis player (US C'ships women's singles 1955 runner-up; French C'ship doubles 1955, 60 & Wimbledon doubles 1955 runner-up), dies at 56
- Jun 28 Jimmy Thomson, Scottish golfer (US Open 1935, PGA C'ship 1936 runner-up), dies at 76
- Jul 2 David Purley, British Formula 1 driver (b. 1945)
- Jul 3 Cooney Weiland, Canadian ice hockey coach (Stanley Cup 1941 Boston Bruins; Harvard Uni) and NHL forward (Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings), dies at 80
- Jul 3 Frank J. Selke, Canadian Hockey HOF executive (9 x Stanley Cup Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens), dies at 92
- Jul 22 Matti Järvinen, Finnish javelin thrower (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 76
- Jul 23 Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (b. 1923)
- Jul 27 'Smoky' Joe Wood, American baseball pitcher/outfielder (World Series 1912, 15, 20; MLB wins leader 34–5 1912; pitched no-hitter 1911; Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians), dies at 95
- Jul 31 Murray Chapple, New Zealand cricket batsman (14 Tests, 3 x 50; Canterbury, Central Districts), dies at 55
- Aug 2 Sandy Bell, South African cricket fast bowler (16 Tests, 48 wickets, BB 6/99; Western Province, Rhodesia), dies at 79
- Aug 9 Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league fullback (37 Tests; NSW 27 games; South Sydney; RL "Immortal") and coach (Australia 29 Tests, South Sydney), dies at 58
- Aug 12 Manfred Winkelhock, German race car driver (b. 1951)
- Aug 15 Joe Carveth, Canadian ice hockey right wing (NHL All Star 1950; Stanley Cup 1943, 50 Detroit Red Wings; Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens), dies at 67
- Aug 22 Ginty Lush, Australian cricketer (NSW quickie of 30's), dies at 71
- Sep 1 Stefan Bellof, German race car driver (b. 1957)
- Sep 2 Abe Lenstra, Dutch soccer striker (47 caps; SC Heerenveen 395 games, SC Enschede, Enschedese Boys), dies at 64
- Sep 7 Frank "Bruiser" Kinard, American College-Pro Football HOF tackle (Ole Miss; 6 × First-team All-Pro; 5 × NFL All-Star; Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers, Fleet City, NY Yankees), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 70
- Sep 9 Rod Funseth, American golfer (US Masters runner-up 1978), dies from cancer at 52 [1]
- Sep 10 Jock Stein, Scottish soccer manager (Dunfermline Athletic, Hibernian, Scotland [1965, 78-85], Celtic, Leeds United), dies from a pulmonary edema at 62
- Oct 13 Jack Wilson, Australian cricket spin bowler (1 Test; 43 wickets on England Tour 1956), dies at 64
- Oct 24 Richie Evans, American auto racer (9 x NASCAR Modified Champion 1973, 78-85), dies in practice accident at 44
- Oct 26 Bob Scheffing, American baseball catcher (Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds), manager (Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers) and executive (GM NY Mets 1970-74), dies at 72
- Oct 31 Anton Christoforidis, Greek boxer (NBA light heavyweight title 1941), dies of a heart attack at 68
- Oct 31 Nikos Engonopoulos, Greek surrealist painter and poet (Do Not Distract the Driver), dies of a heart attack at 78
- Nov 1 Arnold Pihlak, Estonian soccer forward (44 caps; FK Austria Wien), dies at 83
- Nov 2 Fred Enke, American College basketball coach (University of Arizona 1925–1961, record 522–344), dies at 88
- Nov 8 Masten Gregory, American auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1961, 65 [Jochen Rindt]), dies at 53
- Nov 8 Nicolas Frantz, Luxembourgish road cyclist (Tour de France 1927-28), dies at 86
- Nov 11 Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish NHL goaltender, 1981-86, Vezina Award winner (Philadelphia Flyers), dies after drunk driving collision between his Porsche and wall at 26
- Nov 19 Lall Singh, Indian cricketer (Test for India 1932), dies at 75
- Nov 21 Ramnath Kenny, Indian cricketer (5 Tests for India 1958-60), dies at 55
- Nov 24 Maurice Podoloff, American attorney, professional sports administrator (AHL President, 1936-52; NBA President, 1946-63), and namesake of NBA regular season MVP Award, dies at 95
- Nov 25 Ray Jablonski, American baseball player (b. 1926)
- Nov 28 Johnny "Blood" McNally, American Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback and coach (NFL champion 1929-31, 36; Green Bay Packers), dies from a stroke at 82
- Dec 6 Burleigh Grimes, American Baseball HOF pitcher (World Series 1931 St. Louis Cardinals; NL wins leader 1921, 28; NL strikeout leader 1921 Brooklyn Robins, Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 92
- Dec 14 Charlie Bachman, American College Football Hall of Fame guard and coach (Notre Dame, Florida, Michigan State), dies at 93
Roger Maris (1934-1985)
Dec 14 American baseball right fielder (7-time MLB All Star, 61 HRs 1961), dies of cancer at 51
- Dec 16 Dick Pollard, cricketer (England fast-medium bowler 1946-48), dies
Harry Hopman (1906-1985)
Dec 27 Australian tennis player, coach (Davis Cup captain 1939-67, won 16), dies of a heart attack at 79
- Dec 31 Mal Matheson, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (2 Tests) and rugby union Test referee (Australia v NZ 1946), dies at 79