- Jan 3 Jerry Quarry, American boxer (famous bouts v world champions Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Ellis, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton), dies of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at 53
- Jan 4 Maqsood Ahmed, Pakistani cricket all-rounder who played 16 Tests, 2 x 50, 3 wickets; Karachi Blues, Rawalpindi; and broadcaster PTV, BBC, Radio Pakistan, dies at 73
Jim Peters (1918-1999)
Jan 9 English long-distance runner who was 1st to complete a marathon in under 2 hours 20 minutes, dies at 80
- Jan 12 Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
- Jan 19 Ivan Francescato, Italian rugby union footballer (b. 1967)
- Jan 28 Pollamani Krishnamurthy, Indian cricket wicket-keeper (5 Tests, 8 dismissals; Hyderabad), dies at 51
- Jan 31 Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (b. 1929)
- Feb 1 Rudolf Kárpáti, Hungarian fencer (Olympic gold sabre team 1948, 52, 56, 60; individual 1956, 60; World C'ship gold x 7), dies at 78
- Feb 21 Wilmer Mizell, American politician (Rep-R-North Carolina 1969-75), and MLB baseball pitcher, 1952-62, 2X All-Star (St. Louis Cardinals and 2 other teams), dies at 68
- Feb 22 Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (b. 1964)
- Feb 28 Bill Talbert, American tennis player (9 x Grand Slam doubles titles; US Open singles 1944, 45 runner-up; International Tennis HOF), dies at 80
- Mar 6 Dennis Viollet, English soccer inside forward (2 caps; Manchester United 293 games, Stoke City), dies at 65
Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999)
Mar 8 American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (13 × MLB All-Star; 9 x World Series; 3 x AL MVP; MLB record 56-game hitting streak; NY Yankees), dies of lung cancer at 84
- Mar 19 Joseph DePietro, American weightlifter (Olympic gold -56kg 1948), dies at 84
- Mar 24 Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
- Mar 25 Cal Ripken Sr, American baseball manager (Baltimore Orioles 1987-88; World Series 1983 [coach]), dies of lung cancer at 63
- Apr 1 Red Flaherty, American baseball umpire (World Series 1955, 58, 65, 70; MLB All Star games 1956, 61, 69), dies from stroke-related complications at 81
- Apr 4 Early Wynn, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Cy Young Award 1959 Chicago WS; MLB wins leader 1954, 59; 9 x MLB All Star; Cleveland Indians), dies of a stroke at 79
- Apr 6 Gene Benson, American baseball outfielder (Negro League All-Star 1940, 45-46), dies at 85
- Apr 13 Ortvin Sarapu, New Zealand chess player, dies at 74
- Apr 23 Tullio Pandolfini, Italian water polo athlete (Olympic gold, 1948), dies at 84
- Apr 25 Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, MBE, TD, Irish journalist, author, sports official (6th President International Olympic Committee 1972-80), dies at 84
- Apr 27 Cyril Washbrook, English cricket batsman (37 Tests, 6 x 100, HS 195; Lancashire CCC), dies at 84
- Apr 28 Alf Ramsey, English football manager, dies at 79
- May 3 Godfrey Evans, English cricket wicket-keeper (91 Tests; 219 dismissals; Kent), dies at 78
- May 3 Joe Adcock, American baseball utility, manager (Milwaukee Braves; 2-time MLB All Star), dies of Alzheimer's disease at 71
- May 3 Steve Chiasson, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1967)
Gene Sarazen (1902-1999)
May 13 American golfer (7 x major titles including Career Grand Slam; 38 PGA Tour event wins), dies of pneumonia at 97
- May 18 Betty Robinson, American runner, dies at 87
- May 28 Henry Carlsson, Swedish soccer (Olympic gold 1948), dies at 81
- Jun 1 Mr. Prospector, American thoroughbred racehorse and breeding stallion (most influential sire of his generation), dies of complications from colic at 29
- Jun 6 Eddie Stanky, American baseball 2nd baseman (MLB All Star 1947, 48, 50; Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, NY Giants) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers), dies of a heart attack at 83
- Jun 14 Bernie Faloney, American-Canadian professional football player (Hamilton Tiger-Cats), dies at 66
- Jun 26 Angelo Bertelli, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1943, National C'ship 1943, Notre Dame), dies of brain cancer at 78
- Jun 27 Marion Motley, American NFL fullback (all-time leading AAFC rusher), dies at 79
- Jul 1 Jack Moroney, Australian cricket batsman (7 Tests, 2 x 100, HS 118; NSWCA), dies at 81
- Aug 4 Liselott Linsenhoff, German equestrian rider (Olympic gold 1968, 72), dies at 71
- Aug 6 Ilse Pausin, Austrian figure skater (Olympic silver pairs 1936; World C'ship silver x 5 [with brother Erik Pausin]), dies at 80
- Aug 13 Sulo Nurmela, Finish skier (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 91
- Aug 14 Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, American Baseball HOF shortstop (10 x MLB All-Star; World Series 1955, 59 Brooklyn/LA Dodgers), dies of cancer 81
- Aug 14 Pat Mullin, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1947-48; Detroit Tigers), dies at 81
- Aug 17 Reiner Klimke, German equestrian (Olympic gold 1984), dies of a heart attack at 63
- Aug 29 Jaime Fields, American NFL and WLAF linebacker (KC Chiefs, Scotland Claymores), dies in a hit-and-run automobile accident at 29
- Sep 6 René Lecavalier, French Canadian sportscaster (b. 1918)
- Sep 9 Jim "Catfish" Hunter, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (MLB All-Star 1966, 67, 70, 72–1976; World Series 1972–74, 77, 78; AL Cy Young Award 1974; Oakland A's, NY Yankees), dies from Lou Gehrig's disease at 53
- Sep 11 Gonzalo Rodriguez, Uruguayan auto racing driver (b. 1972)
- Sep 12 Bill Quackenbush, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman (8 x NHL All-Star; Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings) and coach (Princeton), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 77
- Sep 20 Robert Lebel, French Canadian ice hockey executive, dies at 93
- Sep 21 Vic Stollmeyer, West Indian cricket batsman (1 Test, 1 x 50, HS 96; Trinidad & Tobago), dies at 83
- Oct 8 John McLendon, American basketball coach (b. 1915)
Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999)
Oct 12 American College / Basketball HOF center (4 x NBA MVP; 13 x All Star; NBA C'ship 1967, 72 [MVP]; Philadelphia/SF Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Lakers), dies of heart failure at 63
- Oct 20 Calvin Griffith, Canadian baseball team owner (Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins 1955-84), dies at 87
John Bromwich (1918-1999)
Oct 21 Australian tennis player (Australian C'ship 1939, 46 / 13 Grand Slam doubles titles), dies at 80
- Oct 22 Martin Donnelly, New Zealand cricket batsman (7 Tests, 1 x 100, 4 x 50, HS 206; Wellington, Canterbury) and rugby union centre (1 Test England 1947), dies at 82
Payne Stewart (1957-1999)
Oct 25 American golfer (US Open 1991, 99; PGA 1989), dies in a plane crash at 42
- Oct 31 Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (b. 1975)
Walter Payton (1954-1999)
Nov 1 American Pro Football HOF running back (NFL MVP 1977; 9 x Pro Bowl; 5 x First Team All Pro; Chicago Bears), dies of Cholangiocarcinoma at 45
- Nov 4 Malcolm Marshall, West Indian cricket fast bowler (81 Tests, 376 wickets @ 20.94, BB 7/22; Barbados, Hampshire CCC, Natal), dies from colon cancer at 41
- Nov 8 Leon Štukelj, Slovene gymnast (Olympic gold, 1924,1928; World Championship gold, 1922, 1926), dies at 100
- Nov 11 Jack Plimsoll, South African cricket fast bowler (1 Test, BB 3-143; manager RSA team to England 1965), dies at 82
- Nov 12 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr., English thoroughbred horse owner (Bed O' Roses, Native Dancer), dies at 87
- Nov 13 Jaswick Taylor, West Indian cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 10 wickets; 5/109 in Test debut 1958; Trinidad & Tobago), dies at 67
- Nov 27 Yasuhiro Kojima, wrestler (b. 1937)
- Dec 1 Gene Baker, American baseball infielder (MLB All-Star 1955; World Series 1960; Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 74
- Dec 1 William "Pop" Gates, American Basketball Hall of Fame guard and coach (Harlem Globetrotters "Legends" Ring 1995), dies at 82
- Dec 3 Horst Mahseli, Polish soccer striker (9 caps; Legia Warsaw), dies at 65
- Dec 4 Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 42 wickets), dies from a heart attack at 44
- Dec 12 Joe Benner, American pistol shooter and coach (Olympic gold 1952; World C'ship gold 1949, 52, 54), dies at 82
- Dec 19 Bal Dani, Indian cricket all-rounder (1 Test, 1 wicket; Maharashtra, Services), dies at 66
- Dec 24 Bill Bowerman, American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, dies at 88