Athletes and Sports Stars Who Died in 2004

Feb 2 Róbert Zimonyi, Hungarian rowing coxswain (Olympic gold USA men's eight 1964; bronze Hungary coxed pair 1948), dies at 85
Feb 7 Scotch Taylor, South African cricket batsman (1 Test; Transvaal) and executive (president South African Hockey Union), dies at 78
Feb 14 Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (Tour de France 1998), dies of acute cocaine poisoning at 34
Feb 17 Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete (Olympic gold 80m hurdles 1952, 56; 4 x 100m relay 1956), dies at 78
Feb 21 Irina Press, Soviet 80m hurdles runner and pentathlete (Olympic gold 1960, 64), dies at 64
Feb 21 John Charles, Welsh footballer (b. 1931)
Feb 22 Andy Seminick, American baseball player (b. 1920)
Feb 22 Roque Máspoli, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1917)
Feb 23 Carl Liscombe, Canadian hockey player (b. 1915)
Mar 2 Marge Schott, American MLB owner (Cincinnati Reds), dies of pneumonia at 75
Mar 7 Jack Holden, English athlete (International Cross Country C'ship gold, individual 1933, 34, 35, 39; Empire Games marathon gold 1950), dies at 96
Mar 8 Frank Mooney, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (13 Tests, 30 dismissals; Wellington), dies at 82
Mar 12 Sylvi Saimo, Finnish kayaker (Olympic gold 1952, 1st female summer Olympic champion), dies at 89
Apr 1 Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek soccer midfielder (46 caps; Olympiacos; Panathinaikos) and manager (Panathinaikos), dies from septicaemia at 51
Apr 4 Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (World C'ship gold road race 1948, 50), dies at 84

Apr 6 Lou Berberet, American MLB baseball catcher. 1954-60 (New York Yankees, Washington Senators, and 2 other teams), dies at 74
Apr 8 Enda Colleran, Gaelic footballer (b. 1941)
Apr 8 Frank Chamberlain, English cricketer and CEO (Test & County Cricket Board), dies at 78
Apr 22 Pat Tillman, American football player and U.S. Army Ranger, killed in action at 27
Apr 24 Willie Watson, English cricket batsman (23 Tests, 2 x 100s) and soccer midfielder (4 caps; Sunderland), dies at 84
Apr 29 Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
May 3 Darrell Johnson, American baseball player, dies at 75
May 11 Mick Doyle, Irish rugby union footballer and coach, dies at 64
May 22 Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast who won Olympic gold USSR vault, horizontal bar 1968; World C'ship gold all-round, rings 1966, dies at 59
Jun 9 "Rosey" Roosevelt Brown, American football player, dies at 71
Jun 13 Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist and writer (Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Page 2), dies from a heart attack at 52
Jun 17 Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 78
Jun 27 Darrell Russell, American race car driver (b. 1968)
Jul 5 Rodger Ward, American race car driver (b. 1921)
Jul 24 Cotton Fitzsimmons, American Basketball HOF coach (NJCAA C'ship 1966, 67, Moberly Area CC; Kansas State; NBA: Phoenix Suns; Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs), dies of lung cancer and stroke at 72

Jul 27 Bob Tisdall, Irish athlete (Olympic gold 400m hurdles 1932 WR 51.7s; first man under 52s), dies after a fall at 97
Aug 12 George Yardley III, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (6 × NBA All-Star 1955–60; first player to score 2,000 points in a season; Fort Wayne Pistons), dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 75
Aug 14 Eric Petrie, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (14 Tests, 25 dismissals, 1 x 50; Auckland, Northern Districts), dies at 77
Aug 16 Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey coach (b. 1950)
Aug 16 Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)
Aug 22 Konstantin Aseev, Russian chess player (b. 1960)
Aug 27 Willie Crawford, American baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers), dies at 57
Sep 4 Alphonso Ford, American basketball guard (EuroLeague Top Scorer, All-EuroLeague First Team 2001, 03; Olympiacos, Montepaschi Siena), dies from leukemia at 32
Sep 4 Moe Norman, Canadian golfer (Canadian Golf Hall of Fame), dies from congestive heart failure at 75
Sep 7 Bob Boyd, American baseball first baseman (NgL All-Star 1947, 48, 49; first black player to sign with Chicago WS), dies at 84
Sep 20 Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager, dies of cancer at 69
Sep 23 Billy Reay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach, dies at 86
Sep 28 Christl Cranz, German alpine skier (combined gold Winter Olympics 1936), dies at 90
Sep 29 Richard Sainct, French motorcycle rally rider, dies in a crash at 44
Sep 30 Justin Strzelczyk, American NFL football offensive tackle, 1990-98 (Pittsburgh Steelers), dies in high speed car crash while being pursued by police at 36; autopsy revealed brain damage due to chronic concussion injuries
Sep 30 Mildred McDaniel, American athlete (Olympic gold high jump 1956), dies at 70
Oct 3 John Cerutti, American baseball pitcher (Toronto Blue Jays) and broadcaster (Rogers Sportsnet), dies of ventricular arrhythmia at 44
Oct 10 Ken Caminiti, MLB third baseman, 1987-2001, (Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and 3 other teams; NL MVP- 1996), dies of a drug overdose at 41

Keith Miller (1919-2004)

Oct 11 Australian cricket all-rounder (55 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 147, 70 wickets, BB 7/60; Victoria, NSWCA), dies at 84

Oct 20 Chuck Hiller, American MLB second baseman (first NL player in history to hit a grand slam HR in World Series play, 1962), dies from leukemia at 70
Oct 23 Robert Merrill [Moishe Miller], American operatic baritone (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1945-76), and actor, dies at 87
Oct 24 Randy Dorton, American race car engine builder (Director of Engine Operations Hendrick Motorsports; 9 x NASCAR C'ships), dies in a plane crash at 50
Oct 24 Ricky Hendrick, American auto racer and team owner (NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series 1 win, 23 top 10s), dies in plane crash at 24
Oct 26 Bobby Ávila, Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (MLB All-Star 1952, 54, 55; AL batting champion 1954; Cleveland Indians), dies of diabetes and lung ailment at 80
Oct 28 Jimmy McLarnin, Irish boxer (NYSAC, NBA, The Ring welterweight world champion 1933-35; International Boxing HOF), dies at 96
Nov 2 Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch road cyclist (World Road Race Champion 1978; Amstel Gold Race 1974, 85), dies from a heart attack at 53
Nov 6 Johnny Warren, Australian soccer player, dies at 61
Nov 8 Chandler Harper, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1950), dies of pneumonia at 90
Nov 8 Eddie Charlton, Australian snooker player (World #3 1976-81; Pot Black 1972, 73, 80), dies at 75
Nov 17 Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (Olympic gold 1964, 68, 72), dies at 63
Nov 17 Mikael Ljungberg, Swedish wrestler (Olympic gold 2000), dies at 34
Nov 29 Harry Danning, American baseball player, dies at 93
Nov 30 Bill Brown, Scottish soccer goalkeeper (28 caps; Dundee, Tottenham Hotspur), dies at 73
Dec 11 Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand running coach, dies at 87
Dec 11 José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian soccer defender (21 caps; Vélez Sársfield, Boca Juniors, Nîmes Olympique), dies from gunshot wound in stomach while hunting at 43
Dec 12 George Hunter, South African boxer (Olympic gold light heavyweight 1948), dies at 77
Dec 13 Andre Rodgers, Bahamian baseball shortstop (first Bahamian to play in MLB; NY/SF Giants; Chicago Cubs), dies at 70
Dec 14 Rod Kanehl, American baseball player, dies at 70
Dec 16 Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (b. 1933)
Dec 18 Vijay Hazare, Indian cricket batsman and captain (30 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 164no; Maharashtra, Central India, Baroda, Holkar), dies at 89
Dec 22 Doug Ault, American baseball player (b. 1950)
Dec 24 Johnny Oates, American MLB baseball catcher, 1970-81 (Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and 3 other teams), and manager, 1991-2001 (Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers), dies of brain cancer at 58

Dec 26 American College-Pro Football HOF defensive end (Super Bowl XXXI Green Bay Packers; 8 × First-team All-Pro; 13 x Pro Bowl; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1987, 98), dies of cardiac arrhythmia at 43