Athletes and Sports Stars Who Died in 2010

Tom Brookshier (1931-2010)

Jan 29 American football defensive end (Philadelphia Eagles) and broadcaster (CBS), dies of cancer at 78

Feb 4 Bill Dudley, American College/Pro Football HOF halfback (Uni of Virginia; NFL MVP 1946; 4×First-team All-Pro; NFL rushing leader 1942, 46; Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins), dies at 88
Feb 10 Carl Braun, American basketball player (NY Knicks), dies at 82
Feb 10 Fred Schaus, American basketball coach and executive (b. 1925)
Feb 12 Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger, dies in a training run for the Winter Olympics at 21
Feb 14 Dick Francis, British jockey and detective writer (Whip Hand, High Stakes), dies at 89
Feb 16 Wan Chi Keung, Hong Kong soccer striker (32 caps; South China AA, Seiko SA) and actor, dies from nasopharyngeal carcinoma at 53
Feb 22 Nelly Adamson Landry, French tennis player (French C'ships 1948), dies at 93
Mar 2 Paul Drayton, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1964), dies from a pulmonary embolism at 70
Mar 3 Keith Alexander, British soccer forward (3 caps St Lucia; Grimsby Town FC, Lincoln City FC) and manager (Lincoln, Peterborough, Macclesfield), dies from a brain aneurysm at 56
Mar 6 Endurance Idahor, Nigerian footballer (b. 1984)

Willie Davis (1940-2010)

Mar 9 American MLB center fielder (LA Dodgers), dies at 69

Mar 11 Merlin Olsen, American football player (Los Angeles Rams) and actor (Father Murphy), dies of cancer at 69
Mar 17 Wayne Collett, American 400m runner (Olympic silver 1972), dies of cancer at 60
Mar 24 Ron Hamence, Australian cricketer (Australian batsman post-WWII), dies at 94
Apr 2 Chris Kanyon, American pro wrestler (WCW/WWF World Tag Team C'ship), dies from suicide at 40
Apr 2 Mike Cuellar, Cuban baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1967, 70, 71, 74; World Series 1964, 70; AL Cy Young Award 1969; Baltimore Orioles), dies from stomach cancer at 72

Alec Bedser (1918-2010)

Apr 4 English cricket medium-pace bowler (51 Tests, 236 wickets, BB 7/44; Surrey CCC), dies at 91

Apr 6 Tony MacGibbon, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (26 Tests, 70 wickets; Canterbury CA), dies at 85

George Nissen (1914-2010)

Apr 7 American inventor (created the trampoline), dies at 96

Apr 9 Aladár Kovácsi, Hungarian pentathlete and Olympic champion (1952, Helsinki), dies at 77
Apr 9 Zoltán Varga, Hungarian Footballer (b. 1945)
Apr 11 Jean Boiteux, French swimmer (Olympic gold 400m freestyle, bronze 4×200m freestyle 1952), dies after falling off a tree at 76
Apr 11 Vicki Draves, American diver (Olympic gold platform & springboard 1948), dies from pancreatic cancer at 85
Apr 19 Edwin Valero, Venezuelan boxer (undefeated world champion WBA super featherweight 2006-08; WBC lightweight 2009-10), commits suicide at 28
Apr 21 Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish sports administrator (7th President International Olympic Committee 1980-2001), dies of cardio-respiratory failure at 89
May 4 Ernie Harwell, American baseball broadcaster (Detroit Tigers, 1960-2002), dies at 92
May 6 Robin Roberts, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (7 x MLB All Star; won 28 consecutive complete games 1952-53; Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 83
May 15 Besian Idrizaj, Footballer (b. 1987)
May 21 Trevor Meale, New Zealand cricketer (batted in 2 Tests NZ v England 1958), dies at 81
May 23 Jose Lima, Dominican baseball player (b. 1972)
May 24 Morrie Martin, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1949-59 (Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Athletics, and 5 other teams), and double Purple Heart Army veteran, dies at 87
May 25 Alan Hickinbotham, Australian businessman, football player, & football coach (b. 1925)
May 25 Alexander Belostenny, Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1959)
Jun 4 John Wooden, American basketball coach (UCLA-10 national championships), dies at 99
Jun 17 Andy Ripley, English rugby union #8 (24 caps; British Lions 1974), dies from prostate cancer at 62
Jun 19 Manute Bol, Sudanese-American NBA basketball center, 1985-95 (Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and 3 other teams), political activist, and philanthropist, dies from acute kidney failure at 47
Jun 20 Gundibail Sunderam, Indian cricket fast bowler (2 Tests, 3 wickets; Bombay, Rajasthan), dies at 80
Jul 1 Don Coryell, American College/Pro Football HOF coach (NCAA Division champion 1966, 67, 68 San Diego State; St. Louis Cardinals, SD Chargers), dies at 85
Jul 5 Bob Probert, Canadian NHL right wing, 1985-2002 (Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings), dies of a heart attack while boating at 45
Jul 11 Bob Sheppard, American public address announcer (MLB: NY Yankees 1951–2007; NFL: NY Giants 1956–2006), dies at 99

George Steinbrenner (1930-2010)

Jul 13 American businessman and MLB team owner (New York Yankees), dies from a heart attack at 80

Jul 21 Ralph Houk, American baseball catcher, coach, manager and executive (World Series champion 1947, 52-53, coach, 58; mgr 1961-62; NY Yankees), dies at 90
Jul 24 Alex Higgins, Northern Irish snooker player (b. 1949)
Jul 27 Jack Tatum, American NFL defensive back, 1971-80 (Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers), dies of a heart attack at 61
Aug 1 Eric Tindill, New Zealand rugby union halfback (1 cap; Wellington RFU), cricket wicketkeeper (5 Tests, 7 dismissals) and international umpire (1 Test), dies at 99
Aug 10 Antonio Pettigrew, American athlete (World C'ship gold 400m 1991), dies by overdose medication containing diphenhydramine at 42
Aug 11 Markus Liebherr, Swiss businessman and sports executive (owner Southampton FC 2008-10), dies of a heart attack at 62
Aug 16 Bobby Thomson, Scottish-American baseball player, dies at 86
Aug 18 Hal Connolly, American Athlete and hammer thrower (b.1931)
Aug 18 Scott Davis, American Announcer of Track and Field (b.1943)
Aug 22 Stjepan Bobek, Yugoslav football player (b. 1923)
Aug 27 Anton Geesink, Dutch judoka (first non-Japanese world champion, Olympic gold 1964), dies at 76
Aug 30 Francisco Varallo, Argentine footballer (played for Argentina 1930-37), dies at 100
Aug 31 Laurent Fignon, French road cyclist (Tour de France 1983, 84; Giro d'Italia 1989; FICP World #1 1989), dies of cancer at 50
Sep 1 Wakanohana Kanji I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 45th Yokozuna (b. 1928)
Sep 5 Shoya Tomizawa Japanese MotoGP Racer, dies as the result of a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix at 19
Sep 7 Amar Garibović, Serbian Cross Country Skier (b. 1991)
Sep 12 Giulio Zignoli, Italian footballer (b. 1946)
Sep 18 Bobby Smith, English soccer centre forward (15 caps; Tottenham Hotspur 271 games, 176 goals), dies at 77
Sep 20 Kenny McKinley, American football player (b. 1987)
Sep 23 Bob Shaw, American baseball player (Chicago White Sox), dies at 77

George Blanda (1927-2010)

Sep 27 American Pro Football HOF quarterback/placekicker (AFL C'ship 1960, 61 [MVP], 67; First-team All-AFL 1961; 4 × AFL All-Star; Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders), dies at 83

Oct 1 Ian Buxton, English football forward (Derby County) and cricket all-rounder (Derbyshire captain), dies at 72
Oct 3 Ben Mondor, Canadian baseball executive who was International League Executive of the Year 1978, 99 Pawtucket Red Sox, dies at 85
Oct 12 Woody Peoples, American football player (b. 1943)
Oct 20 Parthasarathy Sharma, Indian cricket batsman (5 Tests, 1 x 50), dies at 62
Oct 31 Maurice Lucas, American basketball player, dies at 58
Nov 1 Ed Litzenberger, Canadian NHL right wing (Stanley Cup 1961-4), dies at 78
Nov 2 Andy Irons, American surfer (ASP World Champion 2002-04), dies of heart attack due to acute mixed drug ingestion at 32
Nov 2 Clyde King, American baseball pitcher, coach, manager and executive (Brooklyn Dodgers; New York Yankees), dies at 86

Sparky Anderson (1934-2010)

Nov 4 American Baseball HOF manager (World Series 1975, 76 Cincinnati Reds; WS 1984 & 2 x AL Manager of the Year, Detroit Tigers), dies from dementia at 76

Nov 8 Quintin Dailey, American basketball player (b. 1961)
Nov 10 Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (b. 1935)
Nov 10 Tiger Lance, South African cricketer (South African batting all-rounder 1961-67), dies at 70
Nov 13 Ken Iman, American football player (b. 1939)
Nov 15 Ed Kirkpatrick, American baseball player (b. 1944)
Nov 15 Imre Polyák, Hungarian featherweight (Olympic gold 1964), dies at 78
Nov 15 Larry Evans, American chess grandmaster, author and journalist (5 x US Chess C'ship; 20+ books), dies following gallbladder surgery at 78
Nov 16 Britton Chance, American molecular biologist and yachtsman (Olympic gold 5½m Class 1952), dies at 97
Nov 19 Pat Burns, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame coach (Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins; Stanley Cup 2002-03 New Jersey Devils), dies from cancer at 58
Nov 20 Danny McDevitt, American baseball player (b. 1932)
Nov 20 Rob Lytle, American football player (b. 1954)
Nov 22 Jean Cione, American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player (b. 1928)
Nov 28 Gil McDougald, American baseball player (b. 1928)
Dec 2 Ron Santo, American Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman (9 x MLB All Star; 5 x Gold Glove; Chicago Cubs), dies from bladder cancer at 70
Dec 5 Don Meredith, American NFL quarterback. 1960-68 (Dallas Cowboys, 3 x Pro Bowl), broadcaster (Monday Night Football), and actor, dies of a brain hemorrhage at 72
Dec 8 Murray Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey centre and NCAA coach (Detroit Red Wings; coach University of Denver 1956-77, 5 NCAA C'ships), dies at 94
Dec 10 Jacques Swaters, Belgian racing driver, dies at 84
Dec 10 MacKenzie Miller, American horse trainer and breeder (b. 1921)
Dec 11 Dick Hoerner, American football player (b. 1922)
Dec 12 Peter Pagel, German footballer (b. 1956)
Dec 12 Tom Walkinshaw, former racing driver and Formula 1 team owner (b. 1946)

Bob Feller (1918-2010)

Dec 15 American Baseball HOF pitcher (8 x MLB All-Star; AL Triple Crown of pitching (wins/strike-outs/ERA), 1940; 3 x no-hit games; Cleveland Indians), dies from leukemia at 92

Dec 17 Dick Gibson, British racing driver, dies at 92
Dec 17 Walt Dropo, American MLB baseball first baseman, 1949-61, AL Rookie of the Year (Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and 3 other teams), dies at 87
Dec 18 Phil Cavarretta, American baseball utility (MLB All-Star 1944, 45, 46, 47; NL MVP 1945; Chicago Cubs), dies at 94
Dec 21 Enzo Bearzot, Italian football player and manager (b. 1927)
Dec 25 Bud Greenspan, American documentary maker (Olympic Games; IOC Olympic Order award 1985), dies of Parkinson's disease at 84
Dec 27 Keith Andrew, English cricket wicketkeeper (2 Tests; Northamptonshire CCC), dies at 81