On This Day
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Athletes Who Died in January 2021

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  • Jan 1 Floyd Little, American Pro/College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Syracuse University; 5 x Pro Bowl; First-team All-Pro 1969; Denver Broncos), dies from cancer at 78
  • Jan 2 Don Salls, American football linebacker (Alabama) and coach (Jacksonville State University 1946-52, 1954-64), dies at 101
  • Jan 2 Paul Westphal, American Basketball Hall of Fame guard (NBA C'ship 1974; NBA All-Star 1977–81; Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns) and coach (NBA: Phoenix, Seattle, Sacramento), dies from glioblastoma at 70
  • Jan 3 Roger Hassenforder, French racing cyclist (8 stage wins Tour de France 1955-59), dies at 90
  • Jan 4 John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey coach (Stanley Cup Edmonton Oilers 1990; Buffalo Sabres, NY Rangers) and executive (GM Ottawa Senators), dies at 86
  • Jan 5 Bob Brett, Australian tennis coach (Boris Becker, Goran Ivanišević, Marin Čilić), dies from cancer at 67
  • Jan 5 Colin Bell, English soccer midfielder (48 caps; Manchester City 394 games), dies at 74
  • Jan 5 Pat Patrick, American auto racing team owner (Patrick Racing; Indianapolis 500, 1973, 1982, 1989; Emerson Fittipaldi IndyCar title, 1989), dies at 91

Tommy Lasorda (1927-2021)

Jan 7 American Baseball Hall of Fame manager (World Series 1981, 88; NL Manager of the Year 1983, 88; LA Dodgers 1976-96), dies of a heart attack at 93 [1]

Tommy Lasorda
  • Jan 7 Vladimir Kiselyov, Ukranian-Soviet athlete (Olympic gold, 1980- shot put), dies at 64
  • Jan 8 Shirley Wilson, American football coach (Elon University 1967-76; Duke University 1979-82; 88–61–3), dies at 95
  • Jan 9 Vivalyn Latty-Scott, West Indian women's cricket all-rounder (10 Tests, 25 wickets; Jamaica), dies at 82
  • Jan 10 Dee Rowe, American college basketball coach (UConn Huskies men's team 1969-76; 103–78 [.569]), dies at 91
  • Jan 10 Donald Smith, English cricket batsman (3 Tests, 1 wicket; Sussex CCC), dies at 97
  • Jan 10 Hubert Auriol, French off-road motorcyclist and auto racer (Dakar Rally 1981, 83, 92), dies from COVID-19 at 68
  • Jan 11 Colin McDonald, Australian cricket batsman (47 Tests, 5 x 100s; Victoria), dies at 92
  • Jan 11 Kathleen Heddle, Canadian rower (Olympic gold coxless pair, 8's 1992; double sculls 1996), dies from breast and lymph node cancer at 55
  • Jan 11 Wálter Taibo, Uruguayan soccer goalkeeper (30 caps; Huracán, C.A. Peñarol), dies at 89
  • Jan 12 Álvaro Mejía, Colombian athlete (Boston Marathon 1971 2:18:45), dies at 80
  • Jan 12 Frank Arok, Yugoslavian-Australian soccer coach (Australia 1983-89), dies at 88
  • Jan 12 John Ward, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests; 17 dismissals), dies at 83
  • Jan 12 Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud, Saudi thoroughbred racing owner and breeder (Juddmonte Farms; Dancing Brave, Enable, Frankel, Arrogate), dies at 84
  • Jan 13 Bernd Kannenber, German race walker (Olympic gold FRG 50k 1972), dies at 78
  • Jan 13 Hannes Viljoen, South African rugby union winger (3 caps; Natal), dies at 77
  • Jan 13 Joël Robert, Belgian motocross racer (Motocross World C'ships 250cc 1964, 68–72), dies from COVID-19 at 77
  • Jan 15 Bruce Headley, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (Breeders' Cup Sprint 2000 Kona Gold), dies from a stroke at 86
  • Jan 15 Vicente Cantatore, Argentine soccer manager (Chile, Real Valladolid, Colo Colo, Real Betis, Sevilla, Sporting de Gijón), dies at 85
  • Jan 16 Jon Arnett, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (USC; 5 × Pro Bowl; LA Rams, Chicago Bears), dies from heart failure at 85

Don Sutton (1945-2021)

Jan 18 American Baseball HOF pitcher (MLB All-Star 1972, 73, 75, 77; MLB ERA leader 1980; LA Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers), dies from cancer at 75 [1]

Don Sutton
  • Jan 20 Peter Swan, English soccer defender (19 caps; Sheffield Wednesday, Bury), dies at 84
  • Jan 20 Ted Thompson, American football linebacker (Houston Oilers) and executive (GM Green Bay Packers 2005-17), dies from autonomic disorder at 68
  • Jan 21 David Bolton, English rugby league five eighth (23 caps Great Britain; Wigan, Balmain) and coach (Parramatta), dies at 83

Hank Aaron (1934-2021)

Jan 22 American Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder (MLB record 755 HRs; NL MVP 1957; 25 × MLB All-Star; Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers), dies at 86 [1]

Hank Aaron
  • Jan 22 Luton Shelton, Jamaican soccer striker (75 caps; Vålerenga, Karabükspor, Sheffield United), dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 35
  • Jan 22 Nick Drake-Lee, English rugby union prop (8 caps; Leicester Tigers), dies at 78
  • Jan 22 Tony Jones, American NFL tackle (Super Bowl 1997, 98; Second-team All-Pro 1994; Pro Bowl 1998; Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos), dies at 54
  • Jan 24 George Armstrong, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame centre (Stanley Cup 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67 Toronto Maple Leafs; 7 x NHL All Star), dies from heart complications at 90
  • Jan 24 Jóhannes Eðvaldsson, Icelandic soccer defender (34 caps; Celtic, Tulsa Roughnecks, Hannover 96, Motherwell), dies from COVID-19 at 70
  • Jan 25 Maryan Synakowski, French soccer defender (16 caps; UA Sedan Torcy 241 games), dies at 84
  • Jan 26 Alan Ashcroft, English rugby union number 8 (16 caps England, 2 caps British & Irish Lions; Waterloo FC), dies at 90
  • Jan 26 John Mortimore, English soccer defender (Chelsea 249 games) and manager (Portsmouth, Benfica, Real Betis), dies at 86
  • Jan 26 Jozef Vengloš, Slovak soccer manager (Australia, Czechoslovakia, Malaysia, Fenerbahçe, Aston Villa, Celtic, Slovakia), dies at 84
  • Jan 26 Margitta Gummel-Helmbold, German track & field athlete (Olympic gold GDR women's shot put 1968), dies at 79
  • Jan 26 Peter Thorburn, New Zealand rugby union coach (North Harbour, NZ sevens, Bristol RFC, United States), dies at 81
  • Jan 26 Sekou Smith, American sportswriter (The Clarion-Ledger, The Indianapolis Star, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; NBA TV), dies from COVID-19 at 48
  • Jan 27 Mehrdad Minavand, Iranian soccer midfielder (67 caps; Persepolis, Sturm Graz), dies from COVID-19 at 45
  • Jan 28 Eddie Connachan, Scottish soccer goalkeeper (2 caps; Dunfermline Athletic, Middlesbrough, Falkirk), dies at 85
  • Jan 29 John Chaney, American Basketball Hall of Fame college coach (Cheyney University, Temple University), dies at 89
  • Jan 29 Yvon Douis, French soccer striker (20 caps; Lille, Le Havre, Monaco, Cannes), dies from COVID-19 at 85


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