On This Day

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Athletes Who Died in 1968

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  • Jan 1 Andy Oberlander, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Dartmouth College; National C'ship 1954), dies at 62
  • Jan 2 Marvin 'Bud' Ward, American golfer (US Amateur 1939, 41), dies of cancer at 54
  • Jan 9 Kokichi Tsuburaya, Japanese marathoner (Olympic bronze 1964), commits suicide
  • Jan 15 Bill Masterton, Canadian American NHL player, first to be fatally injured during a game (Jan 13), dies at 29
  • Jan 19 Ray Harroun, American auto racer (inaugural Indianapolis 500 1911; Motorsports Hall of Fame of America 2000), dies at 89
  • Jan 22 Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer, surfer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle 1912, 20; 4x200m freestyle relay 1920), dies of a heart attack at 77
  • Jan 29 Laxmidas Purshottamdas Jai, Indian cricket batsman (1 Test; captain Bombay in inaugural Ranji Trophy win 1935), dies at 66
  • Feb 1 Lawson Little, American golfer (US Open 1940), dies at 57
  • Feb 22 Omer CFL Tulippe, Belgian geographer, dies at 71
  • Feb 29 Lena Blackburne, American baseball infielder, manager, coach (Chicago White Sox; discovered rubbing clay to take the shine off baseballs), dies at 81
  • Mar 6 Frans Hin, Dutch yachtsman (Olympic gold 12' Dinghy 1920; aged 14 years 163 days), dies at 62
  • Mar 31 Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (b. 1885)

Jim Clark (1936-1968)

Apr 7 Scottish auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1965, World F1 Champion 1963, 65; 25 x F1 GP wins), dies in race accident at Hockenheim, Germany at 32

Jim Clark
  • Apr 19 Tommy Bridges, American baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers), dies at 61
  • Apr 25 Walter Tewksbury, American track and field athlete (Olympics, 1920 - 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), and dentist, dies at 92 [1]
  • May 1 Jack Adams, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Vancouver Millionaires, Toronto St. Patricks; Ottawa Senators) and coach / general manager (Detroit Red Wings), dies at 72 [1]

Craig Wood (1901-1968)

May 7 American golfer (US Masters, US Open 1941), dies of a heart attack at 66

Craig Wood
  • May 10 Maurie Sievers, cricket medium-pacer (Austral v England 1936-37), dies
  • May 20 Albert Hartkopf, cricketer (one Test for Australia), dies
  • May 28 Corbett Davis, American football fullback (#1 overall pick NFL Draft 1938 Cleveland Rams), dies of a ruptured spleen in a boating accident at 53

R. Norris Williams (1891-1968)

Jun 2 American tennis player (US National C'ship 1914, 16; survived sinking of RMS Titanic), dies of emphysema at 77

R. Norris Williams
  • Jun 15 Sam Crawford, American Baseball HOF outfielder (MLB HR leader 1901, 08; AL RBI leader 1910, 14, 15; MLB record 309 career triples; Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers), dies at 88
  • Jun 17 José Nasazzi, Uruguayan soccer defender (41 caps; captain FIFA World Cup 1930; CA Bella Vista 322 games), dies at 67
  • Jun 27 Norman Norton, cricketer (dismissed Hobbs in only Test for South Africa), dies at 87
  • Jun 29 Paddy Driscoll, American NFL quarterback and coach (Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears), dies at 73
  • Jul 6 John Indrisano, American welterweight boxer, stunt man, and bit-part actor (O.K.. Crackerby!), dies of apparent suicide at 61
  • Jul 27 Babe Adams, baseball player (b. 1882)

Earl Sande (1898-1968)

Aug 20 American HOF jockey (Triple Crown 1930 Gallant Fox; 3 x Kentucky Derby; 5 x Belmont Stakes; 1 x Preakness Stakes; 3 x US Champion Jockey by earnings; US Champion Trainer by earnings 1938), dies at 69

Earl Sande
  • Aug 24 (Edmond) "Doc" Souchon, American jazz guitarist, music journal writer and editor, and New Orleans jazz historical preservationist, dies at 70
  • Aug 24 Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (84 wkts slow lefty for S Af 1927-35), dies at 66
  • Aug 25 Stan McCabe, Australian cricket batsman (39 Tests, @ 48.21, 6 x 100, HS 232; NSWCA), dies of a fractured skull at 58

Tommy Armour (1894-1968)

Sep 11 Scottish-American golfer (US Open 1927, PGA 1930, British Open 1931), dies at 71

Tommy Armour

Norman Brookes (1877-1968)

Sep 28 Australian tennis player (Wimbledon 1907, 14), dies at 90

Norman Brookes
  • Sep 29 Paul Radmilovic, Welsh swimmer (Olympic gold GB 4×200m freestyle 1908; gold GB water polo 1908, 12, 20), dies at 82
  • Nov 3 Vern Stephens, American baseball shortstop (8 x MLB All Star; AL HR leader 1945; 3×AL RBI leader; St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox), dies of a heart attack at 48

Wally Grout (1927-1968)

Nov 9 Australian cricket wicketkeeper (51 Tests, 187 dismissals, 3 x 50s), dies from a heart attack at 41

Wally Grout
  • Dec 12 Walter Robins, cricketer (19 Tests for England 64 wkts), dies
  • Dec 15 Jess Willard, American boxer (World heavyweight champion 1915-19), dies from heart failure at 86
  • Dec 18 Sir John Layton Jarvis, English thoroughbred race horse trainer (9 x British Classic Races; 3 x British flat racing Champion Trainer), dies at 80
  • Dec 31 Carl Ahues, German Chess Master (1950), dies at 85


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