On This Day

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Athletes Who Died in 1979

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  • Jan 19 Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans, American NFL fullback (NY Giants), dies of a heart attack at 66
  • Jan 22 Ali Hassan Salameh [Abu Hassan], killed by car bomb; believed to have helped mastermind massacre of 1972 Munich Olympics athletes
  • Feb 2 Jim Burke, Australian cricket batsman (24 Tests; record for most innings in a complete career without scoring a duck [44]) and broadcaster (ABC), dies of self inflicted gunshot wounds at 48
  • Feb 5 Eddie Paynter, English cricketer (20 Tests for England, avg 59.23), dies at 77
  • Feb 7 Warren Giles, American Baseball HOF executive (President National League 1951-69; GM Cincinnati Reds 1937–51), dies at 82
  • Feb 8 Jim Smith, English cricket all-rounder (5 Tests), dies at 72
  • Feb 9 Jim Smith, English cricket all-rounder (5 Tests for England 1935-37), dies at 72
  • Mar 3 Tom Creavy, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1931), dies of a heart attack at 68
  • Mar 23 Ted Anderson, English footballer (b. 1911)
  • Apr 2 Carroll Rosenbloom, American businessman and NFL team owner Baltimore Colts, LA Rams, dies of a heart attack at 72
  • Apr 2 Ivan Barrow, Jamaican cricket wicketkeeper (11 Tests; first West Indian Test century-maker in England), dies at 68
  • Apr 6 M Marie Wadlow, American softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1957), dies at 61
  • May 1 Taisto Mäki, Finnish athlete (WR 2 miles, 5,000m and 10,000m simultaneously 1939-42), dies at 68
  • May 15 Curtis Stevens, American bobsledder (Olympic gold 2-man [with brother Hubert] 1932), dies at 80
  • May 31 Nigel Howard, English cricket batsman and captain (4 Tests; Lancashire, MCC), dies at 54
  • Jun 4 Edward Dawson, cricketer (England batsman in 5 Tests 1927-30), dies
  • Jun 6 Janina Spychajowa-Kurkowska, Polish archer (record 5x women's world championships), dies at 78
  • Jun 9 Cyclone Taylor, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame rover (Stanley Cup 1909 Ottawa, 1915 Vancouver), dies at 94
  • Jun 17 Duffy Lewis, American baseball left fielder (World Series 1912, 15, 16; Boston Red Sox), dies at 91
  • Jun 22 Louis Chiron, Monégasque racing driver, dies at 79
  • Jun 22 Paul Smart, American yachtsman (Olympic gold star class 1948), dies at 87
  • Jun 29 Ben Barnett, Australian cricketer (4 Tests for Australia 1938), dies at 71
  • Jul 1 Vsevolod Bobrov, Soviet ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1956) and soccer striker (3 caps), dies at 56
  • Jul 4 Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer, dies at 73

Elizabeth Ryan (1891-1979)

Jul 5 American tennis player (26 Grand Slam doubles titles), dies at 87

Elizabeth Ryan
  • Jul 7 Dalton Conyngham, South African cricket medium-pace bowler (1 Test, 2 wickets; Natal, Transvaal, Western Province), dies at 82
  • Jul 9 Betty Evans Grayson, American softball pitcher (National Softball Hall of Fame 1959; Chicago Queens), dies at 53
  • Jul 17 Doug Meintjes, South African cricket pace bowler (v England 1922-23), dies
  • Jul 22 Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer (Budapest Honvéd), dies at 49
  • Jul 22 Tony "Two-Ton" Galento, American heavyweight boxer and actor (On the Waterfront), dies at 69
  • Jul 24 Greg Davis, Australian rugby union flanker (39 Tests, 16 as captain; NSW, Drummoyne DRFC), dies from a brain tumour at 39
  • Aug 2 Thurman Munson, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1971, 73–78; World Series 1977, 78; AL MVP 1976; NY Yankees), dies in a plane crash at 32
  • Aug 9 Walter O'Malley, American Baseball HOF executive (owner Brooklyn/LA Dodgers 1950-79), dies of congestive heart failure at 75
  • Aug 21 Giuseppe Meazza, Italian footballer, dies at 68
  • Aug 23 Mian Mohammad Saeed, cricketer (1st Pakistan captain 1948-49), dies
  • Aug 31 E J "Tiger" Smith, English cricket wicket-keeper (11 Tests, 20 dismissals; Warwickshire CCC) and umpire (8 Tests 1933-38), dies at 93
  • Sep 4 Turkey Stearnes, American Baseball HOF outfielder (5 × NgL All-Star; 2 × Negro NL batting champion; KC Monarchs, Chicago American Giants), dies at 78
  • Sep 7 Janardan Navle, Indian cricket wicketkeeper (2 Tests, 1 dismissal; first Indian wicket-keeper; Hindus CC), dies at 76
  • Sep 12 Denis Smith, English cricketer (England left-handed batsman 1935), dies at 72
  • Sep 25 Tapio Rautavaara, Finnish athlete, actor, and singer (Me tulemme taas, Rion yö), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 64
  • Oct 5 Ken Strong, American College/Pro Football HOF fullback/halfback (NYU; NFL C'ship 1934 NY Giants; 4 × First-team All-Pro), dies from a heart attack at 73
  • Nov 6 Chick Evans, American golfer (US Open 1916), dies at 89
  • Nov 14 Bill Farrimond, England cricket wicket-keeper (4 Tests 1930-35), dies
  • Nov 16 Bert Baston, American College Football Hall of Fame end (University of Minnesota), dies at 84
  • Nov 18 Freddie Fitzsimmons, American baseball pitcher (MLB record career double plays [79] 1938-64) and manager (Philadelphia Phillies), dies of a heart attack at 78
  • Dec 3 Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player (Olympic gold 1928, 1932, 1936; birthday 29/8 celebrated as India's National Sports Day), dies at 74
  • Dec 14 Nirode Chowdhury, Indian cricket medium pace bowler (2 Tests, 1 wicket; Bengal, Bihar), dies at 56
  • Dec 14 Nirode Ranjan Chowdhury, Indian cricketer (2 Tests for India, avg 205), dies at 56
  • Dec 21 Mac Anderson, New Zealand cricketer (Test for NZ 1946, scored five & one), dies at 60


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