Athletes and Sports Stars Who Died in 1998

Jan 1 Åke Seyffarth, Swedish speed skater (Olympic gold 10,000m 1948; WR 3,000 & 5,000m), dies at 78

Helen Wills Moody (1905-1998)

Jan 1 American tennis player (19 Grand Slam titles), dies of natural causes at 92

Jan 5 David Bairstow, English cricket wicket keeper, broadcaster (4 Tests, 13 dismissals; father of England Test 'keeper Jonny; Yorkshire CCC), dies from suicide at 46
Jan 5 Wilhelm Herz, German motorcycle racer (first to 200mph), dies at 85
Jan 11 C V Gadkari, Indian cricket batsman (6 Tests, 1 x 50; Maharashtra, Services), dies at 69
Jan 16 Lionel Birkett, West Indian cricket batsman (4 Tests, 1 x 50; Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago), dies at 92
Jan 21 Larry Gilbert, American golfer (Senior Players Championship 1997), dies of lung cancer at 55
Feb 9 Ken Weekes, West Indian cricket batsman (2 Tests, top score 137; first Test cricketer born in US), dies at 86
Feb 18 Harry Caray, American Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster (Chicago Cubs), dies of heart attack complications at 83
Feb 18 Robbie James, Welsh soccer midfielder (46 caps; Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City, Bradford City), dies from a heart attack at 40
Feb 22 Athol Rowan, South African cricket spin bowler (15 Tests, 54 wickets, BB 5/68; Transvaal), dies at 77
Feb 26 Pete Livesey, English rock climber, dies of cancer at 54
Mar 6 Frank Barrett, American baseball player (b. 1913)

Ray Nitschke (1936-1998)

Mar 8 American Pro Football HOF linebacker (5 × NFL C'ship; Super Bowl 1967, 68; First-team All-Pro 1964, 66; Green Bay Packers), dies of a heart attack at 61

Mar 11 Jean Shiley, American high jumper (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 86
Mar 29 Dudley Wysong, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1966 runner-up), dies of an aneurysm at 58
Mar 31 Tim Flock, American auto racer (Winston Cup 1952, 55), dies of liver and throat cancer at 73
Apr 9 John Tate, American boxer (WBA heavyweight championship 1979-80), dies from a stroke at 43
Apr 13 Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver & skysurfer, dies at 38
Apr 16 Fred Davis, English 8-time World Snooker Champion (1948-49, 51), dies at 84
Apr 22 Kitch Christie, South African rugby coach, dies at 58
Apr 28 Ramakant Desai, Indian cricket fast bowler (28 Tests, 74 wickets, 1 x 50; Bombay), dies from cardiac arrest at 58
Apr 29 Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)
May 2 Justin Fashanu, English soccer forward (first openly gay pro footballer; first black footballer to command £1 million transfer fee), dies from suicide at 37
May 15 Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)
May 26 Charlie White American professional baseball catcher (Philadelphia Stars; Milwaukee Braves), dies at 70
May 29 Eric St Eval Atkinson, West Indian cricketer (bro of Denis WI pace bowler 1958-59), dies at 70
May 31 Charles Van Acker, Belgian racing driver (b. 1912)
Jun 9 Jackie McGlew, South African cricket batsman (34 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 255no; Natal), dies at 69
Jun 10 Jim Hearn, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1954 NY Giants; MLB All Star 1952), dies at 77
Jun 12 Éric Tabarly, French Navy officer and yachtsman (Ostar 1964, 76; Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race 1964), dies from drowning at 66
Jun 13 Birger Ruud, Norwegian ski jumper (Olympic gold 1932, 36; World C'ship gold 1931, 35, 37), dies at 86
Jun 21 Al Campanis, Greek baseball second baseman and executive (first Greek player in MLB history; GM LA Dodgers 1968-87), dies from coronary artery disease at 81
Jun 29 Louis Hostin, French weightlifter (Olympic gold 1932, 36), dies at 90
Jul 3 Duncan White, Ceylonese athlete (first Olympic medallist from Ceylon, silver 400m hurdles 1948), dies at 80
Jul 5 Sid Luckman, American College-Pro Football HOF quarterback (Columbia University; 4 × NFL C'ship 1940, 41, 43, 46; NFL MVP 1943; 5 × First-team All-Pro; 3 × Pro Bowl; Chicago Bears), dies at 81
Jul 11 Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player (Wimbledon runner-up 1926-28), dies at 93
Jul 13 Red Badgro, American Pro Football Hall of Fame end and coach (NY Giants) and baseball outfielder (St. Louis Browns), dies after a fall at 95
Jul 15 Gennadi Volnov, Russian basketball player (Olympic gold 1972), dies at 68
Jul 19 Elmer Valo, American baseball outfielder (one of only 4, four-decade MLB players 1939-61; Philadelphia, KC Athletics), dies at 77
Jul 27 Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers), dies at 69
Jul 30 Laila Schou Nilsen, Norwegian alpine skier (Olympic bronze combined; won non-medal downhill 1936) and speed skater (unofficial World C'ship gold 1935, 37, 38; 5 x WR), dies at 79
Aug 17 Tadeusz Slusarski, Polish track and field athlete (b. 1950)
Aug 17 Wladyslaw Komar, Polish athlete (Olympic gold shot put 1972) and actor, dies in a car crash at 58

Cary Middlecoff (1921-1998)

Sep 1 American golfer (US Open 1949, 56; US Masters 1955), dies at 77

Sep 2 Jackie Blanchflower, Irish soccer midfielder (12 caps Northern Ireland; Manchester United 105 games; survived Munich air disaster), dies from cancer at 65
Sep 13 Harry Lumley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)

Florence Griffith Joyner (1959-1998)

Sep 21 American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay 1988; WR 100m: 10.49; 200m: 21.34 1988), dies of an epileptic seizure at 38

Sep 27 Doak Walker, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1948; Pro Bowl 1950-51, 53–55; First-team All-Pro 1950–51, 53–54; Detroit Lions), dies from ski accident injuries at 71
Sep 27 Narita Brian, Japanese racehorse, world's top earner until 2000 (b. 1991)

Dan Quisenberry (1953-1998)

Sep 30 American MLB player (5-time AL saves leader), dies of a brain tumor at 45

Oct 2 Gene Autry, American cowboy singer, songwriter, actor, musician, ("Back In The Saddle Again";"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer") and business tycoon (owner MLB Angels team, 1961-97), dies of lymphoma at 91
Oct 2 Olivier Gendebien, Belgian auto racer (24 hours of Le Mans 1958, 60-62), dies at 74
Oct 6 Mark Belanger, American baseball shortstop (MLB All Star 1976; 8 x Gold Glove winner; Baltimore Orioles), dies from lung cancer at 54
Oct 9 Beth Bonner, American athlete (WR marathon 1971, 3:01:42; first winner women's division New York City Marathon 1971), dies in road accident at 46
Oct 9 Ian Johnson, Australian cricket spin bowler and captain (45 Tests; 109 wickets), dies at 80
Oct 28 Ghulam Ahmed, Indian cricket spin bowler (22 Tests, 68 wickets, BB 7/49, 1 x 50; Hyderabad), dies at 76
Oct 30 Bulldog Turner, American Pro/College Football HOF center (Hardin–Simmons Uni; 7 × First-team All-Pro; 4 x Pro Bowl; Chicago Bears), dies at 79
Oct 31 Elmer Vasko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1935)
Nov 6 Sky Low Low [Marcel Gauthier], Canadian professional wrestler, dies of a heart attack at 70
Nov 10 Hal Newhouser, American Baseball HOF pitcher (7 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1945; AL MVP 1944, 45; Triple Crown 1945; Detroit Tigers), dies at 77
Nov 11 Frank Brimsek, American ice hockey player (b. 1913)
Nov 13 Doug Wright, English cricket spin bowler (34 Tests, 108 wickets; Kent), dies at 84
Nov 13 William "Red" Holzman, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (New York Knicks 14 seasons), dies leukemia at 78
Nov 15 Ludvik Danek, Czechoslovak discus thrower (b. 1937)
Nov 17 Weeb Ewbank, American NFL coach (Baltimore Colts, NY Jets), dies at 91
Nov 20 Dick Sisler. American baseball utility (World Series 1946 St. Louis Cardinals; MLB All Star 1950), manager (Cincinnati Reds 1964–65) and coach (World Series 1967 St. L. Cardinals), dies at 78
Nov 20 Meredith Gourdine, American long jumper (Olympic silver 1952), dies at 69
Dec 1 Bertil Nordahl, Swedish soccer midfielder and manager (15 caps; Atalanta; Olympic gold 1948), dies at 81
Dec 3 Ed Widseth, American College Football Hall of Fame tackle (University of Minnesota; Pro Bowl 1938; NY Giants), dies at 88

Archie Moore (1913-1998)

Dec 9 American light-heavyweight boxing champion (1952-60), dies at 84

Dec 25 John Pulman, English snooker player (World Champion 1957-68; News of the World Snooker Tournament 1954, 57, 58), dies after a fall at 75
Dec 27 Ricardo Tormo, Spanish Grand Prix motocycle racer, dies at 46