Athletes and Sports Stars Who Died on December 31

1896 Leland Hone, Irish cricket wicketkeeper (1 Test; first Irishman to represent England; MCC), dies at 43

Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948)

British motor racer (world land and water speed record holder), dies of a stroke at 63

1951 H. Guy Bedwell, American thoroughbred trainer (North American champion in wins x 7; earnings 1918-19; first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton), dies at 76
1967 Arthur Mailey, Australian cricket spin bowler (21 Tests, 99 wickets; 10/66 v Gloucestershire 1921), dies at 81
1968 Carl Ahues, German Chess Master (1950), dies at 85

Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (15 x MLB All Star; World Series 1960, 71 [MVP]; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies in a plane crash at 38

1980 Arthur Wellard, English cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 7 wickets, BB 4/81; Somerset CCC), dies at 78
1980 Bob Shawkey, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1923, 27; AL ERA leader 1920, New York Yankees), dies at 90
1985 Mal Matheson, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (2 Tests) and rugby union Test referee (Australia v NZ 1946), dies at 79
1990 George Allen, American Pro Football HOF coach (NFL Coach of the Year 1967, 71; LA Rams, Washington Redskins), dies at 72

American football end (LA Rams, Calgary Stampeders) and actor (Posse, Cotton Club, Vigilante, Scream), dies of lung cancer at 80

2006 Liese Prokop, Austrian pentathlete (Olympic silver 1968), dies at 65
2007 Tommy Dickson, British footballer (b. 1929)
2007 Tony Elliott, American football player (b. 1959)
2019 Basil Watts, English rugby league second rower (5 Tests Great Britain, 1 England; World Cup 1954; York RLFC), dies at 93
2020 Tommy Docherty, Scottish soccer midfielder (25 caps; Preston North End) and manager (Chelsea, QPR, Scotland, Manchester United), dies at 92
2021 Billy Turner Jr., American thoroughbred trainer (Triple Crown 1977 Seattle Slew), dies from prostate cancer at 81
2022 Barry Lane, English golfer (European Masters 1993; Andersen Consulting World C'ship of Golf 1995), dies from cancer at 62
2022 Sergei Bautin, Belarusian ice hockey defenceman (Olympic gold Unified Team 1992; Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks), dies at 55