Notable sports deaths in 2022

Notable sports deaths in 2022

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Larry Biittner

Jan. 2 at age 75. Outfielder who played for four teams in a 14-year major league career in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Jim Corsi

Jan. 4 at age 60. Newton native who pitched for the Red Sox from 1997-99 and was part of the 1989 Oakland A’s World Series winners.

Jim Corsi compiled a 3.25 ERA over 10 years in the majors.O’Brien,FRANK Globe Staff Photo

Ross Browner

Jan. 5 at age 67. All-American defensive lineman at Notre Dame, member of the Bengals 1981 AFC champions, and one of four brothers to play in the NFL.

Greg Robinson

Jan. 5 at age 70. Defensive coordinator on the Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl champions in the 1990s.

Ralph Neely

Jan. 5 at age 78. All-Pro tackle on five Cowboys Super Bowl teams, including two champions.

Charles Luce

Jan. 5 at age 93. Men’s basketball coach at Boston University and athletic director at Connecticut College.

Bob Falkenburg

Jan. 6 at age 95. Tennis Hall of Famer who saved three championship points while winning the Wimbledon men’s singles in 1948.

Don Maynard

Jan. 10 at age 86. Hall of Fame receiver on the New York Jets 1968 Super Bowl champions.

Tim Rosaforte

Jan. 11 at age 66. Golf Channel commentator.

Bill Belisle

Jan. 12 at age 82. Rhode Island high school hockey coach who led Mount Saint Charles Academy to 32 state championships and had more than 20 players drafted by NHL teams.

Joe B. Hall

Jan. 15 at age 93. Kentucky basketball coach who succeeded Adolph Rupp in 1972 and led the Wildcats to the national championship in 1978.

Rocky Carzo

Jan. 16 at age 89. Tufts football coach from 1966-73 and athletic director from 1973-99.

Lusia Harris

Jan. 18 at age 66. Basketball Hall of Famer who helped Delta State win three NCAA titles and was the first woman to be drafted by an NBA team (New Orleans, seventh round, 1977).

Bob Goalby

Jan. 19 at age 92. 11-time winner on the PGA Tour whose 1968 Masters victory was secured without a playoff when Roberto de Vicenzo infamously signed an incorrect scorecard.

Clark Gillies

Jan. 21 at age 67. Rugged Hall of Fame left winger who skated on the Bryan Trottier-Mike Bossy line for the Islanders’ four Stanley Cup winners in the 1980s.

Joe Yukica

Jan. 22 at age 90. Football coach who went 68-37-0 at Boston College (1968-77) and 20-17-1 at Dartmouth (1978-81).

Joe Yukica (center, kneeling) with his BC staff in 1968.Paul J. Connell/The Boston Globe

David Green

Jan. 25 at age 61. Outfielder on the St. Louis Cardinals 1982 World Series champions.

Gene Clines

Jan. 27 at age 75. Outfielder on the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971.

Garry Brown

Jan. 31 at age 90. Springfield-based journalist who covered Western Mass. sports for more than 70 years.

Robin Herman

Feb. 1 at age 70. One of the first two female sportswriters to interview players in the locker room, for the New York Times in 1975, while covering the NHL.

Bill Fitch

Feb. 2 at age 89. Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Coach of the Year who led the Celtics to the 14th championship in franchise history in 1981.

Bill Fitch was Larry Bird’s first coach with the Celtics.Connell, Paul Globe photo

Gerald Williams

Feb. 8 at age 55. Outfielder for six teams, mostly the Yankees, in a 14-year major league career.

Jeremy Giambi

Feb. 9 at age 47. Major league outfielder/first baseman — and brother of Jason Giambi — whose six-year career included one season with the Red Sox (2003).

Eduardo Romero

Feb. 14 at age 67. Argentine golfer who won eight events on the European PGA Tour and two Senior Tour majors.

Charley Taylor

Feb. 19 at age 80. Hall of Fame receiver who was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1964 for Washington and helped the team reach the Super Bowl after the 1972 season.

Emile Francis

Feb. 19 at age 95. Hockey Hall of Fame coach/general manager for the Rangers who also served as coach/GM of the Blues and GM of the Whalers.

Julio Cruz

Feb. 23 at age 67. Second baseman who was an original Seattle Mariner and wound up playing seven years for them.

Ken Burrough

Feb. 24 at age 73. Pro Bowl receiver for the Houston Oilers who was the last NFL player to wear No. 00.

John Landy

Feb. 24 at age 91. Australian runner who was the second man to run a four-minute mile, breaking Roger Bannister’s record in 1954.

Lionel James

Feb. 25 at age 59. 5-foot-6-inch Chargers running back known as “Little Train” who in 1985 set an NFL record (since broken) for all-purpose yardage.

Ike Delock

Feb. 28 at age 92. Righthander who went 83-72 for the Red Sox from 1952-63.

Keith Ortego

March 2 at age 58. Receiver/returner on the Chicago Bears 1985 Super Bowl champions.

Roy Winston

March 5 at age 81. Linebacker on four Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl teams and the first player in team history with three interceptions in a game.

Go For Gin

March 8 at age 31. Winner of the 1994 Kentucky Derby.

Odalis Perez

March 10 at age 43. Lefthander who was an All-Star for the Dodgers and threw the first pitch at Nationals Park for the Nationals.

Jean Potvin

March 15 at age 72. Defenseman on two Islanders Stanley Cup winners in the 1980s and brother of Denis Potvin.

Marrio Grier

March 15 at age 50. Running back on the Patriots 1996 AFC champion team.

Ralph Terry

March 16 at age 86. Yankees pitcher who gave up Bill Mazeroski’s World Series-winning homer in 1960, then two years later won 23 games and was MVP of the World Series win over the Giants.

John Clayton

March 18 at age 67. ESPN reporter who covered the NFL.

Joan Joyce

March 26 at age 81. Multi-sport legend who went 429-27 as a pitcher for softball’s Raybestos Brakettes, played 19 years on the LPGA Tour and two on the US women’s basketball team, and went 1,002-674-1 as softball coach at Florida Atlantic.

Tommy Davis

April 3 at age 83. Two-time NL batting champion and three-time World Series winner with the Dodgers who still holds the team record for RBIs in a season with 153 in 1962.

Tommy Davis batting against the Mets in his outstanding 1962 season, when he finished third in MVP voting.Associated Press

Bob Babich

April 3 at age 74. All-American linebacker who is the only player from Miami (Ohio) to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Gene Shue

April 4 at age 90. Five-time All-Star guard with the Pistons and two-time NBA Coach of the Year who won 784 games with the Bullets, 76ers, and Clippers.

John Cumberland

April 5 at age 74. Red Sox bullpen coach from 1999-2001.

Doug Sutherland

April 5 at age 73. Defensive lineman on three Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl teams in the 1970s.

Rayfield Wright

April 7 at age 76. Hall of Fame offensive tackle on five Super Bowl teams (two champions) with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s.

Dwayne Haskins

April 9 at age 24. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.

Joel Horlen

April 11 at age 84. White Sox righthander who finished second to Jim Lonborg in 1967 AL Cy Young voting, going 19-7 with a league-best 2.06 ERA.

Wayne Cooper

April 11 at age 65. Center for five teams, mostly the Nuggets and Trail Blazers, in a 14-year NBA career.

Shirley Spork

April 12 at age 94. One of the 13 original founders of the LPGA and creator of the tour’s Teaching and Club Pro Division.

Tom McCarthy

April 13 at age 61. Left winger who made the All-Star team for the North Stars in 1983-84 and had a 30-goal season for the Bruins in 1986-87.

Mike Bossy

April 14 at age 65. Hall of Fame right wing whose prolific goal scoring helped the New York Islanders win four Stanley Cups in the 1980s.

Mike Bossy hit the 60-goal mark five times in a 10-year career.Ray Stubblebine

Zippy Chippy

April 15 at age 31. Thoroughbred who despite a promising pedigree never won in 100 starts, endearing him to horse racing fans as the lovable loser of the sport.

Zippy Chippy ran at the Three-County Fair in Northampton in 2000, finishing second by a neck.MATTHEW CAVANAUGH

Daryle Lamonica

April 21 at age 80. The “Mad Bomber” quarterback whose prolific passing led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl in the 1967 season and earned him AFL Player of the Year honors.

Guy Lafleur

April 22 at age 70. High-scoring Hall of Fame right wing who helped the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s and epitomized their high-flying style.

Canadiens sniper Guy Lafleur scored 560 goals and won two Hart Trophies as MVP in a 17-year NHL career.BILL KOSTROUN/Associated Press

Clayton Weishuhn

April 22 at age 62. Hard-hitting Patriots linebacker who still holds the team record for tackles in a season with 229 in 1983.

Erich Barnes

April 29 at age 86. Pro Bowl cornerback for the Bears, Giants, and Browns.

Bob Lanier

May 10 at age 73. Hall of Fame center who excelled for the Pistons and Bucks and was famous for his enormous shoes (allegedly a size 22).

Bob Lanier drives against Philadelphia’s Darryl Dawkins during a playoff game in 1981.Steve Pyle/Associated Press

Gino Cappelletti

May 12 at age 89. All-time Patriots great whose talents as a receiver and placekicker made him AFL MVP in 1964 and who later became a popular radio analyst for the team.

Gino Cappelletti (shown in 2009) was an original Boston Patriot and played with the franchise from 1960-70.The Boston Globe/Boston Globe

David West

May 14 at age 57. Lefthander who pitched for the Mets, Twins, and Phillies before finishing his career with six appearances for the Red Sox in 1998.

Sean Shanahan

May 15 at age 71. Forward whose brief NHL career included four games with the 1975-76 Stanley Cup champion Canadiens and six with the 1977-78 Bruins.

Roger Angell

May 20 at 101. Erudite essayist who penned many an elegant baseball column for The New Yorker.

Joe Pignatano

May 23 at age 92. Catcher who played for the world champion Dodgers in 1959 and later became bullpen coach for the 1969 champion Mets.

Bob Talamini

May 30 at age 83. All-Pro offensive lineman on two Houston Oilers AFL champions and most notably the New York Jets 1968 Super Bowl winners.

Jeff Gladney

May 30 at age 25. Arizona Cardinals cornerback.

Marion Barber III

June 1 at age 38. Hard-nosed Cowboys running back whose father also was a running back in the NFL, for the Jets.

Larry Hillman

June 3 at age 85. Defenseman whose 22-year pro hockey career included three seasons with the Bruins (1957-60) and who with Detroit in 1955 became the youngest player (18) to have his name on the Stanley Cup.

Eric Nesterenko

June 6 at age 88. Durable right winger who played 16 of his 21 seasons with the Blackhawks, winning a Stanley Cup with them in 1961.

Rocky Freitas

June 8 at age 76. Offensive tackle who played 10 years for the Detroit Lions, making the Pro Bowl in 1972.

Don Perkins

June 9 at age 84. Six-time Pro Bowl running back for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s.

Hugh McElhenny

June 17 at age 93. Hall of Fame running back and franchise cornerstone of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s.

Hugh McElhenny (left) in a 1962 game, when he was with the Vikings. Harold Filan/Associated Press

Lennie Rosenbluth

June 18 at age 89. All-American forward who led North Carolina to an undefeated season and NCAA championship in 1957, beating Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas team in the final.

Dave Wickersham

June 18 at age 86. Righthander who won 19 games for the Tigers in 1964 and was a member of the first Kansas City Royals team in 1969.

Caleb Swanigan

June 20 at age 25. Purdue basketball star who was a first-round draft pick by the Trail Blazers in 2017.

Jaylon Ferguson

June 21 at age 26. Baltimore Ravens linebacker.

Tony Siragusa

June 22 at age 55. Charismatic defensive lineman on the Baltimore Ravens 2000 Super Bowl winners who became a popular broadcaster.

Tony Siragusa was a larger-than-life figure as a player and broadcaster.OZIER MUHAMMAD/NYT

Bruton Smith

June 22 at age 95. NASCAR Hall of Fame promoter and track owner.

Brig Owens

June 22 at age 79. Safety who played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Washington Redskins and had an interception in the Super Bowl VII loss to Miami.

Marlin Briscoe

June 27 at age 76. The AFL’s first Black quarterback, with the Broncos in 1968, who also was a receiver for the Dolphins’ two Super Bowl winners in the 1970s and finished his career as a Patriot in 1976.

Marlin Briscoe (right) played 11 games at quarterback for the Broncos in 1968, starting five.Bill Johnson/Associated Press

Jim Pappin

June 29 at age 82. Right winger who played on two Stanley Cup winners with the Maple Leafs and was part of the Blackhawks’ productive “MPH Line” with Pit Martin and Dennis Hull.

Bill Squires

June 30 at age 89. Legendary Greater Boston Track Club coach who steered runners such as Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Jack Fultz, and Greg Meyer to Boston Marathon glory.

Jean-Guy Gendron

June 30 at age 87. Left wing whose 14-year NHL career included five seasons with the Bruins (1958-61, 1962-64).

Eddie Miller

July 5 at age 91. Boston College director of sports information for four decades.

Bryan Marchment

July 6 at age 53. NHL defenseman for nine teams over a 17-year career, mostly with the Sharks and Oilers.

Mike Brito

July 7 at age 87. Longtime Dodgers scout whose signings included Fernando Valenzuela.

Bob Parsons

July 8 at age 72. Punter/tight end for the Chicago Bears from 1972-83.

Gary Moeller

July 11 at age 81. Football coach who went 44-13-3 at Michigan from 1990-94.

Dick Schofield

July 11 at age 87. Well-traveled infielder who played on the 1960 champion Pittsburgh Pirates and spent two seasons with the Red Sox (1969-70).

Charlie Eshbach

July 12 at age 70. President and general manager of the Portland Sea Dogs.

Lenny Emmons

July 18 at age 78. Masconomet boys’ soccer coach who won 576 games and 28 Cape Ann League titles over 39 seasons, with a Division 2 state championship in 1996.

Charles Johnson

July 19 at age 50. Wide receiver for four teams, including the Steelers (1994-98) and the Patriots’ first Super Bowl champions in 2001.

Jim Lynch

July 21 at age 76. Hard-hitting linebacker on the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl IV champions.

Johnny Egan

July 21 at age 83. Connecticut high school basketball star who played for Providence College and six NBA teams.

Dwight Smith

July 22 at age 58. Outfielder who played five seasons with the Chicago Cubs and was part of the Atlanta Braves 1995 World Series champions.

Julio Valdéz

July 24 at age 66. Red Sox infielder for four seasons (1980-83).

Win Remmerswaal

July 24 at age 68. Red Sox pitcher who went 3-1 in 22 appearances over two seasons (1979-80).

Wayne Hawkins

July 28 at age 84. Five-time All-Pro guard for the Oakland Raiders in the 1960s.

Bill Russell

July 31 at age 88. Legendary Celtics center — considered by some the greatest player in NBA history — who achieved unparalleled success on the court (11 NBA titles, five MVPs) and was a champion for civil rights.

The award for MVP of the NBA Finals is named for the incomparable Bill Russell.Matt York/Associated Press

Vin Scully

Aug. 2 at age 94. Silken-voiced play-by-play man whose 67-year run with the Dodgers (Brooklyn and Los Angeles) made him the longest-tenured broadcaster with a single team in professional sports history.

Vin Scully was a fixture in the broadcast booth for the Dodgers from 1950-2016.Andrew Gombert/NYT

Terry Caffery

Aug. 3 at age 73. Center whose five-year pro hockey career included two-plus seasons with the WHA’s New England Whalers.

Togo Palazzi

Aug. 12 at age 90. Captain of Holy Cross’s 1954 NIT champions who also played 2½ seasons for the Celtics, coached the Crusaders women’s team, and was a revered youth coach and mentor.

Pete Carril

Aug. 15 at age 92. Hall of Fame basketball coach whose distinctive throwback offenses confounded opponents and helped Princeton reach 11 NCAA Tournaments.

Bob Locker

Aug. 15 at age 84. Reliever who went 6-1 with 10 saves for the World Series champion Oakland A’s in 1972, part of a 10-year MLB career.

Charley Frazier

Aug. 16 at age 83. Wide receiver who played seven years for the Houston Oilers and two for the Boston Patriots (1969-70).

John Wockenfuss

Aug. 19 at age 73. Catcher/first baseman/outfielder for the Detroit Tigers known for a most unorthodox batting stance.

Riddick Parker

Aug. 19 at age 49. Defensive lineman whose seven-year NFL career included a Super Bowl season with the Patriots in 2001.

Tom Weiskopf

Aug. 20 at age 79. Power-hitting golfer who won 16 events on the PGA Tour, including the 1973 British Open.

Gary Gaines

Aug. 22 at age 73. High school football coach made famous in the book and movie “Friday Night Lights.”

Len Dawson

Aug. 24 at age 87. Hall of Fame quarterback who won three AFL titles and was MVP of Super Bowl IV when he led the Kansas City Chiefs over the Minnesota Vikings.

Len Dawson executes a handoff during his signature victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV in January 1970.Associated Press

Orval Tessier

Aug. 25 at age 89. Jack Adams Award winner as NHL Coach of the Year with the 1982-83 Blackhawks whose playing career included two seasons as a center for the Bruins.

Ernie Zampese

Aug. 29 at age 86. Assistant coach for more than 20 years in the NFL, including stints as offensive coordinator for the Patriots (1998-99) and the 1995 Super Bowl champion Cowboys.

Lee Thomas

Aug. 31 at age 86. All-Star first baseman/outfielder for the Angels who also played two seasons for the Red Sox (1964-65) and as general manager was architect of the Phillies 1993 NL champions.

Earnie Shavers

Sept. 1 at age 78. Punishing heavyweight who went 74-14-1 (68 knockouts) and lost title fights to Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

Guy Morriss

Sept. 5 at age 71. Offensive lineman who played in Super Bowls for the Eagles (1980) and Patriots (1985).

Mark Littell

Sept. 5 at age 69. Closer for the Royals and Cardinals who pitched on two Kansas City AL West winners.

Shelby Jordan

Sept. 9 at age 70. Offensive lineman who played seven years for the Patriots, won a Super Bowl with the Raiders, and made the College Football Hall of Fame as a linebacker for Washington-St. Louis.

Anthony Varvaro

Sept. 11 at age 37. Righthander who pitched briefly for the Red Sox in 2015 before retiring to become a police officer in New York.

John Stearns

Sept. 15 at age 71. Four-time All-Star catcher for the Mets in the 1970s and ’80s.

Maury Wills

Sept. 19 at age 89. Fleet shortstop who revived the art of base stealing while playing on three World Series winners with the Dodgers and capturing the 1962 NL MVP award.

Maury Wills set a modern major league record (since broken) with 104 steals in 1962.FW/Associated Press

Greg Lee

Sept. 21 at age 70. Starting guard on UCLA’s national basketball champions in 1972 and ’73.

Héctor López

Sept. 29 at age 93. Utilityman who played in five World Series for the Yankees and in 1969 became baseball’s first Black Triple A manager with Buffalo.

Marvin Powell

Sept. 30 at age 67. All-Pro tackle for the New York Jets.

Antonio Inoki

Oct. 1 at age 79. Japanese wrestler who gained fame by taking on Muhammad Ali in a mixed martial arts bout in 1976.

Bob Tindall

Oct. 4 at age 86. Longtime Bruins scout.

Jerry Vainisi

Oct. 4 at age 80. General manager of the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX champions.

Dave Dryden

Oct. 4 at age 81. Goalie for five NHL and WHA teams who is credited with redesigning the goalie mask and was the brother of Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden.

Dick Ellsworth

Oct. 10 at age 82. Lefthander who pitched 12 years in the majors, winning 22 games for the Cubs in 1963 and 16 for the Red Sox in 1968.

Fran O’Brien

Oct. 10 at age 90. MIT baseball coach for 28 seasons and men’s basketball coach for 14.

Luke Jackson

Oct. 12 at age 80. Forward/center on the 76ers 1967 NBA champions and a gold medalist on the US basketball team in 1964.

Lucious “Luke” Jackson (right) guarded the Celtics’ Willie Naulls in a 1966 game at Boston Garden.Dan Goshtigian/Globe Staff

Bruce Sutter

Oct. 13 at age 69. Hall of Fame closer who won a Cy Young Award with the Cubs in 1979, a World Series with the Cardinals in 1982, and finished his career with 300 saves.

Bruce Sutter confounded hitters with a devastating split-finger fastball.Scott Dine/Associated Press

Charley Trippi

Oct. 19 at age 100. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer who was runner-up for the 1946 Heisman Trophy (Georgia) and a multi-positional player who led the Chicago Cardinals to the 1947 NFL title.

Vince Dooley

Oct. 28 at age 90. Football coach who went 201-77-10 at Georgia from 1964-88, winning a national championship in 1980.

John McVay

Nov. 1 at age 91. General manager who built 49ers teams that won five Super Bowls in the 1980s and ’90s, and grandfather of Rams coach Sean McVay.

Ray Guy

Nov. 3 at age 72. The only punter elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Raiders.

Ray Guy set new standards for NFL punters.Richard Drew/Associated Press

Dave Butz

Nov. 4 at age 72. All-Pro defensive lineman on two of Washington’s Super Bowl champions in the 1980s.

Dow Finsterwald

Nov. 4 at age 93. Winner of 12 events on the PGA Tour, including the first PGA Championship contested in stroke play, in 1958.

Peter McNab

Nov. 6 at age 70. Burly center who played eight of his 14 seasons with the Bruins, scoring 263 goals for them.

Peter McNab (left) wasn’t averse to playing the body, as he did here against Canadiens tough guy Gilles Lupien in the 1978 Stanley Cup Finals.John Blanding/Globe Staff

Coy Gibbs

Nov. 6 at age 49. Vice chairman of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team.

Jake Crouthamel

Nov. 7 at age 84. Two-way football star at Dartmouth who played two games for the Patriots in their inaugural 1960 season but found his greatest fame as Syracuse’s athletic director.

Chuck Carr

Nov. 13 at age 55. Speedy outfielder who led the National League in stolen bases (58) as an original Florida Marlin in 1993.

Alexander Gorshkov

Nov. 17 at age 76. Russian ice dancer who along with partner Lyudmila Pakhomova won the gold medal in the event at its debut in the 1976 Olympics.

John Y. Brown

Nov. 22 at age 88. Controversial short-time Celtics owner (1978-79) who subsequently became governor of Kentucky and married sportscaster Phyllis George.

Borje Salming

Nov. 24 at age 71. Hall of Fame defenseman who helped open the door for European players in the NHL and holds Maple Leafs career records for goals and assists by a blue liner.

Borje Salming (left) tangles with the Blackhawks’ Rich Preston in a 1983 game.Gary Hershorn/Associated Press

Mike Adessa

Nov. 29 at age 77. Boston native who was coach of RPI’s 1985 national champion men’s hockey team.

John Hadl

Nov. 30 at age 82. Pro Bowl quarterback who led the Chargers to the 1965 AFL championship game and also played on their 1963 league champions.

Gaylord Perry

Dec. 1 at age 84. Hall of Fame righthander who won Cy Young Awards in both leagues (Cleveland and San Diego) and was notorious for using the spitball as part of his arsenal.

Gaylord Perry pitched for eight teams (including the Mariners, above) and won 20 games five times.Ray Stubblebine/Associated Press

Sal Durante

Dec. 1 at age 81. Brooklyn truck driver who caught Roger Maris’s 61st home run in the right-field stands at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1, 1961.

Nick Bollettieri

Dec. 4 at age 91. Hall of Fame tennis coach who worked with some of the sport’s biggest names and founded an academy that revolutionized the development of young players.

Mills Lane

Dec. 6 at age 85. Hall of Fame boxing referee who worked more than 100 title fights, including the infamous Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield ear-biting fiasco.

Mills Lane checks Evander Holyfield’s right ear after it was bitten by Mike Tyson in a 1997 heavyweight bout. MARK J. TERRILL/Associated Press

Grant Wahl

Dec. 9 at age 48. Soccer journalist whose work, primarily for Sports Illustrated, helped popularize the sport in the US and who died while covering the World Cup in Qatar.

Paul Silas

Dec. 10 at age 79. Tenacious defender and rebounder on two Celtics NBA champion teams (1974, ’76) and one with Seattle (1979).

After his playing days, Paul Silas was an NBA head coach with four teams over 12 seasons.Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Mike Leach

Dec. 12 at age 61. Football coach who went 158-107 in 21 seasons with pass-happy offenses at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State.

Curt Simmons

Dec. 13 at age 93. Lefthander who won 115 games for the Phillies and was the last surviving member of their 1950 “Whiz Kids” National League champions.

Billie Moore

Dec. 14 at age 79. Hall of Fame basketball coach who won women’s NCAA championships at Cal State Fullerton and UCLA and guided the first US Olympic women’s team to a silver medal in 1976.

Louis Orr

Dec. 16 at age 64. Star forward for Syracuse who played eight seasons in the NBA with the Pacers and Knicks and coached the Orange to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Don McKenney

Dec. 18 at age 88. All-Star center who led the Bruins in scoring as a rookie in 1954-55, won the Lady Byng Trophy with them in 1960, and won the Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs in 1964.

Tom Browning

Dec. 19 at age 62. Lefthander who threw the only perfect game in Cincinnati Reds history and helped them win the World Series in 1990.

Denny Doyle

Dec. 20 at age 78. Second baseman whose midseason acquisition in 1975 helped the Red Sox win the American League pennant.

Denny Doyle puts the tag on Cincinnati’s Joe Morgan trying to steal second in the 1975 World Series.Frank O’Brien/Globe Staff

Franco Harris

Dec. 21 at age 72. Hall of Fame running back who starred on the four Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion teams of the 1970s and made the “Immaculate Reception” to help launch that dynasty.

Franco Harris’s “Immaculate Reception,” which came on a deflected pass and resulted in a game-winning touchdown in a 1972 playoff game against the Raiders, is an iconic play in NFL history.Harry Cabluck/Associated Press

Ronnie Hillman

Dec. 22 at age 31. Running back on the Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champions.

Kathy Whitworth

Dec. 24 at age 83. World Golf Hall of Famer who won a record 88 LPGA events, including six majors.

Kathy Whitworth was the first female golfer to compile $1 million in career earnings.Horace Cort/Associated Press

Victor Ortiz

Dec. 26 at age 74. Brockton boys’ basketball coach who went 385-160 in 24 seasons and won a Division 1 state championship in 1985.

Dick Flavin

Dec. 28 at age 86. Local media commentator who became public-address announcer at Fenway Park and the “Red Sox poet laureate.”

Howie Vandersea

Dec. 29 at age 81. Little All-American center/linebacker at Bates who went on to become a revered head coach at Springfield College and Bowdoin.

Pelé

Dec. 29 at age 82. Brazilian superstar considered by many nothing less than the finest player in the history of soccer, he numbered three World Cup titles among his many accomplishments.

The great Pelé was a nonpareil scorer, a national hero in Brazil, and a global ambassador for soccer.Jasper Juinen/Associated Press

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