In Memoriam – 2022

By: Greg Rector

As I have done for the past two years I will write about the men and women in the world of sports that we lost in 2022. As always I write this as a way to honor the accomplishments of those from the world of sports who touched us either as athletes or coaches.

January

Dan Reeves (77) The former Dallas Cowboys player/assistant coach and later head coach of both the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons passed away from complications related to dementia. Reeves was definitely influenced by his association with legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry. He had a 38-year career in the NFL either as a player or coach. In those years Reeves was a participant in a total of nine Super Bowls.

Ross Browner (67) Browner was a defensive end mostly for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers. The former Notre Dame standout passed away from COVID-19 complications.

Jim Corsi (60) Former MLB pitcher for 10 seasons for the Athletics, Astros, Marlins, Red Sox, and Orioles. He spent three years as an analyst for Red Sox games on NESN and UPN after his playing career. He succumbed to colon cancer.

Greg Robinson (70) Former football coach at Syracuse University and UCLA and in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. Robinson passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

Don Maynard (86) Maynard was a key player for the New York Jets and was a part of the only Jets Super Bowl-winning team in 1969. The Super Bowl III upset of the establishment franchise Baltimore Colts gave the AFL their first winning team on pro football’s biggest stage.  He was the first-ever New York Titans (Renamed the Jets in 1963) player to be signed in 1960. His number 13 was retired by the Jets. His career began with the New York Giants in 1958 the year “The Greatest Game Ever Played” for the NFL championship between the Giants and the Baltimore Colts.

Joe B Hall (93) Hall was the head basketball coach for the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He led Kentucky to the national title in 1978. Hall was far more receptive to recruiting black players to play for the Wildcats than his predecessor Adolph Rupp. Under Rupp and under duress there had only been three black players for the Wildcats. Besides the one national championship Hall guided Kentucky to two other Final Four appearances.

Clark Gillies (67) A four-time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders dynasty from the 1980 through 1983 seasons. He was also a part of the “Trio Grande” line along with Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy. Gillies as well was inducted into the Hall in 2002. One of the very lines to see all three players become members of the Hall. Passed away from cancer.

February 

Bill Fitch (89) Long-time college and NBA head coach who despite finishing with more losses than victories as an NBA head coach (944-1106) was still considered to be one the top ten coaches in a 1996 survey. He took expansion teams (Cleveland Cavaliers), or struggling teams (Celtics, Rockets, Nets, and Clippers), and all improved his guidance. He was also fortunate that the Celtics drafted some guy named Larry Bird, and later the Rockets would get Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon in consecutive drafts. He won an NBA title with the Celtics in 1981. Larry Bird in fact loved Fitch’s ( A former U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor) tough practices and discipline. As a former Marine myself “Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil. For I am the meanest in the valley, I am a United States Marine.

Gerald Williams (55) Williams played in MLB between 1992 and 2005 for the Yankees Brewers Braves Devil Rays and Mets. Mostly as a backup outfielder. Williams was beloved by both Derek Jeter and the more famous Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams (No relation). of Williams Jeter would say “He (Williams) would always look out for me. Died of cancer.

Candi Devine (63) A Former wrestler who in the 80s when ladies’ wrestlers first start getting a bit more attention had a long-running feud with Sensational Sherri Martel in the AWA ( American Wrestling Association) , Devine suffered from seizures and passed away after battling them for many years.

Jeremy Giambi (47) The younger brother of Jason Giambi who played 5 seasons including three years with the Athletics with his big brother. Giambi committed suicide.

Eduardo Romero (67) Pro golfer from Argentina won over 80 professional tournaments in his career but his success in America was on the Champions Tour where he won 5 times including two of the circuit’s major titles The Tradition in 2006 and the U.S. Senior Open title in 2008.

Emile Francis (95) Known as “The Cat” After a short career as a goaltender for both the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers in the 40s, Francis would go on to coach the New York Rangers for 10 seasons reaching the Stanley Cup final in 1972 along with being the general manager. He would later be the GM for the St. Louis Blues and the Hartford Whalers. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1982.

Charley Taylor (80) A wide receiver for the Washington Redskins for 13 seasons. Taylor played in one Super Bowl (VII) but was also a six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984. When he retired after the 1977 season Taylor was the NFL all-time receptions leader with 649 receptions.

Lionel “Little Train” James (59) While he might not have had a hall of Fame career the diminutive James (5’6″ 171 pounds) set the all-purpose yardage record with 2,535 yards in 1985 which is still fourth all-time in NFL history. In college, he was the running mate of Bo Jackson at Auburn.

Danny Ongais (79) Hall of Fame racing car driver who raced motorcycles, Formula One, Indy cars, drag racing,  and with CART. He’s the only native of Hawaii to race in the Indianapolis 500. in 1981 he was involved in one of the scariest crashes ever at the Indy 500 but somehow survived. He passed away from heart failure.

March

Katie Meyer (22) Soccer goaltender for the Stanford Cardinal. The MVP of The College Cup in 2019 when Stanford beat UNC in penalty kicks. Meyer was apparently distraught over possible disciplinary action by the school, against her stemming from an incident of possible sexual assault between a Stanford football player and another female soccer player who was a minor at the time. Meyer apparently had dumped coffee on the football player. She died from suicide.

Scott Hall (63) Professional wrestler who debuted in 1984 and retired in 2016. Complications from hip surgery. Hall was also known as Razor Ramon aka “The Bad Guy,” in his time with the WWF/WWE. He also wrestled in the NWA, and AWA (Tag team champion with Curt Henig), and achieved his greatest notoriety as a founding member of the New World Order along with Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan. Hall also battled addiction for many years which led to so many issues later in his life.

Ralph Terry (86) Terry a right-handed pitcher, was a member of two of the strongest New York Yankee teams in the early sixties and was on the 1951 and 1962 World Series winning teams. He was also the pitcher on the 1960 Yankees and gave up the first-ever World Series-clinching walk-off home run to Bill Mazeroski.

John Clayton (67) Hall of Fame sportswriter (The Pittsburgh Press and The News Tribune) who reached his fame though as an ESPN reporter covering the NFL.

April

Gene Shue (90) Was a former NBA player in the 50s and 60s and was an NBA All-Star guard from 1958 to 1962 and later became the head coach of the Baltimore/Washington Bullets along with several other teams. In his playing days he is credited with being the first player with a “spin move” As a coach, he was twice named Coach of the Year in 1969 and 1982. He coached for 22 seasons and much like Bill Fitch often took struggling teams and made them respectable. Somehow he was never inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rayfield Wright (76) Pro Football Hall of Fame (2006) offensive tackle who played 13 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. wright was nicknamed the “Big Cat,” for how nimble he was with his footwork. Went to the Super Bowl five times and played on two winning teams.

Dwayne Haskins (24)  NFL quarterback for three seasons with Washington and Pittsburgh. Haskins was a standout for the Ohio State Buckeyes who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2018. He was killed in a traffic accident while doing off-season training with several Steelers teammates.

John Drew (67) A two-time NBA All-Star Drew played eleven seasons between the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz. He was also the first player ever banned under the new NBA substance abuse policy although he was not on a roster at the time. He was a “third strike” player and David Stern banished him. Drew died after suffering from bone cancer.

Mike Bossy (65) The second member of the famed New York Islanders “Trio Grande,” line to pass away in 2022. Bossy was the goal-scoring machine of the line. Considered one of the purest scorers in NHL history and I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment, Bossy’s career was shortened by back injuries but still amassed 573 goals and 533 assists.

Guy Lafleur (70) a five-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens Lafleur (The Flower) was one of the greatest goal scorers along with Bossy from the early 70s through the 80s. A Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Lafleur scored 560 goals and added 793 assists. Lafleur would also play for New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques. I wrote about both players here https://teamnbsmedia.com/nhl-a-pianful-week/

May

Bob Lanier (73) NBA Hall of Fame player for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks he played center for 14 seasons and his number 16 is retired by both franchises. He was also well known for having a size 22 foot. He was an All-Star 8 times and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

June

Marion Barber III (38) Barber played six seasons as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. He passed away suddenly from a case of heat stroke. His powerful running style earned him the nickname “Marion The Barbarian”

Hugh McElhenny (93) Played for the San Francisco 49ers and briefly for the Vikings, Giants, and Lions. In the 50s he was a member of what was known as “The Million Dollar Backfield” for the Niners. Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970. McElhenny rushed for over 5000 yards and over 3000 receiving yards. He was in his time so popular in San Francisco that sportswriters dubbed him the Elvis Presley of the NFL.

Tony Siragusa (55) Beloved defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. Played on the Super Bowl XXXV-winning Ravens team. He was even more popular as an on-the-field sideline reporter and analyst for FOX Sports until 2015.

July

Gary Moeller (81) College football head coach for Illinois Fighting Illini and the Michigan Wolverines. Briefly was also the head coach of the Detroit Lions. He was a two-time Big10 coach of the year.

Bill Russell (88) Mention NBA basketball greatness and Bill Russell’s name is one of the first names you think of. The accolades and accomplishments of this man both on and off the court would take too much space. Go to teamnbsmedia.com and search my Farewell To A King article.

August

Vin Scully (94) As with Bill Russel and basketball, when it comes to baseball and play-by-play announcers Scully was in a class all his own. whether it was the Brooklyn or Los Angeles Dodgers teams Scully was the voice of Dodgers baseball for 67 seasons.

Tom Weiskopf (79) PGA and Champions Tour golf won the Open Championship in 1973 and then went on after his playing career to become a noted golf course architect.

Len Dawson (87) Pro Football Hall of Fame (1987) quarterback who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers but achieved his fame with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs. Played for 19 seasons and was the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl IV leading the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title.

September

 Earnie Shavers (78) Heavyweight boxer who fought twice for the heavyweight title losing to both Muhammad Ali in 1977 and then to Larry Holmes in 1979. Shavers was known as one of the heaviest hitters in the sport and was 76-14-1 in his lengthy career.

Gavin Escobar (31) Former tight end with the Dallas Cowboys Escobar perished in a rock climbing accident.

October

Tiffany Jackson (37) A former WNBA player for 9 seasons with New York Tulsa, and Los Angeles. Jackson passed away after battling breast cancer.

Bruce Sutter (69) Sutter was a dominant relief pitcher in the late 70s and 80s in his 12 MLB seasons. He had a nasty split-finger fastball. He was a member of the 1982 Cardinals. When he retired he had exactly 300 career saves. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Charly Trippi (100) Trippi was a Pro Hall of Fame inductee in 1968. He played primarily as a running back for the Chicago Cardinals from 1947 to 1955. It’s at his alma mater though where he is even more famous. Trippi attended the University of Georgia. His jersey is one of only four to ever be retired at the University.

Vince Dooley (90) College Football Hal of Fame of the Georgia Bulldogs and later athletic director for the school as well. Dooley led the Bulldogs to a national championship in 1980.

Adam Zimmer (38) NFL assistant coach with the Saints Chiefs Vikings and Bengals. His father is former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Sadly after an autopsy his cause of death was determined to be excessive drinking.

November

Ray Guy (72) The first ever punter to be drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders in 1973 Guy would go on to have a Hall of Fame career. He was a three-time Super Bowl winner with both the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders.

Dave Butz (72) NFL defensive tackle for 16 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins. A member of two Super Bowl-winning teams in his time with Washington. Butz was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 80s. A definite omission for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Borje Salming (71) NHL Hall of Fame defenseman who spent 16 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and his final NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings. Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the NHL starting in the 1973-74 season. He was the first European player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1996. He passed away from ALS.

December

Mike Leach (61) Head coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs along with the Washington State Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders. Leach was an offensive savant and the architect of the “Air Raid” offense. Twice honored as the National Coach of the Year He passed away from complications of heart disease.

Paul Silas (79) Long-time NBA player and coach. He played on three NBA championship teams twice with the Boston Celtics and also one title with the Seattle SuperSonics. He also coached the San Diego Clippers, New Orleans Hornets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. he is the father of current Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas.

Mills Lane (85) Lane was a long-time boxing referee from 1971 until he retired in 1998, Lane officiated many of the biggest bouts pro boxing during that time. most infamously Lane disqualified Mike Tyson after he had bitten Evander Holyfield’s ear twice in 1997. He was also a lawyer and later a district court judge which led to his starring on his own TV legal program “Judge Mills Lane.”

To all of those no longer with us thank you for the many happy memories you gave all sports fans over your lifetime