NFL
By: Greg Rector
As I have done for the past three years, this article is always sad for me. I write this article to honor those athletes and coaches we lost in 2023. I do hope to bring a few bright smiles to people by highlighting the accomplishments these men and women made not just in their particular sports but hope to remind everyone that life itself is a short venture and we all share the same emotions despite what the social media world displays far too often. This is the second article. You can read my first article 2023-In Memoriam right there.
June 2023
June 3rd
James Hines– Hines was the first athlete to break the 10-second time in the 100 meters. He accomplished the feat at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 and his time was the world record for 15 years. Hines was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1968 and he is considered to be one of the worst-ever draft picks as his speed didn’t work very well in the NFL. Hines passed away at the age of 78.
June 4th
Roger Craig – Craig was a right-handed pitcher who was a part of 4 World Series championship teams three times as a player and his final World Series was with the Detroit Tigers in 1984 as the Tigers pitching coach. Craig was the manager of the San Francisco Giants who finally returned to playoff baseball in 1987 after not winning anything since 1971. Craig passed away at the age of 93.
June 7th
The Iron Sheik- Mention professional wrestling and if you don’t know who the Iron Sheik was you missed out on one of the greatest characters who ever graced the squared circle. He was the Iranian villain who was the perfect foil for Hulk Hogan and after losing the title to Hogan he went on to be used with Nikola Volkov in a hilarious tag-team. If you followed The Iron Sheik on X you enjoyed his expletive-laden tweets.
June 14th
Homer Jones – The wide receiver for the New York Giants who invented the “spiking” of a football in 1965. He came up with “The Spike” because the NFL ruled that if a player threw a football into the stands it was worth a $500.00 fine. Jones passed away from lung cancer at the age of 82.
June 16th
Bob “The Boomer” Brown– The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (2004) passed away at the age of 81. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles Los Angeles Rams and the Oakland Raiders.
June 27th
Ryan Mallet – The former backup quarterback for the New England Patriots Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens played in the NFL from 2011-2017. He drowned at the age of 35.
July 2023
July 7th
Nikki McCray-Penson-McCray-Penson was a three-time WNBA All-Star and played on two Olympic gold medal-winning teams for Team USA in 1996 and in 2000. She also coached the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 2020 until 2021. She passed away at the age of 51.
July 25th
Johnny Lujack – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback and safety whose career at Notre Dame was interrupted for two years while he served in the U.S. Navy. Lujack led the Fighting Irish to three national championships in 1943 1946 and in 1947. he won the Heisman Trophy in 1947. Lujack then went on to play for the Chicago Bears for four seasons. Lujack passed away at the age of 98.
August 2023
August 14th
Bobby Baun– Baun was famous for coming back and scoring an overtime goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1964 Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings after he fractured his ankle earlier in the game. He played on four Stanley Cup championship teams for the Maple Leafs. He passed away at the age of 86.
August 17th
Rick Jeanneret– The long-time voice of the Buffalo Sabres. Jeanneret called Sabres games from their second season in the NHL until retiring in 2022. Fifty-one seasons of calling games. He had a distinctive style and was always a high-energy announcer. He passed away at the age of 81.
August 23rd
Terry Funk – Professional wrestler and an actor (Roadhouse) Terry Funk wrestled for over 50 years and in his career he was a World Champion in an era before cable TV. I saw Terry Funk wrestle and he was one tough SOB, to put it bluntly. Outside of the ring though Funk was also one of the most giving men who walked the planet. I am showing Funk as he was a bouncer in the hit movie Roadhouse. He passed away from dementia at the age of 79.
August 24th
Bray Wyatt – Born Windham Rotunda he was born into two of the wrestling world’s biggest families as his father was Mike Rotunda and the Windham family is due to his mother. His maternal family includes BlackJack Mulligan (Grandfather) Barry and Kendall Windham who were Bray’s uncles. He passed away from a heart attack at his home at the age of 36.
August 31st
Gil Brandt – The longtime scout for the Dallas Cowboys who revolutionized the scouting process. Gil Brandt was a living legend in the world of scouting NFL football players as you can read. He passed away at the age of 91.
September 2023
September 24th
Tim Foley – Defensive back for the Miami Dolphins for 11 seasons a member of the “No Name Defense” he won the Super Bowl in both 1972 and 1973. He passed away at the age of 75.
October 2023
October 1st
Russ Francis – Francis was a tight end for the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers. He won the Super Bowl with the 49ers as they beat the Miami Dolphins in the game played on January 20th, 1985. Russ Francis was 70 years old when he died in a plane crash.
George Reed – Reed was a running back who played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL. Reed rushed for 16.116 yards in 13 seasons. Reed was 83 years old and 50 years after he became the CFL’s all-time leading rusher the CFL announced that the outstanding players in the CFL would be winning The George Reed Most Outstanding Player Award.
Tim Wakefield – One of baseball’s best knuckleball pitchers ever who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox. He was just 57 when he passed away from brain cancer.
October 8th
Dick Butkus – The fearsome sight of linebacker Dick Butkus haunted the dreams of opponents long after their careers ended I am certain. Butkus spent nine seasons playing middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears and was also an actor after his football career ended. He passed away at the age of 80 after suffering a stroke.
Butkus is honored by having the Butkus Award given to the best linebacker in college football every season.
October 11th
Walt Garrison– The Dallas Cowboys fullback/running back won one Super Bowl with the Cowboys. For years and years though Garrison was the man seen on Skoal commercials on TV as well. He passed away at the age of 79.
October 21st
Sir Robert Charlton– Bobby Charlton was a member of the English team that won the World Cup of Soccer in 1966. He was also the leading player for Manchester United for the roster from 1956 to 1973. Charlton is considered the finest gentleman to ever represent England on the pitch. He passed away after suffering from a fall at the age of 86.
October 23rd
Tasha Butts– Former WNBA player and the head coach for the Georgetown Hoyas women’s basketball team who passed away at the age of 41 after battling breast cancer since 2021. She never got to coach a single game for the Hoyas.
October 30th
Frank Howard– Howard won one World Series title (Dodgers 1963) and his time was a huge player standing at 6’7″ and weighing in between 275 to 290 lbs. He passed away at the age of 87.
November 2023
November 1st
Bobby Knight– The longtime head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers and Texas Tech Red Rebels. Bobby Knight was simply a magnificent basketball coach despite his foibles. Knight was aged 83 when he passed away.
November 2nd
Walter Davis– “Sweet D” was Walter Davis’ nickname. The former University of North Carolina Tar Heel was also a member of the 1976 Olympic Games champion as he was chosen by his UNC head coach Dean Smith to represent the United States, (Yes this was the long-ago era of non-professionals representing the nation) Davis went onto to play for the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. Walter Davis died at the age of 69.
November 14th
Willie Hernandez – Hernandez was a relief pitcher who won both the American League Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player award in 1984 for the World Series champion Detroit Tigers. He passed away at the age of 69.
December 2023
December 9th
Frank Wycheck – He played tight end for Washington and the Tennessee Titans. Wycheck famously threw the lateral pass in the “Music City Miracle” playoff game. Wycheck passed away after a fall at the age of 52.
I must say in closing out this second article how many great memories these athletes have given us over the years
