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List of Famous Dead People: Category - Sports
Merlin Olsen is a man known for his football career, acting, broadcasting, and humanitarian efforts. He’s widely known for his legendary career with the Los Angeles Rams, and his stint as Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie.
Parker was a famous crime writer who is probably best known for his Spenser and Jesse Stone series of novels. The Spenser series was adapted into a television show for the ABC Network during the late 1980s entitled Spenser: For Hire, starring the late Robert Urich. The Jesse Stone series has also been turned into several made [...]
Gaines Adams played the defensive end position in the National Football League after a successful collegiate career at Clemson. He was the 4th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, when he was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his rookie season, he led defensive rookies in sacks with six. Adams played 47 games [...]
Chris Henry was a professional football player with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted by the team in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played his college ball at West Virginia.
Albano was a professional wrestler, actor and manager. During his prestigious wrestling career, Albano helped 15 different tag teams, and 4 singles, to championships. After his wrestling success Albano began to transition over to television and film projects. During the 1980’s you could see him featured on Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling, Miami Vice, Wise Guys, [...]
Stupak was the owner, founder and developer of the 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas. More than likely he’ll be remembered for the Stratosphere, but Stupak was very well known for getting his name in the media. Over the years he won $1 million dollars on a 1989 Super Bowl bet, challenged Donald Trump to a [...]
Steve LaTreal McNair, who was often referred to as “Air” McNair played quarterback in the National Football League. After playing for Alcorn State University, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1995, and went to the Tennessee Titans when the Oilers relocated to Nashville and changed their name.
Tisdale wsa a former professional basketball player with three teams. From 1983 to 1985 Tisdale played collegiate ball for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was a three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year. He was also the first collegiate player to be named first-team All American in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. In 1984 he [...]
Daly was a head basketball coach who is probably best remembered for his consecutive NBA Championships (1989 and 1990) with the Detroit Pistons. He also coached the Dream Team to a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Daly began his head-coaching career at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971, and quickly turned the program around. [...]
Kemp was a former professional football player turned politician who was the Vice President nominee, in 1996, alongside Bob Dole. As a U.S. Congressman he was the primary driver of President Ronald Reagan’s supply-side economics agenda which led to large tax cuts. These cuts are largely credited with bringing on one of the most successful periods [...]
Lohrke was a third basemen in Major League Baseball (MLB) spending his playing days with two separate teams, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies. Lohrke was given the nickname “Lucky” because 1.) it resembled his last name, and 2.) he had averted two potentially fatal transit accidents. During his career his appeared in 354 games [...]
Rose was a professional wrestler who went by the ring-name “Playboy” Buddy Rose. He spent the better part of his career wrestling for the AWA and the WWF. During his WWF days Rose had a legendary feud with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, which he credited with making him a household name. His last match took place at Wrestle [...]
Page was a former World Boxing Association Heavyweight champion from 1984 to 1985. His professional record, at the time of his retirement, was 58 – 17 – 1 with 48 knockouts. Early in his career Page started out 13 – 0 and captured the USBA Heavyweight title from Stan Ward on February 11, 1980. He continued [...]
Gansz was a football coach whose career spanned nearly 40 years. Early in his career Gansz held several assistant coaching positions at Oklahoma State, Colgate University, Southern Methodist University, Army, UCLA, United States Air Force Academy and this alma mater, the United States Naval Academy. In 1986 he became special teams coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. [...]
Adenhart was a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He was drafted in the 14th round (413th overall) in the 2004 MLB Draft. In four short years he became the Angels’ best overall prospect. His last appearance took place on April 8, 2009, the night before his death. It was a no-decision contest.
Lewis, who is probably better known as “Mask” for the lines he would paint on his face, co-founded the clothing line TapouT, which quickly became a multi-million dollar company.
Smith was an NFL defensive end who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and most recently the Detroit Lions. Smith played his college football at North Carolina State. In 2002, Smith was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
Cooper was a former NFL football player, playing linebacker with Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and most recently the Oakland Raiders. Cooper played his college football at the University of Washington and was honorable mention All-Pac 10 in 2002. In 2004, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Cooper as the 79th [...]
Yow was the head coach of the North Carolina State female basketball team, a job she had held since 1975. When she became the head coach at NC State she also coach women’s volleyball and softball, she eventually gave those up to focus all her coaching time on basketball. Yow was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, [...]
Pohlad was a successful financier and owner of the Minnesota Twins. He bought the team back in 1984, and just three years later (1987) the Twins won the World Series and proceeded to win it again in 1991. Pohlad claims that he came close to selling the team in 1997, which would’ve seen the team move to [...]
Rogers was the President and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., and owner of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball team. He acquired the Blue Jays back on September 1, 2000 when his company purchased 80% of the club with the Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. Since the 2003 season Rogers has owned 100% of the team, and [...]
Martin was a professional hockey player in the NHL; he served as captain for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1975 to 1977. In total Martin played professionally for seventeen seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and the aforementioned Chicago Black Hawks. During his career Martin recorded 324 goals and 485 assists for 809 [...]
Jeter was a former NFL cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. During his college days Jeter was a halfback for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He still holds a few records for the Rose Bowl, 194 yards on just nine carries; one of those carries was an 81-yard touchdown, which is the other record. [...]
Kassulke was a former Pro Bowl football player for the Minnesota Vikings. He played 10 seasons in the NFL, and started in Super Bowl IV. On his way to training camp in 1973, Kassulke suffered a motorcycle accident and was paralyzed from the waist down.
Hickerson was a former offensive guard for the Cleveland Browns, where he played his entire sixteen-year career. Hickerson was also a six time Pro Bowler from 1965 – 1970. He was also named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team (1960s). He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 3, 2007, and was inducted on [...]
Foster was a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers from 1993 – 2001. He also pitched for the independent St. Paul Saints of the Northern League from 2003 – 2004.
Thewes was a co-owner of three hockey teams - the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL), the Plymouth Whalers (OHL) and the Florida Everblades (ECHL). In addition to his hockey teams Thewes was Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors (Emeritus) and co-founder of the Compuware Corporation.
Lynch was a former professional football player for the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. During his playing days with the Giants, Lynch made the Pro Bowl in 1963 and led the NFL in interceptions in 1961 and 1963. After his playing days were over, he found himself in the commentator’s booth from 1967 to 2008.
Walter “Wally” Hilgenberg was an American football player who played as both a guard and a linebacker at the University of Iowa before playing 16 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. He played for the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings and played in all four of the Vikings’ Super Bowl Appearances.
Stephens has often been called the most successful yacht designer of the 20th century. His name is well known connection with the America’s Cup, a prestigious regatta, as he assisted W. Starling Burgess on the J-Boats of the late 1930’s. Which included Ranger, which won the Cup in 1937. In 1993, Stephens was inducted into the America’s [...]