Local favorites pass away
Championship legends, heroes and Hall of Famers of the sports world suffered great losses in 2024.
Known in the baseball world as the greatest player alive, “The Say Hey Kid,” former San Francisco Giant Willie Mays, succumbed to death at the age of 93.
Other notable legends in the sports world, Jerry “The Logo” West (baseball), Chi Chi Rodriguez (golf), Fernando “Mania” Valenzuela (baseball), Frank Ryan (football), Dikembe Mutumbo (basketball), along with greats like Orlando “The Baby Bull” Cepeda, and Red Sox great, Luis Tiant (baseball), left gaping holes in their respective sport.
Many of these athletes defined their positions and became famous, and or infamous legends as a result.
Valenzuela did more for the expansion of international baseball than any other player of his generation. He won Rookie-of-the-Year and MVP of baseball’s National League, and was responsible for drawing over 3 million fans a year to LA Dodgers gameseven during baseball’s union strike in 1981.
According to NFL statistics, Oakland Raider’s Center, Jim Otto, never missed a game. Larry Allen (UCLA), and Boston Celtic great Bill Walton, became renegades in their respective sport.
Eugene Edward Morris, best known as “Mercury” Morris, starred on the NFL’s only perfect season team the Miami Dolphins. They went 17 and 0, during the 1972-73 season.
There were also journeymen in sports who never reached celebrity status, but were still legends in their own right. Greats like, Roman Gabriel; Don Gullett; Vontae Davis; Larry Lucino; Andy Russell; Chet Walker; Ken Holtzman; Grayson Murray; David McCarty; Khyre Jackson; Jacoby Jones; Wally Dalenbach; Chris Simon; Jerry Grote; Vonte Kiffen; Norm Snead; and Abdul Salaam.
Then there were the athletes who became more well known for what they did after they retired from the game, such as Carl Weathers (actor), Bud Harrelson, and Jack Burke (broadcasting).
Sports deaths also included superstars who set benchmarks never again attained, in addition to losing their superstar status for criminal acts outside of their game.
O.J, Orenthal James Simpson and Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose, fell into this category of disgrace.
Careers cut short due to tragedy saw Johnny “Hockey” Gaudreau, die tragically in a car accident at the young age of 31.
The loss of so many heroes throughout the years only enhanced the memories of millions of fans as the innocence of time gone by, continue to fade slowly away.
