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Athletes who died in their prime (or before)
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:40 am
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:40 am
When I saw Jose Fernandez's death as the lead story on ESPN on Sunday, I was genuinely shocked. The first time I felt a knot in my stomach after looking at ESPN in quite some time. I was thinking how unexpected his death was and then I thought about the frequency of these kinds of deaths. Feels like it's been a while since we had someone taken so young and so suddenly.
I feel like I am missing some people, but I wanted to come up with a list of athletes who died in their primes or before they were able to get to that level. I didn't include race car drivers.
Here's are some and I am sure there are more.
Payne Stewart-1999 (42) Plane accident (actually almost the same way Bo Rein died)
Roberto Clemente-1972 (38) plane accident
Rodney Culver-1996 (26) plane accident
Thurman Munson-1979 (32) plane accident
Antonio Puerta- 2007 (22) heart attack on soccer field
Marc Vivien Foe-2002 (28) heart attack on soccer field
Sergey Grinkov-1995 (28) heart attack on ice rink
Reggie Lewis-1993 (27) heart attack on basketball court
Daryl Kile-2002 (33) heart attack
Hank Gathers- 1990 (23) heart attack during basketball game
Len Bias-1986 (22) cocaine overdose
Drazen Petrovic (28)-1993 car accident
Nick Adenhart (22)-2009 killed by drunk driver after baseball game
Malik Sealy (30)-2000 killed by drunk driver
Ernie Davis (23)-1963 Cancer
Lou Gehrig (37)-1941 ALS, although he retired it seems almost 100% that he retired because of his ALS.
Tim Richmond (34)-1989 AIDS
Sean Taylor (2007) Shot in robbery
And three plane accidents that killed multiple people.
1958 Munich Air Disaster which killed multiple Manchester United players
1970 Marshall accident that killed 30+ players
2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crash that killed the entire team and 44/45 passengers.
I feel like I am missing some people, but I wanted to come up with a list of athletes who died in their primes or before they were able to get to that level. I didn't include race car drivers.
Here's are some and I am sure there are more.
Payne Stewart-1999 (42) Plane accident (actually almost the same way Bo Rein died)
Roberto Clemente-1972 (38) plane accident
Rodney Culver-1996 (26) plane accident
Thurman Munson-1979 (32) plane accident
Antonio Puerta- 2007 (22) heart attack on soccer field
Marc Vivien Foe-2002 (28) heart attack on soccer field
Sergey Grinkov-1995 (28) heart attack on ice rink
Reggie Lewis-1993 (27) heart attack on basketball court
Daryl Kile-2002 (33) heart attack
Hank Gathers- 1990 (23) heart attack during basketball game
Len Bias-1986 (22) cocaine overdose
Drazen Petrovic (28)-1993 car accident
Nick Adenhart (22)-2009 killed by drunk driver after baseball game
Malik Sealy (30)-2000 killed by drunk driver
Ernie Davis (23)-1963 Cancer
Lou Gehrig (37)-1941 ALS, although he retired it seems almost 100% that he retired because of his ALS.
Tim Richmond (34)-1989 AIDS
Sean Taylor (2007) Shot in robbery
And three plane accidents that killed multiple people.
1958 Munich Air Disaster which killed multiple Manchester United players
1970 Marshall accident that killed 30+ players
2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crash that killed the entire team and 44/45 passengers.
35
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:44 am to Keys Open Doors
Pat Tillman 
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:45 am to Keys Open Doors
Oscar Taveras - 2014. Talented outfield prospect for St Louis, died in a car accident at age 22. Deeply saddening that he passed away so young.
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:48 am to Keys Open Doors
Chris Henry of the Bengals
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:51 am to genro
Just thought of one. Steve Prefontaine (24) in 1975.
Posted on 9/27/16 at 12:54 am to TulaneFan
quote:
Oscar Taveras - 2014. Talented outfield prospect for St Louis, died in a car accident at age 22. Deeply saddening that he passed away so young.
So we're including people who were driving intoxicated and caused harm to themselves directly, but not race car drivers?
Taveras was a great athlete and certainly left this world too young, but I find it really hard to feel bad for someone when their BAC is six times over the legal limit and they still get behind the wheel with their significant other in the passenger seat.
***Fernandez was reportedly at a bar before he died, but details aren't known, at least as far as I know, as to whether or not he had alcohol in his system.
This post was edited on 9/27/16 at 12:55 am
Posted on 9/27/16 at 1:05 am to Keys Open Doors
Joe Delaney
Posted on 9/27/16 at 1:06 am to Keys Open Doors
Bobby Phills
Posted on 9/27/16 at 1:06 am to Keys Open Doors
There was a yankees pitcher that died by running his private plane that he was flying into a building in new York. Trying to find his name
ETA: Cory Lidle
ETA: Cory Lidle
This post was edited on 9/27/16 at 1:08 am
Posted on 9/27/16 at 1:52 am to Keys Open Doors
Wally Pontiff
Posted on 9/27/16 at 2:00 am to McCaigBro69
dying with alcohol in your system makes yo ineligible for this list?
Posted on 9/27/16 at 2:06 am to Keys Open Doors
Alexei Cherepanov.
He was selected first round by the NY Rangers. Died of a heart attack on the bench in the KHL in 2008 at the age of 19.
He was selected first round by the NY Rangers. Died of a heart attack on the bench in the KHL in 2008 at the age of 19.
Posted on 9/27/16 at 2:57 am to DrVinnyBoombatz
quote:
Died of a heart attack on the bench in the KHL in 2008 at the age of 19.
Were any of those Lokomotiv players young and upcoming? God, crazy to think a plane crash killing an entire team as recently as 2011.
Posted on 9/27/16 at 4:00 am to Keys Open Doors
These 2 NASCAR drivers weren't killed in the line of duty and were 2 of the hottest in the sport at the time of their deaths.
Alan Kulwicki - airplane crash
Davey Allison - helicopter crash
Both died in 1993.
Alan Kulwicki - airplane crash
Davey Allison - helicopter crash
Both died in 1993.
This post was edited on 9/27/16 at 4:04 am
Posted on 9/27/16 at 4:10 am to DannyB
Darryl Kile - Coronary disease at age of 33
Brian Piccolo - Lung Cancer
Chuck Hughes - blood clot. Only player to die on the field during an NFL game
Bill Masterson - only player to die as a result of injury on the ice in the NHL. Players didn't wear helmets back then.
Steve Prefontaine - died in a car crash.
Brian Piccolo - Lung Cancer
Chuck Hughes - blood clot. Only player to die on the field during an NFL game
Bill Masterson - only player to die as a result of injury on the ice in the NHL. Players didn't wear helmets back then.
Steve Prefontaine - died in a car crash.
This post was edited on 9/27/16 at 4:18 am
Posted on 9/27/16 at 4:43 am to DannyB
The massacre of the Israeli atheletes in Munich
Posted on 9/27/16 at 5:01 am to tigerfan84
Mike Miley.
Posted on 9/27/16 at 5:50 am to Keys Open Doors
quote:
Payne Stewart-1999 (42) Plane accident (actually almost the same way Bo Rein died)
Love Payne but i think he was past his prime.
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