It’s time to take a look back at some of the sports figures who died in 2025.

Bill McCartney, the former University of Colorado football coach (1982-1994), died on Jan. 10 at age 84. McCartney was one of the men who founded the Promise Keepers organization in the 1990s.

Former Seattle SuperSonics star Gus Williams died on Jan. 15. He led Seattle to the NBA Championship in 1979 and was named to the NBA All-Star team in 1982 and 1983. Williams was 71.

One of the most entertaining broadcasters in Major League Baseball, Bob Uecker, died on Jan. 16 at the age of 90. Following a career as a backup catcher in the majors, Uecker turned to acting and broadcasting. He was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers broadcast team from 1971 to 2024. Many years ago, I interviewed Uecker in the Brewers clubhouse in Texas. He said he wouldn’t do the interview unless I wanted to talk about the Brewers. He didn’t want to do a “fluff” interview. I stuck to baseball questions, and he was more than affable. Following the interview, he complimented me. What an honor.

Another former MLB catcher, Jeff Torborg, died on Jan. 19. Torborg won the World Series with the LA Dodgers in 1965 and later was named American League Manager of the Year in 1990 with the Chicago White Sox. He died from Parkinson’s disease at 83.

Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent died on Feb. 1. He was 86.

Dick Jauron, Former NFL (Chicago Bears 1999-2003, AP Coach of the Year 2001; Buffalo Bills 2006-09) and College Football HOF safety (Yale), died Feb. 8 from cancer at 74.

Junior Bridgeman, former NBA player with the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers. He was also a very successful and businessman with a net worth of over $1.4 billion. Bridgman died on Mar. 11 at 71.

On Mar. 12, former Arkansas and NBA star Oliver Miller died following a battle with brain cancer. He was 54. The NBA big man, known for his size and feisty play in the 1990s and early 2000s, had a colorful personality and rebounding prowess that made him a standout character in the NBA.

American boxing legend, broadcaster, and successful entrepreneur, George Foreman, died on Mar. 21 at 76. Foreman was the world heavyweight champion 1973-74, 1994-95 and won an Olympic gold medal as a Heavyweight 1968. I had the opportunity to meet and interview Foreman at a boxing match here in Tulsa many years ago. He was such a friendly guy and very approachable.

On April 8, Octavio Dotel, Dominican former MLB baseball pitcher (Houston Astros and 12 other teams), died from injuries sustained in a nightclub roof collapse. He was 51.

J. C. Snead, who won 8 PGA Tour titles and was the runner-up at the 1973 Masters, died at 84, on April 26.

On May 8, former Chicago White Sox outfielder Chet Lemon died of Polycythemia vera at 70. Lemon was named to the MLB All-Star team in 1978, 1979, and 1984. He won the World Series in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers.

Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts from 1997-2025, died on May 21 from a respiratory illness at 65.

D. Wayne Lukas, thoroughbred racehorse trainer, died on June 28. He trained horses that won the Kentucky Derby four times, 1988, 1995, 1996, and 1999. He also earned 20 Breeders’ Cup race victories. He was 89.

Also on June 28, the sports world lost Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Parker. He was a seven-time MLB All-Star; NL MVP in 1978; and won the World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and again in 1989 with the Oakland A’s. Parker died of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 74.

Former MLB pitcher Bobby Jenks died of stomach cancer on July 4 at age 44. Jenks won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and was named to the American League All-Star team in 2006 and 2007. He also spent time with the Boston Red Sox.

Pro Wrestling’s most recognizable figure, Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea), died on July 24. Hogan parlayed his success in the ring to a career as an actor and media personality, and he became one of the most iconic figures in the sport’s history. A six-time WWF Champion and leader of the New World Order in WCW, he helped propel wrestling into mainstream pop culture in the 1980s and 1990s. Hogan’s “Hulkamania” persona, and numerous roles in film and television made him a global star. He died at age 71 from cardiac arrest.

I once saw Hogan in an airport somewhere. I was sitting at a gate waiting for my flight as he walked by. The funny thing was, we could hear the crowd of kids who were following him, yelling his name, long before we saw Hogan come around the corner.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg died on July 28. Sandberg was named to the All-Star team ten times. He won the NL MVP award in 1984 and won nine Gold Glove Awards, while spending the bulk of his career with the Chicago Cubs. He was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies for a brief time (2013-15). Sandberg died of prostate cancer at 65.

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker and a member of the Football Hall of Fame, Lee Roy Jordan, died on Aug. 30. He was 84.

On Sept. 5, former MLB player and manager Davey Johnson died at 82. As a player, Johnson won World Series titles in 1966 and 1970 with the Baltimore Orioles. As a manager, he led the New York Mets to a World Series win in 1986.

Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden died on Sept. 5. Dryden was named one of the all-time great goaltenders to ever play in the NHL, winning the Vezina Trophy five times in his career. He led the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cup Championships. Dryden died of cancer at 78.

Dryden was the first of three hockey Hall of Fame goaltenders to die in September. Former player and broadcaster, Eddie Giacomin died on Sept. 14 at 86, and Bernie Parent died on Sept. 21 at 80.

On Oct. 9, former MLB All-Star outfielder Mike Greenwell, died of medullary thyroid cancer. He was 62.

Former NFL Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold died on Oct. 25. The former New York Jets player died from kidney disease at 41.

Bob Trumpy was a pro football tight end (First-team All-AFL 1969; Pro Bowl 1970, 73; AFL All-Star 1968, 69; Cincinnati Bengals) and sports broadcaster (NBC). He died on Nov. 2 at 80.

Nine-time NBA All-Star, Lenny Wilkens died on Nov. 9. Wilkens was a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and was named to the NBA All-Star team nine teams. Following his playing days, Wilkens became a head coach in the NBA, leading the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979. He was 88.

Former NFL commissioner (1989-2006), Paul Tagliabue, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on Nov. 9 at 84.

Former pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, who won the 1981 Masters and the 1984 U.S. Open, died on Nov. 26. He was 74.

On Dec 18, NASCAR driver Greg Biffle died in a private plane crash, along with his wife and two children. He was 55 years old.

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