At this time each year, we look back and remember those in the Sports World who died the previous year. There were over 100 sports celebrities who passed away in 2018. Here is a small tribute to some of the more memorable names.
Legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson died at age 89, on Jan. 12. Jackson spent 56 years calling college football games, including 15 Rose Bowls. His final game was the 2006 Rose Bowl thriller between USC and Texas.
On Jan. 14, American racing legend Dan Gurney, 86, died from complications relating to pneumonia. He was the first driver to win in Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR.
Baseball Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey died on Jan. 13, he was 87. I met Harvey once in the umpires’ dressing room at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. As a teenage umpire, at the time, it was a thrill for me to meet Harvey along with the other three umpires on his crew; Eric Greg, Dick Stello and Gerry Davis. Another National League umpire, Dutch Rennert, who was known for his animated, booming strike calls, died on June 18, at age 88.
NBA Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics legend, Jo Jo White, 71, died of cancer on Jan. 16. I was a Celtics fan as a kid and White was my favorite player on the team. When I played basketball at Jamestown Community College, I wore No. 10; White’s number.
Oscar Gamble, an outfielder and designated hitter for 17 seasons in the majors, died at 68, on Jan. 31. Gamble spent time with 7 teams and was best known for having a huge afro during his playing days. His baseball card photos were popular because it looked like he was wearing a miniature cap on top of a big mound of hair. Ironically, in later years Gamble was practically bald. Tito Francona, former Cleveland Indians outfielder passed away on Feb. 13, at the age of 84. He was the father of Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona. Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under four minutes died at 88, on Mar. 4.
Augie Garrido, who won five College World Series titles with two schools and still ranks No. 1 on the career victories list in college baseball, died Mar. 15, at the age of 79. Anyone who covered Big 12 baseball will tell you what a great character and interview Garrido always was.
Beloved Mets and Expos icon Rusty Staub passed away Mar. 29, at age 73. A prolific hitter, Staub compiled a lifetime .279 average with 2,716 hits, 292 homers, 499 doubles over 23 seasons with Houston, Montreal, N.Y. Mets, Detroit and Texas from 1963-85. Staub was one of my favorite players and as a huge Expos fan always wanted to meet him, but it never happened. On April 14, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, Hal Greer passed away at 81 years old after a brief illness. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star and retired as the Philadelphia 76ers’ all-time leading scorer.
Longtime NFL coach Chuck Knox, 86, died on May 13, following a lengthy battle with dementia. A three-time NFL Coach of the Year, Knox won 186 games as the head coach of the L.A. Rams, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks from 1973-1994.
Red Schoendienst, the Hall of Fame second baseman who managed the St. Louis Cardinals to two pennants and a World Series championship in the 1960s, died at 95, on June 6. Schoendienst seemed ageless. I remember seeing him in uniform and on the field prior to Cardinals home games, even into his 90s.
Chicago Blackhawks center and long-time captain Stan Mikita died on Aug. 7 at 78. Mikita became the first player to have his jersey retired by the Blackhawks in 1980. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame three years later. I remember Mikita bringing his all-star team of retired players to Tulsa for an exhibition game in the early 1990s.
George Taliaferro, the first African-American to be drafted by an NFL team, died Oct. 8 at 91. The Chicago Bears picked him in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL draft, and Taliaferro played from 1949-55 with franchises in both the old NFL, and the All-America Football Conference.
On Oct. 31, Willie McCovey, the Baseball Hall of Famer nicknamed “Stretch” for his 6-foot-4 height and long arms, died at age 80.