At this time each year, we look back and remember those in the sports world who died the previous year. There were over 100 notable sports figures who passed away in 2020. Space does not allow me to feature all of them, so I’d like to highlight just a few who have made an impact on my life in one way or another.     

Henri Richard, nicknamed “Pocket Rocket” after his older brother, Canadiens’ legend and fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Maurice “Rocket” Richard, he stood only 5-foot-7 and has his name on the Stanley Cup more than any other player; 11 times. He played for the Canadiens his entire career, 1955-1975. He died March 6 from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. He was 84.

I recognize Richard because as a young boy in the early 1970s, I fell in love with the Montreal Canadiens, due to the team’s great success. Richard became one of my favorite players because I, too, was shorter than my classmates, and wanted to become a hockey star. I didn’t, but I did enjoy some success as a hockey referee.

Fred “Curly” Neal, the famed member of the Harlem Globetrotters died March 26 at age 77. I first met Curly in 1978 as the team was getting off the bus for a game at St. Bonaventure University, in Olean, NY. I was a huge Globetrotters fan; well, the truth is, I still am, and to meet Curly and the rest of the team that night, was a very surreal experience for me. I had watched them so many times on television, that to me, they were stars, bigger than life.

Ultimately, my dream of becoming a Globetrotter came true in 2012-2014, when I went on two tours with the team as their P.A. Announcer.

Basketball Hall of Famer, Eddie Sutton, won over 800 games at six different schools including Kentucky and Oklahoma State. He died May 23 at age 84.

I first met Sutton when I was doing the ORU basketball broadcasts and he was coaching at OSU. Later, I got to know him a little better and have some basketball conversations with him, when he attended ORU basketball games, while his son Scott was the head coach. There isn’t anyone associated with college basketball that Coach Sutton didn’t impact.

John Blake was head football coach at Oklahoma from 1996-98 and also won two Super Bowls with Dallas as a defensive line coach in the early ’90s. He suffered a heart attack on July 23. He was 59.

I never met Blake, but I’ve been a Dallas Cowboys fan for many years, and he was with that team during some very successful years. When he was at OU, I was producing a local sports talk show, and he was always gracious to come on the air with us, whenever I requested.

A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Lou Brock stole the second-highest number of bases in MLB history. He died September 6 at age 81.

I met Brock on two occasions, which I wrote about back in September, but suffice it to say, he was a very kind, gentleman, and a pleasure to spend time with.

Jay Johnstone was a notorious and fun-loving prankster. He played 20-season in MLB, and died September 26 at age 74 from COVID-19 complications.

Early in my radio career, I had the opportunity to substitute host a sports talk show from time to time, and on one occasion in 1987, I had Johnstone on the show to talk about his newly released book, Over the Edge: Baseball’s Uncensored Exploits from Way Out in Left Field. It might have been one of the most fun, and funniest, interviews I’ve ever done.

Phil Niekro used his signature knuckleball to win 318 games over a 24-year career that included 21 with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. He died December 26 at the age of 81 after battling cancer. He was the seventh Baseball Hall of Famer to die in 2020, the highest total for the institution in its history.

I met and interviewed Niekro twice, both times after his playing days were over. The first time was when he brought the female baseball team, Silver Bullets, to Tulsa for an exhibition game in 1997. The second time I met Niekro and interviewed him was when he appeared at the Claremore Diamond Dinner in January of 2018. Both times he proved to be a great interview, with so many fascinating baseball stories; we could have talked for hours.

It’s a new year, and of course with it will come the news of more of our sports heroes who have ended their time on this Earth, but I sure hope the list is much shorter.