Notable deaths of 2007: Sports

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Notable deaths of 2007: Sports

Notable deaths of 2007: Sports

Jim Beauchamp, 68: Former Braves player and coach died Dec. 25 after a long battle with leukemia. Beauchamp, shown working with Chipper Jones at spring training, was bench coach for the Braves from 1991-98. He most recently served as supervisor for minor league field operations.

Max McGee, 75: Green Bay Packers' Max McGee (85) makes a juggling touchdown catch during Super Bowl I, a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on January 15, 1967, at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. McGee died October 20.

Darryl Stingley, 55: The wide receiver runs with the ball during a football game against the Atlanta Falcons in 1977, in Atlanta. Stingley, who was paralyzed by a hit in a 1978 exhibition game, died April 5 in Chicago.

George Morris, 76: An All-America linebacker on Georgia Tech's 1952 national championship team and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, had died unexpectedly on December 10. He was an SEC football official for 30 years, from 1960 to 1989. At the time of his death, Morris was president of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation.

Sean Taylor, 24: Washington Redskins football player died Nov. 27 from injuries sustained when he was shot in the leg in his Miami home. Taylor, an All-American at the University of Miami, was a first-round draft selection, taken by the Redskins with the fifth overall selection.

Ryan Shay, 28: Elite marathoner died during the U.S. men's Olympic marathon trials on Nov. 3 in New York. Cause of death has yet to be determined.

Al Oerter, 71: The discus great who won gold medals in four straight Olympics to become one of track and field's biggest stars in the 1950s and '60s, died Oct. 2 of heart failure at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home.

Phil Rizzuto, 89: Popular as a player and beloved as a broadcaster, the New York Yankees shortstop during their dynasty years of the 1940s and 1950s died Aug. 15 of pneumonia at a nursing home in West Orange, N.J.,

Bill Walsh, 75: Groundbreaking San Francisco 49ers coach won three Super Bowls and perfected the ingenious schemes that became known as the West Coast offense during a Hall of Fame career died July 30 at his California home after a three-year struggle with leukemia.

Skip Prosser, 56: Wake Forest head basketball coach is only coach in NCAA Tournament history to lead three different schools to the tournament in his first season at the school. Prosser died in his office July 26 after an apparent heart attack

Rod Beck, 38: One of baseball's best relief pitchers throughout his 13-year career earned 286 career saves. Beck was found dead in his Phoenix home June 25.

Mike Coolbaugh, 35: Mourners enter the sanctuary at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in San Antonio on July 30 for the funeral of former professional baseball player and coach Mike Coolbaugh. Coolbaugh was killed July 22 when he was hit in the head by a line drive while coaching for the minor league Tulsa Drillers. On Nov. 8 Major League Baseball general managers decided that base coaches will wear helmets starting in the 2008 season.

Bill France Jr., 74: Transformed NASCAR from a small Southern sport into a billion-dollar conglomerate during his 31 years as chairman. France died June 4 at his Daytona Beach home after battling health issues for decades.

Clete Boyer, 70: Former third baseman (center, in gray uniform), who played for the Braves from 1967-71, died June 4 in Atlanta from complications of a brain hemorrhage. Boyer also played for the New York Yankees (1959-66). Boyer is the first professional athlete to be interred in an MLB-branded urn. His family had his cremated remains placed in a New York Yankees urn.

Chris Benoit, 40: Pro wrestler strangled his wife, Nancy, 43, suffocated his son, Daniel, 7, and hanged himself, authorities said after finding their bodies June 24 in the couple's Fayetteville home.

David Halberstam, 73: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, who chronicled the world of sports, Vietnam War and American history, was killed in a car crash April 23 in California.

Eddie Robinson, 88: In 55 seasons at Grambling State University in Louisiana, Robinson became the first college football coach to win more than 400 football games, more than any other college coach in history. He died April 3 in Ruston, La.

Bowie Kuhn, 80: Former baseball commissioner presents Atlanta Braves slugger Henry Aaron with a trophy after he tied Babe Ruth's all-time home run record April 4, 1974. Kuhn, who lorded over baseball during 15 tumultuous years (1969-84) that saw players gain free agency and start the spiral of multimillion salaries, died March 15.

Dennis Johnson: 52: A five-time NBA All-Star and integral part of the Boston Celtics' 1984 and 1986 championship teams, "DJ" died Feb. 22 collapsing after coaching Boston's NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros, in practice in Austin, Texas.

Lew Burdette, 80: Former Milwaukee Braves pitcher winks at the crowd during induction into the Braves Hall of Fame. Burdette, MVP of the '57 World Series, died Feb. 6 of lung cancer in Florida. His totals of wins, games and innings with the Braves ranked behind only Warren Spahn and Kid Nichols in franchise history.

Jockey Edgar Prado rides Barbaro to victory in the 132nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, May 6, 2006, in Louisville, Ky. Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Jan. 29 after complications from his gruesome breakdown at the 2006 Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that prompted an outpouring of support across the country.

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Jim Beauchamp, 68: Former Braves player and coach died Dec. 25 after a long battle with leukemia. Beauchamp, shown working with Chipper Jones at spring training, was bench coach for the Braves from 1991-98. He most recently served as supervisor for minor league field operations.

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