Sports obituaries

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Carroll Hardy, who played in both MLB and the NFL, died on 8/9 at age 87.

Hardy played in the Bigs from 1958-64 with the Indians, Red Sox and Colt .45s. He also participated in 11 games for the 1967 Twins.

Before he made it to The Show, he appeared in 10 games as a RB for the 1955 49ers.

Hardy also has a one-of-a-kind status in MLB, as he was, and will remain, the only player in MLB annals ever to pinch-hit for Ted Williams.

Dave Miedema

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Tootie Robbins, an OT who played in the NFL for 12 seasons, died on 8/2 at age 62.

Robbins' pro career began in 1982 and lasted until 1993. Except for his last 2 seasons, in which he performed for the Packers, his career was in the uniform of the Cardinals (both St. Louis and Phoenix).

Dave Miedema

Unintentionally omitted from initial post: cause of death was COVID19.

Dave

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Dale Hawerchuk, a 16-year center in the NHL, a Hall of Famer, and a member of the NHL's 500-goal club, died on 8/18 at age 57 after a long battle with cancer.

Awarded the Calder Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year) for the 1981-82 season, Hawerchuk spent the majority of his career with Winnipeg and Buffalo, along with brief stops in St. Louis and in Philadelphia in his last 2 seasons. His career goals total was 518.

Dave Miedema

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Howie Judson, a RHP who toed MLB mounds from 1948-54, died on 8/18 at age 94.

Working both as a starter and a reliever over his MLB career, Judson came up to The Show in 1948 with the White Sox, hurling for them from '48-'52. He then pitched for the Reds in 1953-54.

Dave Miedema

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Angel (Remy) Hermoso, a utility IF with brief stops in The Show for 3 different teams, died on 8/21 at age 73.

Hermoso's MLB career began with the Braves in 1967, for whom he became the first Venezuelan ballplayer in franchise history. He was with the Expos in both 1969 and 1970, After several season out of the Majors, he returned for his final season in MLB with the 1974 Indians.

Dave Miedema



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Lute Olsen, the head coach for men's basketball at the University of Arizona, died on 8/27 at age 85.

Olsen spent 25 seasons at Arizona, with his team winning the whole ball of wax in 1997, and coaching the Wildcats to 23 straight appearances in March Madness. He also took 5 more trips to the Big Dance at the helm for Iowa and Long Beach State, with one of those trips ending up with the Hawkeyes in the Final Four.

Enshrined in both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Collegiate Basketball HOF, Olsen retired with 776 career coaching wins.

Dave Miedema

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Clifford Robinson, an 18-year NBA veteran who played center and both forward positions, died on 8/29 at age 53, after a year-long battle with lymphoma.

Beginning his NBA career with Portland back in the 1989-90 season, he also spent time with Phoenix, Detroit, Golden State and New Jersey. He was an All-Star in 1994, and won the Sixth Man of the Year award for the 19922-93 season.

Dave Miedema

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John Thompson, longtime basketball coach for the NCAA Georgetown Hoyas, died on 8/30, 3 days before his 79th birthday.

Thompson took Georgetown to the NCAA basketball championship in 1984, the first African-American basketball head coach to win it all. He also lead the Hoyas to three Final Fours.

Dave Miedema

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Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played Jackie Robinson in "42", died on 8/28 after a 4-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43.

Boseman also played the role of the Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Hall of Fame pitcher and Mets legend Tom Seaver died at age 75 on 8/31, the result of a form of body dementia and also implications from COVID19.

His list of career accomplishments is long and detailed:

1967 NL Rookie of the Year
3 Cy Young Awards
3 NL ERA titles
12x NL All-Star
Ace of 1969 World Champion Mets

Seaver came within one out of throwing a perfect game against the Cubs at Shea Stadium in 1969. It was broken up by Cubs PH Jim Qualls.

His arrival with the Red Sox came during the 1986 season after a trade with the White Sox, where Boston sent Steve Lyons to the Pale Hose in exchange for Seaver. One clever sportswriter termed the swap as "Cy Young for Psy-cho".

Career totals:

W-L record: 311-205
ERA 2.86
IP 4,783
SO 3,640

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Hall of Famer Lou Brock passed away today (9/6) at age 81.

Brock was among the best base stealers in MLB history. Acquired from the Cubs during the 1964 season for Ernie Broglio, Brock joined the Cardinals and helped them to a World Series championship in 1964. He did so again in 1967, and went to the Fall Classic with them in 1968, where St. Louis was beaten by the Tigers in 7 games.

Brock ended his career with 3,023 hits and 938 SB.

Dave Miedema

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Larry Wilson, a DB who spent his entire Hall of Fame career with the St. Louis Cardinals, passed away on 9/17 at age 82.

Among his many accomplishments were going to 8 Pro Bowls, being named to 5 All-Pro teams, and being named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1966.

He coached the Cardinals for 3 games in 1979, going 2-1, and then moved to the front office, where he was Director of Pro Personnel from 1980-87, and then took the role of VP/GM from 1988-93.

Dave Miedema

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Gale Sayers, a HoF RB who played his entire NFL career with the Chicago Bears, died after a long battle with dementia on 9/23. He was 77

Drafted after a stellar career at the University of Kansas, Sayers starred for the Bears from 1965-71, although he was disabled by knee injuries in three of those seasons. He led the NFL in rushing yards twice: 1966 (1,231) and 1969 (1,032). He was also valuable in returning kicks.

Named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1965, he was part of 4 Pro Bowl teams and was named to 5 All-Pro squads. He was inducted into the Pro Football HOF in 1977, the youngest inductee ever.

He also was named to the 1960s All-NFL team and tied a record by scoring 6 TDs in a game.

Dave Miedema

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Jim Owens, a RHP who played for 3 NL teams from 1955-67, died on 9/8 at age 86.

His MLB career began with the Phillies, for whom he took the mound for the first 7 years of his career. The last four years in MLB as a pitcher came with Houston. Between those two multi-season stints was one with the Reds (11963)

His best season was in 1959 with the Phillies. Making 30 starts (and 1 bullpen appearance), he went 12-12 with a 3.21 ERA and 11 CG.

Dave Miedema

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Paul Pettit, a LHP who was the first player to receive a $100,000 bonus for signing with an MLB team, died on 9/24 at age 88.

Pettit has brief stints with the Pirates in 11951 and 1953.

Dave Miedema