Sports obituaries

[sox83cubs84]

Dan Walters, a catcher who played for the Padres in parts of 1992 and 1993, died on 4/22 at age 53.

Dave Miedema

[Steve D]

Dan Walters, a catcher who played for the Padres in parts of 1992 and 1993, died on 4/22 at age 53.

Dave Miedema

Dan Walters' story is a sad one.



[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]San Diego, CA – Retired San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Officer Dan Walters died in the line of duty on Thursday April 23, 2020, due to complications associated with being shot in the neck and hit by a car in 2003.[/COLOR]
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Officer Walters had been on the force for five years when he and his partner responded to help a fellow officer with a traffic stop at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2003, KGTV reported. They later learned that the officer they went to assist had interrupted a domestic disturbance in progress, and that the suspect had opened fire on him, hitting him in his handcuffs. At the time, all Officer Walters saw when he arrived at the scene was a terrified colleague scrambling for cover, he told The San Diego Union-Tribune in a 2013 interview.

“As we rolled up, I saw this officer on his hands and knees, desperately crawling for cover with this frightened look on his face and with his gun drawn,” he recalled. “I immediately thought, ‘Oh, s--t!’ and jumped out of the car.”[/COLOR]
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He ran to the frantic officer just as the suspect closed in on him. “Here’s this gunman coming directly at me from about 12 to 15 feet with a gun pointed directly at my face,” Officer Walters told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “He didn’t shoot immediately. He kept advancing and stopped at about arm’s length.” Officer Walters essentially had no time to react. “In that moment, I decided I wasn’t going to let him just stand there and shoot me in the face, so I lunged for the gun, missed, then grabbed him, attempting to get him to the ground and wait for help,” he recalled. “He put the gun to the back of my neck and fired.”[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]
As he collapsed onto the ground in the middle of 43rd Street, Officer Walters believed that he was going to die. “I felt nothing,” he said. “I was looking straight up and I again thought: ‘I can’t believe I’m dead.’ Then, it all went black.”[/COLOR]
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As Officer Walters fell unconscious, his partner opened fire on the shooter, killing him. Just then, a motorist passed by and inadvertently struck the wounded officer as he was lying in the middle of the roadway. “They found me with my feet sticking out from under the car,” Officer Walters told The San Diego Tribune. Two of his cervical vertebrae were crushed, among other injuries.

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]He regained consciousness just as additional officers and medical personnel arrived at the scene, and immediately realized that he couldn’t get his body to move. “I remember them putting me in the ambulance, and I thinking if I can survive this, do I want to live being paralyzed?” Officer Walters told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I was breathing OK, but I couldn’t feel anything below my neck. I couldn’t move a muscle."

Officer Walters, who was just 37 years old at the time of the attack, never regained use of his legs or his right arm. He had only minor use of his left arm and hand. Despite the severity of his injuries, Officer Walters said he still would have run to his fellow officer’s aid if he had it all to do over again. “I certainly don’t regret being at the scene that night,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Perhaps people were saved because I happened to be there.”[/COLOR]
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Prior to his career in law enforcement, Officer Walters had a 13-year baseball career as a catcher. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1984, and was later traded to the San Diego Padres in 1989. His baseball career ended in 1996 after suffering a spinal injury in spring training.

He underwent successful spinal surgery and embarked on his goal of becoming a police officer. Dr. Steve Albrecht said he first met Officer Walters in 1996 when they worked out together in El Cajon. “I loved him dearly,” Albrecht said. “He came on the PD with two steel rods in his spine from his baseball injury. He chose to start a tough job that causes most people to retire. It’s so sad and ironic that he made his living with his body, as a pro ball player and a cop, to then get paralyzed.”

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]Officer Walters, 53, lived in constant physical and emotional pain over the course of the 16-plus years since the shooting. “He lived through so many serious infections, had to take so many medications…” Albrecht told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I know that he is no longer in pain.”

Although he would never admit it, Officer Walters was “a hell of a motivational speaker,” Albrecht added.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]“His best friend on the PD was Chris Wilson, who was killed on duty in 2010,” he said. “He spoke at Chris’ funeral and you could have heard a pin drop.”

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]Officer Walters never married and had no children, The San Diego-Union Tribune reported.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.72)]His parents have passed away. Officer Walters is survived by his sister, Trisha Turner.

On a personal note, Dan Walters and I both went to the same high school, Santana High, in Santee, CA. I graduated in 1980, and Dan graduated in 1984.

Steve[/COLOR]

[Steve D]

Here's Officer Dan Walters' picture with the SDPD.

[Steve D]

Dan Walters, a catcher who played for the Padres in parts of 1992 and 1993, died on 4/22 at age 53.

Dave Miedema

OK, I don't know what happened above, so let's try it again.

Dan Walters' story is a sad one.

Retired San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Officer Dan Walters died in the line of duty on Thursday April 23, 2020, due to complications associated with being shot in the neck and hit by a car in 2003.


Officer Walters had been on the force for five years when he and his partner responded to help a fellow officer with a traffic stop at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2003. They later learned that the officer they went to assist had interrupted a domestic disturbance in progress, and that the suspect had opened fire on him, hitting him in his handcuffs. At the time, all Officer Walters saw when he arrived at the scene was a terrified colleague scrambling for cover, he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in a 2013 interview.

“As we rolled up, I saw this officer on his hands and knees, desperately crawling for cover with this frightened look on his face and with his gun drawn,” he recalled. “I immediately thought, ‘Oh, s--t!’ and jumped out of the car.”

He ran to the frantic officer just as the suspect closed in on him. “Here’s this gunman coming directly at me from about 12 to 15 feet with a gun pointed directly at my face,” Officer Walters told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “He didn’t shoot immediately. He kept advancing and stopped at about arm’s length.” Officer Walters essentially had no time to react. “In that moment, I decided I wasn’t going to let him just stand there and shoot me in the face, so I lunged for the gun, missed, then grabbed him, attempting to get him to the ground and wait for help,” he recalled. “He put the gun to the back of my neck and fired.”

As he collapsed onto the ground in the middle of 43rd Street, Officer Walters believed that he was going to die. “I felt nothing,” he said. “I was looking straight up and I again thought: ‘I can’t believe I’m dead.’ Then, it all went black.”

As Officer Walters fell unconscious, his partner opened fire on the shooter, killing him. Just then, a motorist passed by and inadvertently struck the wounded officer as he was lying in the middle of the roadway. “They found me with my feet sticking out from under the car,” Officer Walters told The San Diego Tribune. Two of his cervical vertebrae were crushed, among other injuries.

He regained consciousness just as additional officers and medical personnel arrived at the scene, and immediately realized that he couldn’t get his body to move. “I remember them putting me in the ambulance, and I thinking if I can survive this, do I want to live being paralyzed?” Officer Walters told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I was breathing OK, but I couldn’t feel anything below my neck. I couldn’t move a muscle."

Officer Walters, who was just 37 years old at the time of the attack, never regained use of his legs or his right arm. He had only minor use of his left arm and hand. Despite the severity of his injuries, Officer Walters said he still would have run to his fellow officer’s aid if he had it all to do over again. “I certainly don’t regret being at the scene that night,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Perhaps people were saved because I happened to be there.”

Prior to his career in law enforcement, Officer Walters had a 13-year baseball career as a catcher. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1984, and was later traded to the San Diego Padres in 1989. His baseball career ended in 1996 after suffering a spinal injury in spring training.

He underwent successful spinal surgery and embarked on his goal of becoming a police officer. Dr. Steve Albrecht said he first met Officer Walters in 1996 when they worked out together in El Cajon. “I loved him dearly,” Albrecht said. “He came on the PD with two steel rods in his spine from his baseball injury. He chose to start a tough job that causes most people to retire. It’s so sad and ironic that he made his living with his body, as a pro ball player and a cop, to then get paralyzed.”

Officer Walters, 53, lived in constant physical and emotional pain over the course of the 16-plus years since the shooting. “He lived through so many serious infections, had to take so many medications…” Albrecht told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I know that he is no longer in pain.”

Although he would never admit it, Officer Walters was “a hell of a motivational speaker,” Albrecht added.

“His best friend on the PD was Chris Wilson, who was killed on duty in 2010,” he said. “He spoke at Chris’ funeral and you could have heard a pin drop.”

Officer Walters never married and had no children, The San Diego-Union Tribune reported.
His parents have passed away. Officer Walters is survived by his sister, Trisha Turner.

On a personal note, Dan Walters and I both went to the same high school, Santana High, in Santee, CA. I graduated in 1980, and Dan graduated in 1984.

Steve

[sox83cubs84]

Bob Watson, a quality 1B and corner OF from 1966-84, and who went on to success in both team and league front offices, died 5/14 at 74.

After very brief call-ups in 1966 and '67, Watson was up to stay in 1968 with the Astros, remaining one of their key ballplayers through 1979, when he split the season between Houston and Boston. Joining the Yankees in 1980. he remained in the Bronx until early 1982, when he was dealt to the Braves, finishing his career with them in 1984.

Two oddball trivia facts about Watson:

1) He was credited with scoring MLB all-time one millionth run, and

2) He made a cameo appearance in full uniform during a scene at the Astrodome in "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.:

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Hall of Famer Don Shula, a coach who won 2 Super Bowls, died on 5/4 at age 90.

His head coaching career began with the pre-merger Baltimore Colts from 1963-69. The following season he took over the head coaching slot for the Miami Dolphins, and continued in that position through 1995.

Prior to coaching, Shula was a DB in the NFL for the Browns (1951-52), the Colts (1953-56) and the Redskins (1957)

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Ken Retzer, a catcher who spent 4 season with the expansion Washington Senators, mostly as a back-up, died on 5/18 at age 76.

Retzer was also traded to the Twins in time for the 1965 season, but never played an MLB game for them.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Mike Stratton, an offensive end from 1959-61 who went on to a great career in the NFL as a linebacker, died on 3/25 at age 78. Cause of death was heart complications after a fall.

Stratton played 12 seasons in the AFL and AFC, with all but the last wearing the uniform of the Buffalo Bills. In his final year (1973) he was with the Chargers.

In his pro career, Stratton won 2 AFL titles and played in 6 AFL All-Star Games.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Pat "Whitey" Stapleton, a longtime fixture on defense, died 4/8 at age 79 due to a stroke.

Stapleton was a main cog in Coach Billy Reay's Blackhawks defense for 8 seasons. He left the Blackhawks to spend 2 season playing for the WHA Chicago Cougars (actually a player-coach in one of them.) After the Cougars folded, he stayed in the WHA, joining the Indianapolis Racers forr 2 seasons before finishing up with the Cincinnati Stingers in 1977-78.

Before he joined Chicago's NHL team, Stapleton got his first taste of the NHL, playing for the Bruins for 2 seasons. Spending some time in 1962-63 in the minors, as well, Stapleton spent the next 2 full seasons down on the farm. In 1965, he was dealt to Toronto, but went to Chicago the next day. After 14 games with the minor league squad in St. Louis (the Blues didn't exist in the NHL yet), he was promoted to Chicago, and never looked back.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Rich Hacker, a SS for 18 games with the 1971 Expos, died on 4/22 at age 72.

Dave Miedema