Sports obituaries

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Ralph Backstrom, a center who played for 6 Stanley Cup Champion teams while a member of the Montreal Canadiens, died on 2/7 at age 83. Cause of death has not been announced.

Ralph first played for Montreal during the 1956-57 season, and became a regular as of the 1958-59 NHL campaign. He continued with Montreal through the midst of the 1970-71 season, when he was dealt to the Kings. He was part of the Los Angeles until late in1972-73, when he was dealt to the Blackhawks and played there for 16 games.

In 1973-74, he still played with Chicago...but for the WHA Cougars, where he also played in 1974-75. The 1975-76 season found him with the WHA Denver Spurs, and was sent to the New England Whalers (also WHA) in mid-season, ending his pro career there the following season.

He led or was tied for the league lead in games played 4 times (3 NHL, 1 WHA).

Dave Miedema

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Wayne Terwilliger, a 2B whose career spanned the 1949-60 seasons in The Show, died on 2/3 at age 95.

Terwilliger first appeared in MLB with the Cubs in 1949. He stayed with them through mid-1951, and then was dealt to Brooklyn.

After military service, he returned to the majors for 4 years, splitting the 1953-56 seasons between the Senators (2 seasons) and the Giants (also 2 seasons). His final two active playing seasons in the Majors were with the Kansas City A's (1959-60).

After retiring, he was a major league coach for both the Senators/Rangers and the Twins, and later was the manager for the Independent minor league St. Paul Saints.

Dave Miedema

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Dick Smith, who played 3B, SS, and 2B in brief tours of duty with the Pirates from 1951-55, died on 1/25 at age 94.

Dave Miedema

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Hank Aaron, MLB's all-time HR king for over 30 years and still the true HR king in the eyes of many, died on 1/22 at age 86.

Playing for the Braves in both Milwaukee and Atlanta for 21 years (1954-74) and then heading back to Milwaukee to wind down his career with the Brewers (1975-76), "Hammerin' Hank" clobbered 755 HR in his MLB career. He led the NL in hits twice, and led in both home runs and RBI on 4 different occasions and won 2 NL batting titles. His 2,297 RBI is still #1 on the all-time MLB list.

Aaron also won 3 Gold Gloves, an NL MVP award (1957) and is the only man in MLB annals to be a member of an All-Star Game team 25 times. Keep in mind that from 1959-1962, there were 2 All-Star Games each season.

He is known for wearing uniform #44 for nearly his entire career, the only exception being his rookie season of 1954, when he wore #5.

Dave Miedema

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office has declared that Aaron did NOT die due to COVID19, but from natural causes.

Dave M.

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Paul Foytack, a RHP who was a quality member of the Detroit Tigers' starting rotation for several years, died on 1/23 at age 90.

After a short beginning with the Tigers in early 1953, he returned to The Show for keeps in 1955, and remained with Detroit until early in the 1963 season, where he was dealt to the Angels, retiring after being released in April of the1964 season. From 1956-62, Foytack posted a double-digit number of wins 6 times over that 7-year span.

Dave Miedema

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Ron Johnson, who had three short stints in MLB, died on 1/26 at age 64.

A multi-position player (C/1B/RF), Johnson was briefly with the Royals in 1982-83 and the Expos in 1984.

Dave Miedema

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Ron Samford, a SS-2B who played for 3 different teams in the 1950s, died 1/14 at age 90.

Samford was part of the 1954 World Series winning New York Giants, although he didn't make the Series roster. He played in 1 game for the Tigers in 1955, and spent more time with them in 1957, before ending his MLB career with the Senators in 1959

Dave Miedema

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Mike Sadek, who spent his entire MLB career of 8 seasons as the backup catcher for the Giants, died on 1/20 at age 74.

Sadek caught for San Francisco in 1973 and also 1975-81.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Ted Thompson, a LB for 10 years with the Houston Oilers, and later an NFL executive for 13 years, died on 1/22 at age 68.

Thompson spent 1975-84 on the Oilers' roster, and in addition to playing linebacker, he also had a very brief stint with the team in 180 where he acted as a kicker, going 4-for-4 in extra point attempts.

After that, he spent 13 seasons in the Packers' front office as VP/GM/Director of Football Operations, and was part of a Super Bowl winner in that time.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Hank Aaron, MLB's all-time HR king for over 30 years and still the true HR king in the eyes of many, died on 1/22 at age 86.

Playing for the Braves in both Milwaukee and Atlanta for 21 years (1954-74) and then heading back to Milwaukee to wind down his career with the Brewers (1975-76), "Hammerin' Hank" clobbered 755 HR in his MLB career. He led the NL in hits twice, and led in both home runs and RBI on 4 different occasions and won 2 NL batting titles. His 2,297 RBI is still #1 on the all-time MLB list.

Aaron also won 3 Gold Gloves, an NL MVP award (1957) and is the only man in MLB annals to be a member of an All-Star Game team 25 times. Keep in mind that from 1959-1962, there were 2 All-Star Games each season.

He is known for wearing uniform #44 for nearly his entire career, the only exception being his rookie season of 1954, when he wore #5.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Hall of Famer Don Sutton, a teammate of both Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale on the 1966 NL champion Dodgers, died at age 75 on 1/19.

Sutton finished his career with 324 wins, 3,574 strikeouts with a 3.24 ERA. He was named to 4 All-Star teams and won the NL ERA title in 1980 (2.20).

He is best remembered as a Dodgers, opening his MLB career there (1966-80) and also ending it in Dodger blue (1988). He pitched for the Astros in 181 and most of 1982 before being acquired by the Brewers for the 1982 stretch run. Sutton also threw for Milwaukee in 1983-84. Most of his 1985 season was with the Athletics, although he again was a pennant race acquisition, joining the Angels late in the season and staying there for the 1986 and 1987 campaigns.

Dave Miedema

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Ben Jordan, a king sized RHP for the University of Kentucky,, died on 1/11 at age 22.

Jordan took the mound for the Wildcats in 10 games in 2019.

Dave Miedema

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Don Leppert, a 2B who played for the Orioles in 40 games during the 1955 season, died on 1/5 at age 90.

Dave Miedema

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Tom Acker, a tall RHP who took the mound for Cincinnati from 1956-59, died at age 90 on 1/4.

Acker finished his rookie year with a sparkling 2.37 ERA. The following year, his W-L ledger was 10-5

Dave Miedema

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Pedro Gonzalez, a utility player for 5 years in the American League, died on 1/10 at age 83.

Playing in The Show from 1963-67, Gonzalez spent 1963-64 with the Yankees, split 1965 between the Yankees and the Indians, staying with the Tribe through 1967.

Dave Miedema