The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks pay tribute to NBA legend Jerry West before Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 2024. West died at 86. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
While 2024 was an incredible year in sports, it was also one that saw the losses of so many legends — some beloved, some polarizing, but all undoubtedly made their marks on sports history. Before we look ahead to 2025, let’s remember those we lost in 2024.
Jan. 7: Franz Beckenbauer
The German soccer legend known as “Der Kaiser” is one of three people to win the World Cup as a player and manager. Beckenbauer won the Ballon d’Or twice and was named Germany’s Footballer of the Century in 2000. At the club level, he won four Bundesliga titles, three European Cups, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup with Bayern Munich, and later added another Bundesliga title with Hamburg. He would join the New York Cosmos in 1977 to play with Pelé, who described Beckenbauer as “one of the best I ever saw play.”
Jan. 11: Bud Harrelson
Harrelson died after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s. He played for three teams during his 15-year MLB team, most notably with the New York Mets, where he was a two-time All-Star and was part of the 1969 World Series winning “Miracle Mets.” He was involved in one of the most memorable playoff moments when he fought Pete Rose at second base during the 1973 NLCS. After retiring as a player, Harrelson became a coach and was on Davey Johnson’s staff when the Mets won their second World Series in 1986.
Jan. 16: Don Catlin
The modern field of anti-doping was built on Catlin’s research. The founder of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, the United States’ first anti-doping lab, devoted his career to finding ways to detect substances that were previously slipping past the authorities. That included the carbon isotope ratio to determine if an anabolic steroid was produced naturally or from banned substances and the identification of the active ingredient in “The Clear,” which was used by Barry Bonds and others.
The Warriors were rocked by the sudden loss of Milojević, who died of a heart attack at a team dinner. Milojević had worked as an assistant coach for Golden State since 2021, winning a ring in 2022 and becoming a popular figure among players. Before the Warriors, the Serbian enjoyed a successful career as both a player and coach in Europe, winning three straight MVP awards in Eastern Europe’s ABA League and three trophies as a coach in Serbia and Montenegro.
The Golden State Warriors honor assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who was just 46 years old, during a ceremony before their game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 24 at Chase Center. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Weathers was a great athlete in real life and an even better one in fiction. Many movie fans might not know the man who became Apollo Creed was originally a football player, playing at San Diego State for two undefeated seasons and spending another two seasons with the Oakland Raiders under legendary coach John Madden. It was Madden who helped convince Weathers to pursue acting full time after seeing his player star in Shakespeare’s “Othello.” It wound up being a good move.
The world record for the marathon still belongs to the late Kelvin Kiptum, who became the first man to break the 2:01:00 mark when he blew away the field at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. There is no way to calculate what the long-distance running world lost when the 24-year-old prodigy died in a car crash in his native Kenya. He was responsible for three of the seven fastest seven marathon times in history, and he was just getting started.
Driesell turned Maryland into a top college basketball program during his 17 years in College Park. He also started the tradition of an opening practice for the public with “Midnight Madness,” which is now an event for schools throughout the country. During his 41-year career, Driesell also coached at Davison, James Madison and Georgia State. When he retired in 2003, Driesell had the fourth-most coaching wins in Division I men’s basketball. He was 92 years old when he died.
For many football fans, Mortensen was the original NFL insider. He joined ESPN after stints with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The National and became a ubiquitous presence across the network’s TV and radio programming as the appetite for the NFL became insatiable. Dominating the beat and setting a standard for 25 years, Mortensen stepped back after being diagnosed with throat cancer. He retired in 2023 to focus on his health before his death in March at 72 years old.
Were it not for Angelos, who died in March at 93, the Baltimore Orioles could have left the city like the Bullets in 1973 and the Colts in 1983. He and the ownership group he assembled paid $173 million, a record price at that time, in 1993 to keep the Orioles under local control. Angelos put up $40 million of his own money to guarantee the sale. His meddling in baseball operations eventually caused the fans to turn on him, but as long as the O’s are in Baltimore — something new owner David Rubenstein doesn’t plan to change — Angelos’ legacy will live on.
Vontae Davis was found dead in his South Florida home in April at just 35 years old. Authorities have yet to announce a cause of death. At his peak, Davis was one of the better NFL cornerbacks of his generation and a two-time Pro Bowler with the Colts. He also played with the Dolphins and Bills in a 10-year career that spanned from 2009-18. He played in the NFL at the same time as his brother Vernon, a two-time Pro Bowl tight end.
Simpson was a Heisman-winning running back at USC then reached superstardom as the first player in NFL history to post 2,000 rushing yards in a season, the apex of a career that saw him earn five All-Pro nods, four rushing titles and an MVP. He went on to enjoy successful careers in acting and broadcasting. Nobody cared about any of that for the final three decades of his life, and you know why.
Herzog managed four MLB teams over his 17-year managerial career and led the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1982 World Series title. He also served as the franchise’s general manager for three seasons and acquired future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. Herzog won 1,281 games as a manager, winning six division titles and the 1985 NL Manager of the Year award. In 2010, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Cardinals and Kansas City Royals Halls of Fame.
April 15: Ken Holtzman
The winningest Jewish pitcher of all time is not Sandy Koufax. It is Holtzman, who faced the Dodgers legend as a rookie then proceeded to have an outstanding career in his own right. The southpaw threw two no-hitters with the Cubs (the first being one of three in history with zero strikeouts), then became an All-Star after being traded to the Athletics in 1971. The rotation trio he formed with Catfish Hunter and Vida Blue was a vital part of Oakland’s World Series three-peat.
May 8: Jimmy Johnson
When facing the 49ers, quarterbacks rarely threw to Johnson’s side of the field. He was a lockdown corner long before that became a term, talented enough to go step-for-step with the opposing wide receiver and versatile enough to give pass-catching a try in 1962. The eight-time All-Pro made the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade team and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
Otto played for the Raiders since the franchise’s inception in 1960, lining up at center for 15 seasons without missing a single game. That took a toll on his body, resulting in 70 surgeries and his right leg being amputated in 2007. Otto won an AFL title in 1967 and played in six AFL or AFC championship games with the Silver and Black. He was a 10-time first-team All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowler, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. Otto died at 86 years old.
Murray died by suicide one day after withdrawing from Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas after citing illness. Five months earlier, the 30-year-old Raleigh, North Carolina native snapped a six-year winless drought after earning his second PGA Tour victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Prior to joining the PGA Tour, Murray was a three-time Junior World Champion and was the second-youngest golfer to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour at age 16.
Walton, one of basketball’s most colorful characters, died after struggling with cancer in recent years. He was 71 years old. The 6-foot-11 center won two national championships at UCLA and was the No. 1 overall pick by the Trail Blazers in the 1974 NBA Draft. As a professional, he won two NBA titles (one with the Celtics) and an MVP award. But generations of basketball fans likely know Walton better as an offbeat broadcaster, calling college and NBA games with memorable stories, unusual tangents and observations for CBS, NBC, the Clippers and ESPN/ABC.
Bill Walton was a larger-than-life personality with a successful playing and broadcasting career. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Larry Allen was a staple in the Cowboys offensive line for more than a decade, where he protected both Troy Aikman during the team’s last Super Bowl run and Tony Romo at the beginning of his career. The Hall of Famer, who grew up in the Los Angeles area and was once stabbed 12 times while protecting one of his brothers, was described by Aikman as a “gentle giant.” He’ll go down as one of the best lineman in the history of the league, and is one of just three players to be named to both the 1990s and 2000s All-Decade teams.
Basketball Hall of Famer and seven-time NBA All-Star Chet “The Jet” Walker died in June at 84 years old. A 6-7 forward known for his speed on the court, Walker played in the playoffs in each season of his 13-year career with the 76ers and Bulls. He helped lead the 76ers to a championship in 1967 while playing alongside Wilt Chamberlain. Walker sued the NBA and the Bulls alleging ...
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( In memoriam: Willie Mays, Jerry West, Johnny Gaudreau, Pete Rose and many more were lost in 2024 )
Also on site :