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Great athletes who died young

GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

Lou Gehrig
Pete Maravich
Walter Payton

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    AFLfanAFLfan Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Tony Gwynn
    Junior Seau
    Ernie Davis
    Bryon Piccolo
    George Gipp

    Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
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    TabeTabe Posts: 5,927 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Reggie Lewis
    Addie Joss
    Ed Delahanty
    Jose Fernandex
    Hank Gathers

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    GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Another Reggie from Tennessee, Philadelphia and Green Bay.

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    orioles93orioles93 Posts: 3,463 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thurman Munson
    Roberto Clemente
    Sean Taylor
    Kobe Bryant

    What I Collect:

    PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 77.97% Complete)


    PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.26% Complete)


    PSA Basketball HOF Players Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 6.02% Complete)
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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dale Earnhardt

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    dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,116 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Ray Chapman
    Arky Vaughan
    Ross Youngs

    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
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    JustacommemanJustacommeman Posts: 22,847 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Payne Stewart

    m

    Walker Proof Digital Album
    Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
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    SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 11,714 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Len Bias.

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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Pat Tillman in defense of our country.

    I didn't google it, but there must have been a number of other athletes who died young in the 20th century wars.

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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭

    David Overstreet

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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Lyman Bostock, was on a possible HOF career trajectory.

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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Mickey71Mickey71 Posts: 4,234 ✭✭✭✭

    FLO JO
    Christy Mathewson
    Joe Delaney
    Reggie Lewis

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    USSID17USSID17 Posts: 1,264 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Abebe Bikila -

    On March 22, 1969, Abebe was paralysed due to a car accident.
    Abebe died at age 41 on October 25, 1973, of a cerebral hemorrhage related to his accident four years earlier.

    Steve Prefontaine-
    Steve Prefontaine was only 24 and the holder of seven American records, from 2000 meters to 10000 meters, when he died in a car crash on ...

    Brian Piccolo-
    Louis Brian Piccolo was an American professional football player, a running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for four years. He died at age 26 from embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of germ cell testicular cancer, first diagnosed after it had spread to his chest cavity.

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    JustacommemanJustacommeman Posts: 22,847 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 21, 2021 10:38PM

    Not a great athlete but super popular and had his moments in the spotlight. Almost a movie script. Mark Fidrych. Died a tragic death. Great kid.

    m

    Walker Proof Digital Album
    Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
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    GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 22, 2021 2:21AM

    While flying their own planes.......

    Roy Halliday
    Brooke Berringer

    And some tough dudes.........

    Mike Webster
    Lyle Alzado
    Bob Probert

    And a great goalie from the Flyers who lost to our Miracle on Ice team.

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    AFLfanAFLfan Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Mack Lee Hill
    Bob Kalsu
    Frank Buncom
    Ralph Anderson
    Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb

    Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
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    HydrantHydrant Posts: 7,773 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 22, 2021 8:55AM

    @Justacommeman said:
    Not a great athlete but super popular and had his moments in the spotlight. Almost a movie script. Mark Fidrych. Died a tragic death. Great kid.

    m

    Yea, he WAS a character! I think he was working under a tractor and it fell on him. Terrible. I always think of him every time I'm working under equipment. I use extra, extra support blocks and jacks. And even then I think.....EARTHQUAKE!

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    thisistheshowthisistheshow Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This is a sad story. Brandon Burlsworth. Died ten days after being drafted by the Colts. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/nfl/colts/.amp/news/brandon-burlsworth-legacy-endures-indianapolis-colts-coach

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    galaxy27galaxy27 Posts: 7,136 ✭✭✭✭✭

    how about someone who...

    passed away at 45

    and

    was/is the only athlete -- male or female -- to win an individual Olympic medal in a running, throwing and jumping event

    and

    pitched scoreless innings (plural) in MLB spring training exhibition games

    and

    won a U.S. Women's Open championship while wearing a freaking colostomy bag

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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Alan Wiggins
    Eric Show

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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @thisistheshow said:
    This is a sad story. Brandon Burlsworth. Died ten days after being drafted by the Colts. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/nfl/colts/.amp/news/brandon-burlsworth-legacy-endures-indianapolis-colts-coach

    Never heard about this. Thanks for sharing show. What a tragedy.

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    LandrysFedoraLandrysFedora Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The Humboldt Broncos. Horrible tragedy.

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    USSID17USSID17 Posts: 1,264 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Munich Air Disaster: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958.

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    thisistheshowthisistheshow Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LandrysFedora said:

    @thisistheshow said:
    This is a sad story. Brandon Burlsworth. Died ten days after being drafted by the Colts. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/nfl/colts/.amp/news/brandon-burlsworth-legacy-endures-indianapolis-colts-coach

    Never heard about this. Thanks for sharing show. What a tragedy.

    It is an amazing story. Triumph to tragedy.

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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @USSID17 said:
    Munich Air Disaster: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958.

    That reminded me of the Munich massacre when a number of Israeli Olympic athletes were murdered in cold blood.

    The good news is Israel got even. Eye for an eye!

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    USSID17USSID17 Posts: 1,264 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:

    @USSID17 said:
    Munich Air Disaster: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958.

    That reminded me of the Munich massacre when a number of Israeli Olympic athletes were murdered in cold blood.

    The good news is Israel got even. Eye for an eye!

    Yes, that's right. I completely forgot about the 72 Munich Olympics.

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    electrodeelectrode Posts: 212 ✭✭✭

    Philadephia Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh died in a car crash after bringing the Flyers to the Stanly Cup finals in 1985 and winning the Vezina trophy as the top NHL net minder the same year.

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    GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Pelle had a high blood-alcohol level if I remember that story correctly.

    John Milner died at age 50 I believe, but I don’t know what from.

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    VikingDudeVikingDude Posts: 1,301 ✭✭✭
    edited June 25, 2021 5:53AM

    20 years ago this summer Minnesota lost a great one - #77 Korey Stringer. Led to many changes in attitudes toward heat exhaustion and athletes.

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    Historicalwood71Historicalwood71 Posts: 518 ✭✭✭

    John Holmes

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    GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Donnie Moore. Angels pitcher.
    Tragic story.

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    USSID17USSID17 Posts: 1,264 ✭✭✭✭✭

    BTW: Abebe Bikila won 2 Olympic Marathons bare foot!

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    Historicalwood71Historicalwood71 Posts: 518 ✭✭✭

    Lol, it's hard to put a like on these. I can't do it.

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    coinkatcoinkat Posts: 22,769 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nile Kinnick- Iowa's 1939 Heisman Trophy winner

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

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