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Deaths Of Notable Sports Figures (R.I.P.)

Joe B. Hall, who won national college basketball titles at Kentucky as player and coach, dies at 93

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Joe B. Hall, who succeeded legendary coach Adolph Rupp at Kentucky and led the Wildcats to an NCAA men's basketball championship, has died at the age of 93.

Hall is one of only three men to both play on and coach an NCAA championship team (1949, 1978) and is the only one to do so for the same school.



Entire article: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...national-titles-kentucky-player-coach-dies-93

R.I.P.
 
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Lusia Harris, basketball pioneer and only woman drafted into the NBA, dies at 66

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Lusia Harris, the first and only woman to be drafted into the NBA, died on Tuesday in her native Mississippi. She was 66 years old.

Her family announced her death in a statement. The cause of death is not clear.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news that our angel, matriarch, sister, mother, grandmother, Olympic medalist, The Queen of Basketball, Lusia Harris has passed away unexpectedly today in Mississippi,” the statement reads. “The recent months brought Ms. Harris great joy, including the news of the upcoming wedding of her youngest son and the outpouring of recognition received by a recent documentary that brought worldwide attention to her story.”

Harris led Delta State to three straight AIAW national championships from 1975-77, when the AIAW was the equivalent to the NCAA for women's collegiate sports. A 6-foot-3 center, Harris averaged 25.9 points and 14.5 rebounds while shooting 63.3% from the field in 115 college games. She was a three-time All-American.

After her college career, the New Orleans Jazz selected Harris in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft. Per the Associated Press, she didn't try out for the Jazz because she was pregnant.
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She lived long enough to witness a documentary celebrating her life titled "The Queen of Basketball," which made its debut in 2021.



Entire article: https://sports.yahoo.com/lusia-harr...9260.html?ncid=twitter_yahoosport_dw14wrbb51g

R.I.P.
 
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Former major league pitcher Odalis Perez dies after accident at his Dominican Republic home

Former major league pitcher Odalis Perez died after an accident at his home in the Dominican Republic on Thursday night, his attorney told ESPN's Enrique Rojas.

According to Walin Batista, Perez, a left-hander who spent 10 seasons in the majors, appeared to fall from a ladder while he was alone at his house.

"Around 7 p.m., his brother Cristian Perez arrived at the house and found Odalis lying in the patio," Batista said. "We don't know yet the cause of his death, but everything seems to indicate Odalis slipped down a ladder. This is a tragedy."

Perez, 44, made his major league debut in 1998 with the Atlanta Braves. He was traded three years later to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he spent five seasons and earned his only selection to the All-Star Game.



Entire article: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id...s-perez-dies-accident-dominican-republic-home

R.I.P.
 
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Joe Williams, coach of NCAA men's basketball tournament finalist Jacksonville, dies at 88

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Joe Williams and John Wooden at the 1970 NCAA tournament championship game.

Joe Williams, who coached Artis Gilmore and tiny Jacksonville University to the 1970 NCAA tournament championship game against mighty UCLA, died Saturday. He was 88.

Williams, who also coached at Furman and Florida State, died in Enterprise, Mississippi, while in hospice care after a lengthy battle with cancer, his son Joe Williams Jr. said.

The Dolphins were one of the true Cinderella teams in NCAA tournament history. Led by the 7-foot-2 Gilmore and unranked to start the season, they beat Western Kentucky, Iowa, Kentucky and St. Bonaventure on their way to the championship game. They scored more than 100 points 18 times that season, including three times in the tournament.

In the final, they faced a Bruins program in the middle of coach John Wooden's dynasty. UCLA won 80-69 for its fourth consecutive national championship and sixth in seven years.

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...ball-tournament-finalist-jacksonville-dies-88

Williams got his start with Jacksonville University in 1966 and miraculously led the Dolphins to the NCAA tournament championship game in 1970. They beat Western Kentucky and then upset both Iowa and Kentucky before beating St. Bonaventure to reach the championship game of that tournament — which was made up of just 25 teams.

I remember watching the NCAA 1970 tournament and Jacksonville actually has two 7 footers starting, besides Artis Gilmore, Pembrook Burrows was the other.

R.I.P.
 
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New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy dies of lung cancer. He was 65

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Mike Bossy flopped to the ice as the puck went in, then scrambled to his feet and leaped into the air to celebrate scoring another goal. It was a familiar sight as the New York Islanders were on their way to their third of four consecutive Stanley Cup titles.

Bossy danced on his skates the same way after his 50th goal in 50 games, but so many other times, his reaction was more muted simply because he scored so much and so often, more than almost anyone in the long history of the NHL.

The Hockey Hall of Famer died Thursday night of lung cancer. He was 65.
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Bossy helped the Islanders win the Stanley Cup four straight years from 1980-83, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1982. He scored the Cup-winning goal in 1982 and '83 — one of just two players to do so in back-to-back seasons.

"That's certainly something I'm proud of," Bossy said in 1983 after scoring the second Cup-winning goal.

Bossy was a first-round pick in 1977 and played his entire 10-year NHL career with New York. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, got the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly conduct three times and led the league in goals twice.
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Entire article: https://www.npr.org/2022/04/16/1093...gend-mike-bossy-dies-of-lung-cancer-he-was-65

R.I.P.
 
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Daryle Lamonica, former Raiders star and Super Bowl II QB, dies at 80

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Daryle Lamonica, who starred under center for the Oakland Raiders in the late 1960s and early 1970s, died Thursday at the age of 80, per the Associated Press.

Nicknamed "The Mad Bomber" during his 12-year NFL career, Lamonica led the Raiders to a 62-16-6 regular-season record in his eight seasons in Oakland, which included four consecutive division titles and AFL/AFC title game appearances and a loss in Super Bowl II to the Green Bay Packers. His .791 winning percentage in the Super Bowl era is first among QBs with at least 70 starts.

The former Notre Dame quarterback joined the club via trade in 1967 after four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, who had drafted him in the 24th round of the 1963 AFL Draft; Lamonica was also selected by the Packers in the 12th round of the NFL Draft, but opted to sign in the junior circuit. Lamonica, funny enough, was traded to Oakland in exchange for, in part, then-quarterback and future Raiders coach Tom Flores.

With the Bills, Lamonica was used more as a weapon on the ground, especially in 1964, when he ran for 289 yards and a league-high six TDs. Lamonica rarely started behind Bills longtime starter Jack Kemp -- four games over four seasons, all wins -- but often filled in for Kemp mid-game.

Lamonica broke out through the air in his first season as a full-time starter in 1967, leading the Raiders to a 13-1 record, AFL West title and a berth in Super Bowl II. Lamonica led the league with 30 passing touchdowns en route to his first of two AFL MVP honors and first-team All-Pro accolades. Against the Packers at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Lamonica completed 15 of 34 passes for 208 yards, two TDs and a pick-six in a 33-14 blowout loss.

In 1969, Lamonica was named AFL MVP again, leading the league in completions (221), attempts (426), passing yards (3,302) and touchdowns (34), but also pacing all QBs with 25 interceptions.

Entire article: https://www.nfl.com/news/daryle-lamonica-dies-at-80-former-raiders-star-super-bowl-ii-qb

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R.I.P.
 
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Guy Lafleur, five-time Stanley Cup champion with Montreal Canadiens, dies at 70

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Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur has died, the team announced Friday. He was 70.

No cause of death was given, but Lafleur had announced his most recent right lung cancer diagnosis in October 2020. He had previously had a cancerous lobe removed from his left lung in 2019.

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id...anley-cup-champion-montreal-canadiens-dies-70

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R.I.P.
 
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NBA great Bob Lanier, Hall of Fame center for Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, dies at 73

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Bob Lanier, the left-handed big man who muscled up beside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as one of the NBA's top players of the 1970s, died Tuesday. He was 73.

The NBA said in a statement that the legendary center died after a short illness. The Hall of Famer and eight-time All-Star had worked for the league as a global ambassador.

Lanier played 14 seasons with the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks and averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for his career. He is third on the Pistons' career list in both points and rebounds. Detroit drafted Lanier with the No. 1 overall pick in 1970 after he led St. Bonaventure to the Final Four.

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...enter-detroit-pistons-milwaukee-bucks-dies-73

R.I.P.
 
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