This post dedicated to my father, Tim Johnson, who kept me entranced as a child with stories and statistics similar these. Legends never die.
Regardless of the sport, performance is the number one indicator of an athlete's talent and work ethic. It doesn't matter how good you are when no one is watching, if you can't produce under the pressure of the situation in competition, you are not going to make it to the next level. When it comes to the top levels of any athletic association, Division I collegiate, ametuer, and professional, perfomance determines whether you will be compensated in the form of scholarship, endorsements, and/or income. In professional sports, much of the details of salary contracts hinge on the last year of an athlete's previous contract, thus statistics and reputation play a huge role in the amount of the contract that a player might sign. Often, the largest of those contracts are completed when athletes are going into their prime of their career, that is when the athlete produces the highest statisical seasons of his career. The theme of this post is not specifically players in or moving out of their prime, but those who were just entering or in the middle of those peak years of talent in their life. More specifically it is about those athletes that were tragically taken from that prime, those athletes whose fans never got a true taste of how good they good be, the athletes that never got a chance of etching their names in the record books as legends. I tried to include a variety of sports and time frames for these deceased athletes. This list is in no way comprehensive, there are many that I am sure I am leaving out, but hopefully it gives you a taste of some of the talent that was never fully exposed.
Steve Prefontaine
Birth-Death: Jan. 25, 1951-May 30, 1975
Age of Death: 24
Cause of Death: Automobile Accident
Sport: Track/Cross Country
Team: USA, Oregon Track Club, University of Oregon
Season Prior to Death (1974): Set American records in every race from 2000m to 10,000m
Heart. The single word that described the essence of Steve Prefontaine. His stature was not big at all, his legs were different sizes, but his heart compensated for all of this. Pre had to win, anything less than a win was a disgrace. His running strategy was the same for every race: go as hard as he could, for as long as he could. I would be insane if I excluded Pre from this list, as would any other post. In fact, my respect and admiration for him was prolly the main reason for the creation of this post in the first place. To have accomplished all that he did before even turning twenty-five is what truly drives his legend. In his only Olympic appearance, he led the last mile of the 5k until he was outkicked by three other runners in the final meters, depriving him of a medal. A 10-time NCAA Champion, he won 120 of his 153 races in his career. His quotes became infamous, as were the "Stop Pre" shirts his fans and enemies wore that he made popular. Cocky, arrogant, and purely-confident, he was the original endorser of the young company, Nike. But shortly after his only Olympic appearance, Prefontaine wrecked his car leaving a party and suffocated underneath of it, thus ending the life of one of the top American runner's in history prematurely. To this day, his legend continues in the form of multiple films and literature. His greatest legacy, however, may have been left behind in his words, as he once quoted, "A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding." Pre's running career was truly an art, and more than many were affected by it.
Lyman Bostok
Birth-Death: Nov. 22 1950-Sep. 23, 1978
Age of Death: 27
Cause of Death: Murder
Sport: Baseball
Team: Minnesota Twins/California Angels
2 Seasons Prior to Death (1976): 14 HR, 90 RBI, 16 SB, .336 AVE
Bostock's career in the Majors was short, but in that time he showed the potential that allowed him to sign one of the biggest free agent contracts of the time with the California Angels. His breakout year in 1976 placed him fourth in the league's average leaders and second in 1977 after the best year of his career. Bostock's great character was also shown in the following year when he offered his April salary back to the team and then to charity after the team declined. He didn't feel like he earned it after a rough start to the season. Lyman also donated the first $10,000 of his Angel contract to charity as well. His promising career was cut short after he was murdered by a man who thought Bostock was having an affair with his wife, even though they had met 20 minutes prior to the murder.
Thurman Munson
Birth-Death: June 7, 1947-Aug. 2, 1979
Age of Death: 32
Cause of Death: Aviation Accident
Sport: Baseball
Team: New York Yankees
3 Seasons Prior to Death (1976): 18 HR, 100 RBI, .308 AVE
The heart of the Yankees organization during his 11 year stay with the Yankees, his passing is probably the closest from being out of his prime on this list. However, The Walrus' importance to both the clubhouse and the lineup is what makes his death that much more heartfelt. Beloved by every Yankee fan, respected just the same by others, Munson led his team to 2 World Series Championships out of their three appearances during his time. Munson's consistancy behind plate (127 career errors) and at the plate (5+ years of 10+ HR, 60+ RBI, and .300 BA) led to 3 Gold Gloves, 7 All-Star appearances, an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, and notoriety of one of the best catchers in the league. Munson crashed his private plane after the All-Star break in 1979 that he was practicing take-offs with, and subsequently died due to suffocation. Though 11 seasons into his career, Munson still had some fuel left in the tank for more productive years. That coupled with the his impact to Yankee fans and teammates as well as all of baseball was the reason for the tremendous elation that most felt during the time after his passing.
Nick Adenhart
Birth-Death: Aug. 24, 1986-April 9, 2009
Age of Death: 22
Cause of Death: Automobile Accident
Sport: Baseball
Team: Los Angeles Angels
Season Prior to Death (2008): 1-0 with 4 K
Adenhart is easily the furthest from his prime on this list, barely having scratched the surface of his potential. One of the top prospects in the Angels system throughout his time in the minors, Adenhart was named the top Angels prospect, 68th best in the Baseball America's 2009 Top 100 Prospects list, and 3 pitcher for the Angels starting rotation in 2009. Sadly, Adenhart never got to particpate in the full season as he was killed in a hit-and-run shortly after his second start. Adenhart's tremendous potential was left untapped due to a drunk driver.
Dražen Petrović
Birth-Death: Oct. 22, 1964-June 7, 1993
Age of Death: 38
Cause of Death: Automobile Accident
Sport: Basketball
Team: Portland Trail Blazers/New Jersey Nets/Yugoslav and Croatian Professional and National teams
Season Prior to Death (1992-93): 22.3 Pts., 3.5 Ast., 2.7 Rbd., and 1.3 Stl.
One of the most famous European basketball players of all time, Dražen's short NBA failed to tale the full story of his basketball career. Petrović earned two silver medals and a bronze in Olympic basketball, a gold and a bronze in the FIBA World Championships, and a gold and a bronze in the FIBA European Championships. He also won four Euroscar Awards and was named Mr. Europa twice. In 1985 he received the golden badge for best athlete in the nation of Yugoslavia. Dražen made the transition to the NBA in 1989 where he came off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was then traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1991 and over the next two years averaged 20.6 and 22.3, becoming one of the better shooting guards in the league. On June 7, 1993 after his second season with the Nets, Petrović was involved in an accident on the Autobahn in Germany. He died as a passenger in the back seat of a car that was struck by a semi on rain-soaked roads with poor visibility.
Hank Gathers
Birth-Death: Feb. 11, 1967–March 4, 1990
Age of Death: 23
Cause of Death: Heart Condition
Sport: Basketball
Team: University of Southern California/Loyola Marymount University
Season Prior to Death (1988-89): 32.7 Pts. and 13.7 Rbd. (Led NCAA Division I in both catagories)
Possibly the most stunning passing of a player on this list, Gathers was an absolute force during his time at LMU. Leading Division I in points and rebounds for only the second time in NCAA history, Gathers led his fast-tempoed Lions into the record books and to 2 conference titles. LMU still holds the top five highest scoring games in NCAA history. A sure-fire lottery pick upon announcement of plans to join the draft, Gathers seemed nearly invulnerable. But even invulnerability has its weaknesses, and Gather's was his heart. Diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat, Gather ceased taking his beta blocker medication due to decreased performance. He fainted for the first time during a game on December 9 against UCSB. On Sunday, March 4, 1990, he collapsed again in the first half against Portland, just after scoring on an
alley-oop dunk. Upon taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead soon after, never to dominate the game again nor allowed the chance for an NBA career
Reggie Lewis
Birth-Death: Nov. 21, 1965-July 27, 1993
Age of Death: 27
Cause of Death: Heart Condition
Sport: Basketball
Team: Boston Celtics
Season Prior to Death (1992-93): 20.8 Pts., 4.3 Rbd., and 3.7 Ast.
Similar to the previous the previous basketball player, Hank Gathers, Lewis had previous issues of heart problems during his basketball career. A one-time All-Star for the Celtics, Lewis' number was retired for both the Celtics and his collegiate team, the Northeastern Huskies. A proficient scorer in both college and the NBA, he averaged 18.5, 17.0, 18.7, 20.8, and 20.8 for the Celtics each season after his rookie year and was on his way to becoming one of the top scorers in the league. Lewis collapsed once during playoff game against the Hornets in 1993, so knowledge of his problems with cardiac arrest were already known. During an off-season practice in Massachusetts, Lewis suffered sudden cardiac death and was unable to be revived by the first officer on the scene. Allegations of cocaine use were later disproved to be the cause of his hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. His legacy is relatively unknown, mostly due to his short career and the small size of the university he attended.
Sean Taylor
Birth-Death: April 1, 1983–Nov. 27, 2007
Age of Death: 24
Cause of Death: Burglary-Associated Murder
Sport: Football
Team: Washington Redskins
Season Prior to Death (2007): 5 Interceptions, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery, 32 Tackles, and a Pro Bowl appearence.
A 2-time Pro Bowler and a crowd favorite in Washington, Taylor 'saggressive defensive play gave him the nickname Meast: half man, half beast. Named concensus first team All-American his junior season of college for Miami, he entered the draft as the top cornerback and was drafted 5th overall by Washington. Taylor was named the hardest-hitting player in the NFL by
Sports Illustrated and was also called the most athletic player that multiple of his coaches had coached. Taylor had good success in the NFL as a free safety compiling 12 career interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovered fumble, and 244 career tackles, despite have multiple run-ins with the law over alcohol and firearms. The 2007 season, however, was supposed to be Taylor's turnaround year, due to his daughter's birth. On November 26th, Taylor was shot in the leg by burglars in his Palmetto Bay, Florida home. The bullet grazed his femoral artery causing his death the next day in the hospital from the mortal wound. Taylor's death, similar to Adenhart's, caused much publicity due to the increased media coverage now as compared to decades prior. The two deaths are also the most recent to current time. Taylor's number has since been unofficially retired by the Redskins, as they do not do so officially. "[Y]ou play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that, '" Taylor stated months before his death. Taylor's passion and energy he played with proved that he left the game without regrets.
Ernie Davis
Birth-Death: Dec. 14, 1939–May 18, 1963
Age of Death: 23
Cause of Death: Leukemia
Sport: Football
Team: University of Syracuse
Season Prior to Death (1961): Heisman Trophy Winner (Incomplete stats availible for the time period)
Davis, like Gathers, was the top college athlete in his sport in 1961, becoming the first African-American athlete to ever win what is often considered the most prestigious award in sports. Named an All-American twice, MVP of the 1960 Cotton Bowl, and MVP of the 1961 Liberty bowl, Davis acquired the nickname Express for his abilities to avoid defenders, also the name of a 2007 film about his life. After his highly successful collegiate career, Davis was the first pick of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, after which he was subsequently traded to the Cleveland Browns in hopes of him teaming with the legendary Jim Brown as a backfield tandem. However, those hopes never saw reality as Davis was tragically diagnosed with incurable acute monocytic leukemia. Davis passed away the following year in 1963 at Cleveland Lakeside Hospital. Both his Syracuse 44 and his Cleveland 45 were retired after his death.
Pat Tillman
Birth-Death: Nov. 6, 1976–April 22, 2004
Age of Death: 27
Cause of Death: Died in Action
Sport: Football
Team: Arizona Cardinals
2 Seasons Prior to Death: 1 Interception, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 109 tackles
Like baseball greats Ted Williams, Whitey Ford, and Bob Feller, Tillman accepted his call to duty and enlisted in the US Army after the fallout of the Sep. 11th attacks. I chose to post about Tillman last because of the obvious and extreme sacrifice he made for his country. Not that the prior athletes on this list don't deserve respect for their passing, but the possibility of Tillman's subsequent death with his enlistment was all-too real. Tillman's football career was stellar in its short time, including 1 All-Pro selection and career totals of 238 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions for 37 yards, 3 forced fumbles, 2 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries. Money was never a deciding factor for Tillman as he turned down both a $9 million contract offer from the Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals, and a $3.6 million 3-year contract from Arizona to enlist in the Army. Tillman was shot and killed by friendly fire on April 22, 2004. The cause and cover-up of his death by the US Army was put under serious investigation due to the circumstances. Despite these circumstances following his death, Tillman's loyalty to his game and country were never questioned.
ESPN 30 for 30 series did shows on both Petrovićk, Gathers, and Tillman.
Other athletes that perished and were considered for this list but seemed past their prime or too old: Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente, Chris Henry, Dale Earnhardt, and Darryl Kile.
The insensitivity of death coupled with the swiftness of life results in many people's lives left unlived, untapped, and forgotten. "Even the best fall down," Howie Day wrote. You can only hope that when you fall, you gave what you could in the time you could, like these athletes taken from us far too early.
-Jarid Holliday
