Art McNally: The first on-field official named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame died Jan. 1. He was 97. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Jay Briscoe: The professional wrestler, left, was killed in a car crash on Jan 17. He was 38. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Bobby Hull: The Hall of Famer for the Chicago Blackhawks, known as the NHL's Golden Jet, died Jan. 30. He was 84. (Robert Shaver/Bruce Bennett Coll/Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty )
Tim McCarver: A catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, who went on to a Hall of Fame career as a baseball broadcaster, died Feb. 16. He was 81. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Pat McCormick: The Olympic champion, center, who was the first diver to win gold medals in the 3-meter and 10-meter events at back-to-back Olympics, died March 7. She was 92. (Bettman Archives/Getty Images )
Otis Taylor: The wide receiver, who starred for 11 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and played in two Super Bowls, died March 9. He was 80. (Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Bud Grant: The Hall of Fame football coach, who led the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl berths but was unable to win the NFL's biggest game, died March 11. He was 95. (Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
Joe Pepitone: The New York Yankees three-time All-Star first baseman, known as much for his hairpiece as his three Gold Gloves, died March 13. He was 82. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Bushwacker Butch: Robert Miller, right, half of the WWE Hall of Fame pro wrestling tag team the Bushwackers, died April 2. He was 78. (Jed Jacobsohn/Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima)
Justin Owen: The sprint car driver died April 9 after his car hit a hole and flipped several times during a qualifying race. He was 26. (Josh James/USAC)
Cole Pensick: The former offensive lineman, who played at the University of Nebraska from 2009 to 2013, died April 8 in a car crash. He was 32. (University of Nebraska Athletics)
Tori Bowie: The sprinter, who won three medals during the 2016 Summer Olympics, was found dead at her home. Authorities determined her death as April 23. She was 31. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Mike Shannon: The St. Louis native, who played in three World Series for the Cardinals and then broadcasted their games for 50 seasons, died April 29. He was 83. (Scott Rovak/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Larry "Gator" Rivers: The star athlete in his native Savannah, who played for the Harlem Globetrotters for 16 seasons and later served on the Chatham County Commission, died April 29. He was 73. (Chatham County Commission)
Vida Blue: The 1971 A.L. Cy Young and MVP award winner, who played 17 seasons in the majors, died May 6. He was 73. ( Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
Joe Kapp: The quarterback, who led the Minnesota Vikings to Super Bowl IV and was an All-American at Cal, where he later coached, died May 8. He was 85. (Nate Fine/NFL)
Denny Crum: The Hall of Fame basketball coach, who led the University of Louisville to a pair of national championships during the 1980s, died May 9. He was 86. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
"Superstar" Billy Graham: The former heavyweight wrestling champion in the WWWF (now WWE), who was a flamboyant figure during his heyday in the 1970s, died May 17. He was 79. (Bobby Bank/WireImage)
Jim Brown: A nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time NFL MVP, the Cleveland Browns running back retired at the height of his fame to pursue an acting career. An activist for civil rights, he died May 18 at the age of 87. (Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Rick Hoyt: The athlete, who was pushed in his wheelchair by his father in more than 1,100 road races, including 32 Boston Marathons, died May 22. He was 61. (Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Billy Ray Adams: The bruising running back for the University of Mississippi during coach Johnny Vaught’s most successful era at the SEC school from 1959 to 1961 died June 1. He was 84. (University of Mississippi)
Roger Craig: The veteran pitcher and influential pitching coach, who later managed the San Francisco Giants to the World Series in 1989, died June 4. He was 93. ( Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Jim Hines: The sprinter, who won two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics and later played in the AFL for Miami and Kansas City, died June 3. He was 76. (MediaNews Group/East Bay Times v/MediaNews Group via Getty Images)
Iron Sheik: Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, an Iranian-born wrestler who won the WWWF (now WWE) heavyweight title, died June 7. He was 81. (Photo by Ben Rose/Getty Images for Clear Channel)
Pat Casey: The star on the BMX circuit and at the X Games, died on June 6 while attempting a jump at a Southern California track. He was 29. (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
Patrick Gasienica: The ski jumper, who competed for the U.S. in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, died in a motorcycle crash on June 12. He was 24. (Tom Weller/VOIGT/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Bob Brown: The Hall of Fame offensive lineman (76), who played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Eagles, Rams and Raiders, died June 14. He was 81. (Sporting News via Getty Images)
George Frazier: The pitcher, who played in two College World Series and then 10 seasons in the major leagues for five teams before serving as a television analyst for the Colorado Rockies, died June 19. He was 68. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Clark Haggans: The outside linebacker, who played 13 seasons in the NFL with Pittsburgh, Arizona and San Francisco, died June 19. He was 46. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Terry Price: Texas A&M’s longtime defensive line coach and a former player for the Aggies died June 23. He was 55. (Texas A&M University)
Dahrran Diedrick The running back who starred at Nebraska and won three Grey Cups during a 10-year career in the CFL died June 24. He was 44. (Brian Bahr/Allsport)
Ryan Mallett: The quarterback, who played five seasons in the NFL and led Arkansas to two college football bowl games, drowned off the coast of Florida on June 27. He was 35. (Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
Darren Drozdov: The professional wrestler and NFL player who was paralyzed during a WWE event in 1999, died June 30. He was 54. (WWE)
Vince Tobin: The coach, who guided the Arizona Cardinals to their first NFL playoff victory in more than 50 years during the 1998 season, died July 3. He was 79. (Doug Pensinger /Allsport)
Nikki McCray-Penson The college basketball star, two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA all-star who later coached at Old Dominion and Mississippi State, died July 6. She was 51. (Darrell Walker/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Adrian Street: The flamboyant professional wrestler, right who dressed like a glam rocker but exhibited the toughness of his Welsh roots as the son of a coal miner, died July 24. He was 82. (Dennis Hutchinson/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Johnny Lujack: The 1947 Heisman Trophy winner, who led Notre Dame to three national championships, died July 25. He was 98. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Rocky Wirtz: The owner and chairman of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks who oversaw the team’s three Stanley Cup titles during the 2010s, died July 25. He was 70. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Magnus White: The cyclist on USA Cycling’s junior men’s national team was killed July 29 after he was struck by a vehicle during a training ride near his Colorado home. He was 17. (USA Cycling)
Sean Dawkins: The nine-year NFL wide receiver, who was an All-American football player at the University of California, died Aug. 11. He was 52. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images )
Maxie Baughan: A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, right, out of Georgia Tech, who was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection in the NFL, died Aug. 19. He was 85. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Reggie Chaney: The forward on the University of Houston basketball team that reached the Final Four in 2021 died Aug. 21. He was 23. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Alexandra Paul: The former Canadian Olympic figure skater was killed and her infant son was injured in a car accident on Aug. 22. She was 31. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Terry Funk: The colorful and unpredictable wrestler, who was an NWA heavyweight champion and also appeared in several movies, including “Road House,” died Aug. 23. He was 79. (WWE)
Bray Wyatt: The WWE star and two-time heavyweight champion, whose persona as “The Fiend” captivated pro wrestling audiences, died Aug. 24. He was 36. (Monica Schipper/FilmMagic)
Pat Corrales: The first Mexican-American manager in MLB, who spent 64 years in professional baseball, died Aug. 27. He was 82. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
Gil Brandt: The Hall of Famer, who was the Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel from 1960 to 1988, died Aug. 31. He was 91. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Shiek Adnan Al-Kaissie: The former professional wrestler, who was born in Iraq, died Sept. 7. He was 84. (Photo By RITA REED/Star Tribune via Getty Images/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Mike Williams: The former wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Buffalo Bills, who was injured in a construction accident, died Sept. 12. He was 36. (Michael DeHoog/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
Buddy Teevens: The winningest coach in Dartmouth College history and led the team to five Ivy League championships, died Sept. 19. He was 66. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Brooks Robinson: The Hall of Fame third baseman with the Baltimore Orioles for 23 seasons and the MVP of the 1970 World Series, known as the "Human Vacuum Cleaner," died Sept. 26. He was 86. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
Hubert Ginn, Tim Foley: Running back Hubert Ginn, left and defensive back Tim Foley were members of the Miami Dolphins' unbeaten 1972 squad. Ginn died on Sept. 21 and Foley died Sept. 24. (Miami Dolphins)
Tim Wakefield: The 19-year MLB veteran, ranked third among Red Sox pitchers with 186 wins, died Oct. 1. He was 57. (Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Pedro Martinez )
Russ Francis: The former New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers tight end was killed in a plane crash on Oct. 1. He was 70. (George Rose/Getty Images)
Dick Butkus: The Hall of Fame linebacker, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection known for his hard hits, died Oct. 5. He was 80. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Jim Poole: The left-hander, who played 11 seasons in the majors and was named to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, died Oct. 6. He was 57. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images )
Walt Garrison: The hard-charging running back for the Dallas Cowboys, who was also a rodeo cowboy, died Oct. 11. He was 79. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty I)
Andy Bean: The 11-time winner on the PGA Tour, who was a three-time All-American at the University of Florida, died Oct. 14. He was 70. (Augusta National/Getty Images)
Frank Howard: The towering, 6-foot-7 slugger, who played 16 seasons in the major leagues and led the American League in home runs twice, died Oct. 30. He was 87. (Bettman Archives/Getty Images )
Matt Ulrich The former offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts, who appeared in Super Bowl XLI, died Nov. 5. He was 41. (Getty Images/Getty Images)
Carl Torbush: The veteran coach spent 42 years on the sideline, including head coaching jobs at North Carolina and East Tennessee State, died Nov. 6. He was 72. ( Craig Jones /Allsport)
Peter Seidler: The free-spending owner of the San Diego Padres died Nov. 14. He was 63. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
Ken Squier: The NASCAR Hall of Fame broadcaster who was a pillar of the sport for decades and brought stock car racing into the mainstream, died Nov. 15. He was 88. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Willie Hernandez: The three-time All-Star relief pitcher with Detroit, who won the A.L. Cy Young Award in 1984 and was the MVP for the World Series champions that same season, died Nov. 20. He was 69. (Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Harald Hasselbach: The defensive lineman for the Denver Broncos died after a battle with cancer on Nov. 23. He was 56. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images/All Sports)
Chief Noc-a-Homa: Levi Walker Jr., who was Atlanta Braves mascot Chief Noc-a-Homa from 1969 to 1985, died Nov. 24. He was 81. (The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Frank Wycheck: The Tennessee Titans tight end, whose lateral ignited the "Music City Miracle" in January 2000, died Dec. 9. He was 52. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Gil de Ferran: The 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner died after suffering a heart attack on Dec. 29. He was 56. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Cale Yarborough: NASCAR announced the death of the Hall of Fame race driver on Dec. 31. He was 84. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
