Today, we will discuss the top ten tragic deaths of athletes that the sports industry has faced to date.
With routine fitness tests and physiotherapy sessions, several unfortunate athletes have met their ends. Many reasons follow for the death, such as lethal punches, hard blows, and many more.
Lets have a read of these sports men…
- Ray Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920)
- Full Name: Raymond Johnson Chapman
- Nickname: Chappie
- Runs batted in: 364
- Date Of Birth: January 15, 1891
- Place of Birth: Beaver Dam, Kentucky, United States
- Died: August 17, 1920, New York, New York, United States
Raymond Johnson Chapman was an American baseball player. He spent his entire career as a shortstop for the Cleveland Indians. Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by pitcher Carl Mays and died 12 hours later. He is the only player to die directly from an injury received during a major league game.
Ray Chapman died young after eight years of service on the MLB field. Initially, Ray made his MLB debut on August 30, 1912, for the Cleveland Indians and his last MLB appearance on August 16, 1920, for the Cleveland Indians.
His last appearance on the field was when Ray played against the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds. The game was still ongoing in the late afternoon, and most of the ball delivery was a submarine.
Back then, pitchers would use tobacco juice, soil, or licorice to dirty the ball for swift swing. However, it is also the same reason at times; the ball would be hardly visible.
As per the sources, Ray had difficulty figuring the ball as it was passed towards him, which struck him hard.
The sound of struck was so loud that everyone assumed that Ray’s bat had strung the ball. However, home plate umpire Tommy Connolly noticed bleeding from Ray’s left ear and screamed for the doctor.
Following it, every player started running towards him while Ray couldn’t even take a single step forward and fell unconscious. Right after it, they rushed him to St. Lawrence Hospital, where he took his last breath about 4:40 AM and passed away from brain damage.
2. Ed Sanders (March 24, 1930 – December 12, 1954)
- Full Name: Hayes Edward “Big Ed” Sanders
- Height: 1.93 m
- Division: Heavyweight
- Education: Idaho State University
- Boxing Record: six wins (3 TKO), two losses, and one draw
Hayes Edward “Big Ed” Sanders was an American heavyweight boxer who won an Olympic gold medal in 1952.
Ed Sanders has always been an athletic man since high school. He has played for the Olympics and tried different sports before devoting himself professionally to the field.
On December 11, 1954, Ed fought at Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. This fight was against his sparring partner Willie James, the New England Heavyweight Champion, which became his last fight ever.
Few days before this fight, Sanders struggled with headaches and X-rayed his shoulder just a few weeks before. Nevertheless, the match flourished till the eleventh round, where they both shared loads of punches.
Later, Garden passed a simple punch combination to Ed in the eleventh round as he fell. After falling, he lost consciousness immediately and commenced breathing laboriously.
In the end, they took Ed out on a stretcher; however, he never regained his consciousness. Lastly, the doctors concluded that he had aggravated a previous injury and hence, died after a long surgery to relieve pressure on the brain.
3. Bill Masterton (August 13, 1938 – January 15, 1968)
- Full Name: William Masterton
- Nickname: Bill
- Date Of Birth: August 13, 1938
- Place Of Birth: Winnipeg, Canada
- Height: 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
- Weight: 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
- Position: Centre
- Died: January 15, 1968, M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina, Minnesota, United States
- NHL Statistics: four goals, eight assists, twelve points, and four penalty
William Masterton was a Canadian American professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for the Minnesota North Stars in 1967–68.
Bill Masterton was an NHL Champion and also one of their most valuable athletes on the field. The date January 13, 1968, became the last gameplay of Bill Masterton, which was against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center.
During the game, Bill suffered an internal brain injury. When Masterton carried the puck up the ice at full speed; however, he got knocked down and fell on his head. This led him to bleed from his nose, ears, and mouth as he lost his consciousness.
They rushed him for treatment at Fairview-Southdale Hospital. There, three doctors and two neurosurgeons checked his wound and concluded that the injury was too severe for surgery.
After thirty hours of the incident, Bill Masterton took his last breath.
4. Chuck Hughes (March 2, 1943 – October 24, 1971)
- Full Name: Charles Frederick Hughes
- Date Of Birth: March 2, 1943
- Place Of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- College: Texas Western
- Died: October 24, 1971, Detroit, Michigan, United States
- NFL Statistics: fifteen receptions, 262 yards
Charles Frederick Hughes was an American football player, a wide receiver in the National Football League from 1967 to 1971. He is, to date, the only NFL player to die on the field during a game.
Chuck Hughes took his last breath on October 24, 1971, at Tiger Stadium, which was also his very last game. That day, he played alongside his team against the Chicago Bears.
While on the field, as Hughes ran with the turf, he suddenly fell on the ground, clutching his chest around the 20-yard line. As he fell down, the doctors and team assistance ran up to help him as they took him to Henry Ford Hospital.
Not long after it, they pronounced him dead, and he was later buried in San Antonio, Texas. Well, Chuck was struggling with undiagnosed and advanced arteriosclerosis, which played a role in his death.
As for the direct matter, coronary thrombosis is a cause that caused myocardial infarction and cut off the blood flow to his heart.
5. Duk Koo Kim (July 29, 1955 – November 18, 1982)
- Nickname: “Gidae” (English: Anticipation)
- Date Of Birth: July 29, 1955
- Place Of Birth: Goseong-gun, South Korea
- Weight(s): Lightweight
- Wins: 17
- Losse: 2
- Draw: 1
Kim Duk-koo was a South Korean boxer who died after fighting in a world championship boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked reforms aimed at better protecting the health of fighters, including reducing the number of rounds in championship bouts from 15 to 12.
Kim Duk Koo was a world champion level boxer and a folklore hero in the South Korea. However, he bumped in an unfortunate event; the Las Vegas ring for a world championship bout.
This much-awaited fight stretched an incident that ended with Duk Koo Kim’s death, followed by a suicide. Indeed, this same incident also changed the way of the sports altogether.
Well, the fight was indeed brutal that ended in the thirteenth round. Both of them were bruised, swollen, and bleeding. However, as the thirteenth round ended, the start of the fourteenth round fight snapped Kim’s head back.
As Kim collapsed on the ring, they took him on a stretcher to the hospital, where he underwent immediate surgery. Unfortunately, right then, he suffered a blood clot on his brain and fell into a coma, and on the fourth day, he died.
Well, this didn’t end the incident’s outcome as four months later, Kim Duk Doo’s mother took her life by drinking pesticide. Likewise, the referee Richard Green also took his life while Mancini endured a prolonged period of depression.
6. Reggie Lewis (November 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993)
- Full Name: Reginald C. Lewis
- Nickname: Reggie
- Date Of Birth: November 21, 1965
- Place Of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Height: 2.01 m
- Spouse: Donna Harris-Lewis (m. 1991–1993)
- NBA draft: 1987 (Round: 1 / Pick: 22)
- Children: Reggie Jr. Lewis, Reggieana Lewis
- Education: Northeastern University, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School
- NBA Statistics: 7,902 points (17.6 ppg), 1,938 rebounds (4.3 rpg), and 1,153 assists (2.6 apg)
- Died: July 27, 1993, Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
- Burial Site: Forest Hills Cemetery
Reginald C. Lewis was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993.
Reggie Lewis was a professional basketball player who faced an early death at the young age of 27 on the court. However, before his death on July 27, 1993, Reggie stumbled upon a similar incident against the Charlotte Hornets in a playoff series.
Initially, he fell on the court and remained on the ground for several seconds. Later, he got up and left the game. Following it, he made a few follow-up checkups to the hospital and later joined the game again.
During the off-season practice at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, Reggie suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and fell to the ground. Right there, a police officer opted to give him mouth-to-mouth respiration but to no vain.
Altogether, the cause of Reggie’s death is a heart defect, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
7. Ayrton Senna (21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994)
- Full Name: Ayrton Senna da Silva
- Date Of Birht: March 21, 1960
- Place Of Birth: Santana, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
- Spouse: Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza (m. 1981–1983)
- Parents: Milton da Silva, Neide Senna
- Siblings: Viviane Senna, Leonardo Senna
- Career Statistics: three championships, 41 wins, 80 podiums, 610 (614) career points, 65 pole positions, 19 fastest laps
- Died: May 1, 1994, Major Carlo Alberto Pizzardi Hospital, Bologna, Italy
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 1988, 1990, and 1991. Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and won 41 Grands Prix and 65 pole positions, with the latter being the record until 2006.
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix became the last racing event for Ayrton Senna. However, except for Ayrton, this event witnessed another death of Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger during the Saturday qualifying.
Roland was driving 310 km/h (190 mph) before his car hit the concrete retaining wall. Indeed, Senna was present there, and FIA Medical Chief Professor Sid Watkins had asked him to stop racing as he might also end the same way.
However, as we all know, Ayrton had a great passion for his sport, so he stood to keep going. Following it, the event also had several other injuries along the way. Senna met an accident on lap seven while rounding at the high-speed Tamburello corner.
Right then, he was driving 307 km/h (191 mph) before he ran in a straight line off the track, hitting the concrete retaining. It took them around two minutes for them to take him out of his car.
By the time he was taken, Ayrton had showcased a weak heartbeat and had a blood loss from his ruptured temporal artery. Later, he was taken to Bologna’s Maggiore Hospital and died after his brain stopped functioning.
Altogether, Senna had undergone a fatal skull fracture, brain injuries, and a ruptured temporal artery.
8. Dale Earnhardt (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)
- Full Name: Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr.
- Nickname: Big E, Man In Black, Mr. Chevrolet, The Intimidator
- Date Of Birth: April 29, 1951
- Place Of Birth: Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States
- Career Statistics: 21 wins, 75 top tens, seven poles
- Spouse: Teresa Earnhardt (m. 1982–2001), Brenda Lorraine Gee (m. 1972–1979), Latane Brown (m. 1968–1970)
- Children: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kerry Earnhardt, Taylor Nicole Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller
- Siblings: Danny Earnhardt, Randy Earnhardt, Kaye Earnhardt, Cathy Earnhardt
- Parents: Ralph Earnhardt, Martha Coleman
- Died: February 18, 2001, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.
Dale Earnhardt was a former stock car driver and team owner, a notable race driver in his time.
On February 18, 2001, Dale partook at the Daytona International Speedway, and he got into a three-car crash. After the crash, Dale’s car slammed into the wall on the final turn of the race.
This three-car crash included first with Sterling Marlin, followed by Ken Schrader. Right after it, they took him to the Halifax Medical Center at 5:16 PM, and he died after sustaining a fatal basilar skull fracture.
9. Marc Vivien Foe (1 May 1975 – 26 June 2003)
- Date Of Birth: May 1, 1975
- Place Of Birth: Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Parents: Martin Foé Amougou
- Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
- Children: Marc-Scott Foe
- Career Statistics: 30 goals, five assists
Marc-Vivien Foé was a Cameroonian professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder for both club and country
Marc Vivien Foe is a decorated athlete that devoted more than a decade to the field. During his last period of time, Foe was playing for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in the international arena.
Well, Foe was at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France, playing against Colombia in the semi-final match.
During the 72nd minute, he collapsed on the ground at the center. Right then, there were no players near him, and hence, he was stretched out of the ground.
Following it, they gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and medical support; however, he died shortly. Altogether, they revealed that Foe died of heart-related disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
10. Antonio Puerta (26 November 1984 – 28 August 2007)
- Full Name: Antonio José Puerta Pérez
- Date Of Birth: November 26, 1984
- Place Of Birth: Seville, Spain
- Position(s): Wingback
- Sevilla: 1993–2002
- Died: August 28, 2007, Seville, Spain
Antonio José Puerta Pérez was a Spanish professional footballer who played solely for Sevilla. Mainly a left midfielder who could also operate as an attacking left back, he died on 28 August 2007
Antonio Puerta was a professional soccer athlete who devoted more than a decade to his career. However, he didn’t have many appearances on the field as he only played once for Spain.
Initially, Antonio stumbled into the injury on 25 August 2007 that eventually took him to his grave three days later. Well, within 35 minutes of the game, Antonio collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area due to a cardiac arrest.
During that time, he was playing against Getafe CF at home ground Sánchez Pizjuán. As he collapsed, all the team members and players ran towards him and took him to the dressing room.
Following it, they gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation in intensive care, and three days later, he was gone. In the end, the doctors stated that Antonio had faced several organ failures and irreversible brain damage.
Well, he had struggled with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia that caused him the pre-mature death.
