R.I.P. SPORTS RELATED 2023(Non Wrestlers) (*)

[jimsteel]

Momo Zhou has very sadly passed away at the age of 31

Zhou was the first ever female to compete at the World Cup of darts for China and was a trailblazer for ladies darts!

[jimsteel]

Ken Stephanson, a former defenseman in the WHA passed away at the age of 81.

The following is an excerpt from Stephanson's online obituary: Ken grew up in Selkirk, Manitoba, and was very proud of his Icelandic roots. He met Gerry in Whytewold where they continued to date until 1962, when they got married. Decades later, they remained loyal and true to one another and found a community they loved in Gimli, Manitoba, where they settled and met many wonderful friends.

Ken started his professional hockey career in Kingston, Ontario and from there he played in several American cities. His highlights included playing in the WHL (now Wpg Jets) and being on the Canadian National Team.

He played 106 games in the World Hockey Association for the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Nationals.

[jimsteel]

Dave Richardson, a former left-wing in the NHL, passed away at the age of 82

[jimsteel]

Don Bramlett, a former NFL defensive tackle passed away at the age of 60.

The following is text from Bramlett's online obituary: "Don attended high school at Evangelical Christian where he played football with All District and All State honors.

He signed a scholarship to play football at the University of Memphis, where he lettered for the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Don transferred to Carson Newman University, where he played for between 1985 and 1986 and was named MVP of the 1986 NAIA National Championship game. Don signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings and played during the 1987 NFL strike. After his football career,

Don worked in the pharmaceutical industry beginning in 1989. For the past 11 years he worked for Canadian National Railroad, the last 5 years as a Railroad Engineer. Don loved his career on the railroad and the special bond with his brothers there.

[jimsteel]

Australian Bobsledding legend Duncan Pugh died suddenly at the age of 48

[jimsteel]

Joe Moss, a former tackle and coach in the NFL and CFL, passed away at the age of 92

The following is an excerpt from Mr. Moss's online obituary: "Football was Joe's life. He played basketball and football in high school, but his career solidified when he played football at the University of Maryland. The team won the 1952 Sugar Bowl against the number 1 team, Tennessee. Joe was later drafted into the NFL by the LA Rams but traded to the Washington Redskins in 1952, where he played for a year. He then served out his ROTC commitment to the Air Force, where he was a player/coach. He played one season for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the CFL.
His coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, followed by coaching at Texas Tech, West Texas State and then 8 years at the Air Force Academy. He left Colorado for the NFL, where he spent 4 years as Defensive Coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. Joe then moved to Canada to continue his career with the Canadian Football League, which included the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Rough Riders. In 1983, Joe was the defensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts and helped coach the team to victory in the 71st Grey Cup. Along the way, he was also Head Coach for the University of Ottawa Gee Gees that went undefeated, and coached two seasons of Arena Football for the Red Dogs and Toronto Phantoms.
He continued his Air Force career in the Reserves, serving his last few years at the Pentagon, where he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

The following are the teams that Moss coached during his career.

1956–1960 Maryland (asst.)
1961–1968 Air Force (asst. HC)
1969–1972 Philadelphia Eagles (DL)
1973–1974 Toronto Argonauts (DC)
1974 Toronto Argonauts
1975–1976 Toronto Argonauts (DC)
1977 Saskatchewan Roughriders (DB)
1978–1982 Ottawa Gee-Gees
1983–1984 Toronto Argonauts (DC)
1985–1986 Ottawa Rough Riders
1987–1989 Toronto Argonauts (DL)
1990–1993 Hamilton Tiger-Cats (DL)
1994–1995 Toronto Argonauts (DL)
1996 Ottawa Rough Riders (DC)
1997 Hamilton Tiger-Cats (DL)
1998–1999 New Jersey Red Dogs (asst.)
2001 Toronto Phantoms (DL/OL/ST)

[jimsteel]

Kaye Vaughan, a former lineman with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League for twelve seasons, passed away at the age of 91 .

He won the CFL's Outstanding Lineman Award in 1956 and 1957 and is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1978, Vaughan was voted 41st in the CFL's top 50 players in a poll conducted by Canadian sports network TSN, one of the few players from the 1950s who were included.

Born and raised in the United States, Vaughan played high school football at Concordia Junior-Senior High School in Concordia, Kansas, and graduated in 1949. He played college football at the University of Tulsa from 1950 to 1952, and was inducted into its hall of fame in 1990. In 1953 he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 12th round of the NFL Draft. Among his many awards he was a CFL All-Star in 1962, a CFL East All-Star 1953, 1956, 1957, 1959–1962, a 1956, 1957 - CFL's Outstanding Lineman Award winner and was part of a 1960 - Grey Cup champion. He played from 1953–1964 for the Ottawa Rough Riders and also played for the Montreal Alouettes in 1966.

Vaughan's son Jake was born in 1963 in Ottawa and went on to play in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts from 1987 to 1988.

[jimsteel]

Marv Kellum, a former NFL linebacker, passed away on at the age of 70.

He reportedly had been fighting digestive and myeloma cancer. Kellum played for four seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a member of the Steelers' first 2 World Championships, Super Bowls IX & X, and St. Louis Cardinals. Kellum recovered a fumble on the opening kick-off of the second half of Super Bowl IX, which led to the game's first touchdown. He was used mainly on special teams with the Steelers. He played college football at Wichita State and went undrafted in the 1974 NFL Draft. He signed a free agent contract with the Steelers in 1974. He played on the following teams during his NFL career: the 1974–1976 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 1977 St. Louis Cardinals.

[jimsteel]

Ron Tompkins, a former MLB pitcher, passed away at the age of 78

He played in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Athletics (1965) and Chicago Cubs (1971).

Tompkins never won a big-league game in his career and played in 40 games while sporting a lifetime 3.96 ERA. Today, he is perhaps best known for appearing on a Topps 1968 “Rookie Stars” baseball card with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench–– a high profile card based on the fact that it is Bench’s rookie card.

In 1962 he was signed right out of high school by the Athletics and in September of 1965 he appeared in his first MLB game. In 1967 he began a tour of the MLB as he was traded and or drafted by several clubs, including the Reds, the Braves, the Royals and Brewers, before finally being drafted by the Cubs in the 1970 rule 5 draft. He finally pitched for the Cubs after waiting 6 years in the minors. But Mr. Tompkins had lived every boy's dream by making it to the Majors. After 1971 he appeared in two additional minor league seasons before retiring at the age of 28.

[TTX]

RIP to those who have passed.