R.I.P. SPORTS RELATED 2024(Non Wrestlers)

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RIP

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Villa legend Gary Shaw dies aged 63 after fall

He helped Villa win the 1981 league title and the European Cup in 1982.

Shaw came through the youth ranks at his boyhood club and went on to score 79 goals in 213 games for Villa.

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Ben Fairbrother, a beloved former CFL offensive lineman, tragically died in a motorcycle accident on in Edmonton. He was 51 years old.

Ben was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where he attended Bishop Carroll High School. He went on to play football for the University of Calgary Dinos, where he was a standout offensive lineman. During his time with the Dinos, Ben earned Canada West all-star honors twice and was named a second-team All-Canadian in 1996. His collegiate career was highlighted by a Vanier Cup championship in 1995.

In 1997, Ben was selected second overall in the CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played 95 games in the CFL, splitting his career between the Roughriders and the B.C. Lions before retiring in 2003. Ben’s dedication to the sport continued as he took on the role of offensive line coach with the Edmonton Wildcats junior program, where he made a lasting impact on many young athletes.

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The Australian horse racing world is in mourning after Melbourne Cup contender Riff Rocket died just days after undergoing emergency surgery.

The racing horse, who was trained by Chris Waller, was rushed in for colic surgery on the eve of his campaign at Flemington this spring.

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Otis Davis, the celebrated Olympic sprinter who captured gold in both the 400 meters and the 4x400 meters relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics, passed away at the age of 92.

Born on July 12, 1932, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Davis’s journey to athletic greatness was unconventional. He only began running competitively at the age of 26 while attending the University of Oregon.

Despite his late start, Davis quickly made his mark on the track and field world. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, he won the 400 meters in a dramatic photo finish and anchored the U.S. team to victory in the 4x400 meters relay, setting a world record in the process. That same year, at the age of 28, Davis made the U.S. Olympic team. He ran his fastest time to date one week before participating in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome as one of the oldest members of the track team, where he was nicknamed "Pops" by his teammates. According to Davis, "I was still learning how to turn with the staggered starts and all. I was still learning the strategy involved. I was still learning how to run in the lanes."

Davis competed against heavily favored German athlete Carl Kaufmann, who was the world record holder in the 400-meter dash. Davis won by a hair over Kaufmann, setting a world record of 44.9 seconds and becoming the first man to break the heralded 45-second barrier. The photo of the finish, with (in full horizontal dive position) Kaufmann's nose ahead of Davis, but his torso behind, has been studied and discussed by track and field officials for years. Both athletes were awarded world record time, recorded in the 10ths of a second in those days, but Davis was awarded the win. Two days later, Davis and Kaufmann met again for the 4 × 400 m relay final. He held off the challenge, anchoring home the gold with another world record performance of 3:02.2. The photo of the finish of that race was also made famous in Life magazine.
Davis in 2012, at his desk at Union City High School in Union City, New Jersey, where he worked as a verification officer, coach and mentor.

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Tom Myers, a former quarterback in the NFL, passed away on at the age of 81.

The following is an excerpt from Myers online obituary:

"Tom attended and graduated from Troy High School, where he excelled in high school sports. As an accomplished quarterback for Troy, Tom completed a remarkable 73 career touchdown passes and Troy High School inducted him to its Athletic Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2013.

From many football scholarship offers, Tom chose to play at Northwestern University, an offense designed by Ara Parseghian that utilized his passing skills. Tom played on the Northwestern freshman football team in 1961 and became the starting quarterback for Northwestern’s varsity team beginning in 1962.

He quickly earned a national reputation for his excellent passing and for guiding the team’s offense during an outstanding 1962 season, which included a 6-0 start and the nation’s mid-season No.1-ranking. Tom was named All-American following the 1962 season and in 1970, he was recognized as an All-Time All-American. In 1991, he accepted induction into the Northwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame.

After college, fulfilling one of his early goals, he went on to play professional football and was a fourth-round draft pick for the Detroit Lions, where he played for two seasons. He played in two games for the Lions from 1965-1966.

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Minnie Mendoza, a former infielder for the Minnesota Twins and a MLB coach, passed away at the age of 89.

The following is from a Cuban Newspaper and translated:

He was born in Ceiba del Agua, Havana province.

Cuban baseball player, he debuted in the Major Leagues in 1970 with the Minnesota Twins. He debuted on April 9, 1970 and his last game was made on June 7 of the same year. He played as an infielder and coach.

After 16 seasons in the Minor Leagues (12 of them with the Twins, or their predecessors, the Washington Senators). The Twins said Minnie was 36 (using a date of birth that is still considered correct), but Mendoza insisted he was 34. His promotion to the big leagues was not a gift; the previous season Minnie was at the top of the Class AAA American Association with 194 hits and a batting average of .333.

But it happened that there was no space for Mendoza to play for the Twins. He only participated in 16 games, in relief, and had 3 hits in 16 at-bats before being returned to the minor leagues in mid-June. He won another batting title in the minors, batting .316 to be the best in the Class AA Southern Association in 1971, when he was already 37, helping the Charlotte Hornets win. (He played in Charlotte for 10 seasons and was hugely popular there.) Mendoza finished his minor league career with 2,502 hits (his Baseball-Reference.com record does not include the 43 hits he hit in the Mexican League in 1973).

After retiring as a player, Mendoza coached Charlotte O's. Mendoza was also a first base coach for the Baltimore Orioles during the 1988 season. He then became a minor league instructor for the Orioles organization.

Mendoza was a coach for the Burlington Indians in the Appalachian League and manager of the team in 1992. Beginning in 2008, Mendoza was the Latin American coordinator for the Cleveland Indians Organization.
Here is an excerpt from Mendoza's online obituary: "Born in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba,

Minnie is a son of the late Ricardo and Carlotta Mendoza. He lived a full and remarkable life. At the age of 19, he came to the United States to pursue his dream of playing professional baseball, a passion that would define his lifelong career as a mentor and coach.

He had the privilege of working for great baseball organizations such as the Chicago White Socks, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and for over thirty years, Minnie was a cherished member of the Cleveland Indians/Guardians.

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Mike Lewis, a former NFL defensive tackle, passed away at the age of 75.

Lewis was born July 14, 1949, in Houston, Texas. He attended Jack Yates High School in Houston.

Lewis attended Wiley College, a private, historically black college in Marshall, Texas, playing football there until the school dropped the sport in 1968. He then transferred to Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he completed his college career in 1970.

Lewis initially joined the Falcons at their training camp ahead of the 1971 season as a linebacker, but was moved to defensive end as the team already had seven veteran linebackers in camp and there was little chance of cracking the roster at that position.

His position switch helped him make the club's 40-man roster. He saw action in nine games for Atlanta during his rookie year, playing on special teams.

Lewis shifted to the interior of the defensive line in 1972 and became a starter at right defensive tackle. He started every game for Atlanta at that position through the 1975 season. Mr. Lewis played for the following NFL teams during his career:
Atlanta Falcons (1971–1979)
Green Bay Packers (1980)

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Claude King, a former American Football League player, passed away at the age of 85.

He went to high school in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and played for the Houston Oilers and the Boston Patriots. He rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns during his two-year professional career.

King attended Carr Central High School, where he was a football and sprinting star. He was heavily recruited and chose the University of Houston where he was part of its storied rivalry with Ole Miss. He played for the following pro football teams:
Houston Oilers (1961)
Boston Patriots (1962)

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Donnell Thompson, a former NFL defensive end who played for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, passed away at the age of 65.

Born on October 27, 1958, in Lumberton, North Carolina, Thompson was a standout football player at Lumberton High School and the University of North Carolina, where he earned third-team All-American honors in 1980.

Selected 18th overall in the 1981 NFL Draft, Thompson spent his entire 11-year career with the Colts, amassing 41 sacks, eight fumble recoveries and one touchdown. Known for his strength and determination on the field, he was a key player on the defensive line alongside Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor during his college years.