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

[jimsteel]

Kelly Malveaux, a former Defensive back and linebacker in the CFL, passed away at the age of 47.

Malveaux played college football for the University of Arizona. During his CFL career, he recorded 17 interceptions and 6 sacks as mainly as a defensive back and played at several levels of professional football suiting up from 1999 to 2010 during his career with the Amsterdam Admirals, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, Montreal Alouettes, Orlando Rage, Sacramento Mountain Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Below are the teams that Malveaux played for during his CFL career:
Saskatchewan Roughriders (1999)
Calgary Stampeders (2001–2003)
Montreal Alouettes (2004–2005)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2006–2009)
Edmonton Eskimos (2009

[jimsteel]

Tommy Nettles, a former wide receiver in the CFL, passed away at the age of 79.

He was a standout athlete at San Diego State and was named the Aztecs’ MVP during his senior season. He was then drafted by the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, but chose to play in Canada at Edmonton. In the two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos, Nettles caught 49 passes for 642 yards and three TDs. In an article by JOHN MAFFEI of the San Diego Tribune, Nettles even earned his way onto the PGA Tour as a golfer after his pro football career ended. While at San Diego State he did the following: set a record with 363 yards against Southern Miss in 1968...Was the Aztec MVP in 1968...Threw the javelin for the track and field team...also a member of the varsity golf team...Later he became a sportscaster and executive director of the San Diego Hall of Champions.

[jimsteel]

Donald O'Neal Lassetter, a former MLB outfielder, passed away on January 22, at the age of 90. The outfielder appeared in four Major League Baseball games as a member of the 1957 St. Louis Cardinals, but spent the remainder of his eight-season career in minor league baseball.

Lassetter attended the University of Georgia,and his 13-at-bat Major League trial with the 1957 Cardinals occurred after he hit 27 home runs and knocked home 84 runs batted in for Triple-A Omaha of the American Association. His two MLB hits included a triple off Dick Drott of the Chicago Cubs on September 27, 1957.

The following is an excerpt from Lassetter's online obituary: "He was a gentle giant. As a child growing up in Newnan, he enjoyed a considerable size advantage over his peers. This size advantage and his natural athletic ability allowed him to excel in all sports. In high school, Don made all state in football, basketball, and baseball.

After graduating from Newnan High School in 1951, he played football for the University of Georgia and then for the University of Houston. However, he is best known as a professional baseball player. After college, Don played professional baseball for the triple-A club Omaha cardinals, where he hit 27 home runs and had 84 RBIs in a single season. He was called up to the major leagues by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1957, where he played first base and outfield. After baseball, he began his career as an insurance adjuster with the General Adjustment Bureau.

[jimsteel]

Jimy Williams, a MLB infielder, coach and manager of Major League Baseball, passed away at the age of 80.

He was born in Santa Maria, California, and briefly appeared in two MLB seasons as a second baseman and shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. After his playing career, he managed in the California Angels' minor league system before managing at the MLB level for the Toronto Blue Jays (1986–89), Boston Red Sox (1997–2001) and Houston Astros (2002–04), and was the American League Manager of the Year in 1999. He also coached for Toronto, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. Williams played and managed the following teams:

As player
St. Louis Cardinals (1966–1967)
As a manager
Toronto Blue Jays (1986–1989)
Boston Red Sox (1997–2001)
Houston Astros (2002–2004)

[jimsteel]

Marie Mansfield Kelley, a former player in the AAGPBL, passed away at the age of 92.

Born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Mansfield began playing softball at age 12. She entered the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1950 with the Rockford Peaches, playing for them as a fourth outfielder and at first base. Guided by her manager Bill Allington, she showed promise on the pitcher's mound with her fluid overhand delivery, which the league converted in 1946. Allington did not hesitate to include her on the Peaches pitching staff.

In 1951 Mansfield teamed up with Rose Gacioch and Helen Fox to give Rockford a strong one-two-three punch pitching combination on the eight-team circuit. She collected a 16–8 record and a 2.85 earned-run average in 30 games, ending fifth in wins, eighth in innings pitched (202), and third in strikeouts (121) behind Jean Faut of the South Bend Blue Sox (135) and Margaret Holgerson of the Grand Rapids Chicks (123). In addition, Gacioch finished 20–7 and Fox went 18–7 to assure a berth in the postseason. In the first round of the best-of-three series, Rockford swept the favored Chicks backed by victories from Fox and Mansfield, and the bats of Eleanor Callow and Dorothy Kamenshek. The Peaches won the first two games of the final best-of-five series, but South Bend claimed the championship by winning them three games in a row.

Mansfield moved to the ill-fated Battle Creek Belles in 1952, as the AAGPBL shifted players as needed to help some teams stay afloat. Nevertheless, she rejoined the Peaches late in the year in time to help the team in the playoffs. She dropped for a combined 3–14 record in the regular season, while Rockford advanced to the finals after sweeping the Fort Wayne Daisies in two games. The 1952 championship series was a repeat of the previous year, with the Peaches again facing the Blue Sox. This time Rockford lost to South Bend, three to two games. Faut was the winning pitcher in the decisive Game 5, hitting two triples and driving in two runs while turning in a 6–3 complete game performance.

In 1953 Mansfield went 10–12 with 143 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA, tying with Faut for the most strikeouts in the season. Fourth-placed Rockford faced second-placed Grand Rapids in the first round of the best-of-three series. Rockford was the winner in Game 1 by a 9–2 score, but Earlene Risinger pitched a 2–0 shutout to lead the Chicks in Game 2, while Dorothy Mueller held off the Peaches on eight hits in the final game, to send Grand Rapids into the finals.

Mansfield had a 5–8 record in 1954, finishing seventh in ERA (3.27) and ninth in strikeouts, during what turned out to be the league's final season. With five teams in the circuit, the only team not to make it to the postseason was the last place Rockford Peaches.

In a five-season career, Mansfield collected a 34–42 record and a 3.33 ERA in 92 pitching appearances. She went 1–2 in three postseason games and posted a solid 0.86 ERA in 21 innings of work.
Following her baseball career, Mansfield returned to her homeland of Jamaica Plain and worked as a key-punch operator at a number of firms. After retiring, she became an active collaborator of the AAGPBL Players Association. With former AAGPBL pitcher June Peppas at the helm, the association was largely responsible for the opening of a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled in 1988 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

[jimsteel]

Terry Beasley, an NFL wide receiver, passed away at the age of 73.

He played college football for the Auburn Tigers, where he lettered from 1969 to 1971. In his college career, Beasley amassed 141 receptions, for program records of 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns while playing with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Pat Sullivan.

His 29 career receiving touchdowns were also an SEC record at the time. He was an All-American between 1970 and 1971. He led the SEC in receptions, receiving yards and scoring in 1970 with 52 receptions, 1,051 receiving yards and 72 points. In 1971, he was named the College Pass Receiver of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. Beasley is one of three Auburn players to have their numbers retired by the team, along with Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson. He was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

After college, Beasley was selected in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he spent the duration of his short professional career before injuries forced his retirement following the 1975 season.

[jimsteel]

Blaine Lacher, a former NHL goaltender, passed away at the age of 53.

Lacher played for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League in the mid-1990s.

He was a standout goaltender at Lake Superior State University in college, leading his team to a national championship in 1994. In his final season at Lake Superior State, Lacher led the nation in both save percentage (SV%) and goals against average (GAA) at .918 and 1.98, respectively. He set an NCAA Division 1 shutout record of 375:01, which still stands as of 2024. Lacher gave up his final year of eligibility to sign as a free agent with the Boston Bruins.

Lacher started his professional career with the Bruins well, losing only one of his starts down the stretch to get the team into the 1995 NHL Playoffs, where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the New Jersey Devils. Lacher had a spectacular season in 1994–95, making 35 appearances. His record in those games was 19–11–2 with a 2.41 goals against average (GAA), a .902 save percentage (SV%), and four shutouts.

After being promoted to full-time starting goaltender the following season, Lacher's earlier performances did not keep up and his statistics suffered. He was part of a rotation of goaltenders in the 1995–96 season, which ended with Craig Billington signing onto the Bruins and when the Bruins traded one-time Bruins prospect Bill Ranford from the Edmonton Oilers. Lacher played for several teams during the 1995–1996 season, playing for the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL, and the Bruins' minor-league affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Even in Providence, Lacher's record was hardly up to his numbers from the previous season. With Boston, Lacher's record was 3–5–2 with a poor 3.93 GAA and .845 SV%. Lacher did not return with the Bruins after that season.

[TTX]

RIP

[jimsteel]

Al McBean, a former pitcher in MLB, passed away at the age of 85.

McBean grew up playing baseball in his native Virgin Islands. He was discovered when the Pittsburgh Pirates held a tryout in St. Thomas in 1957. Originally only there to take pictures for a local paper, McBean was convinced by friends to try out, and ended up receiving an invite to spring training in 1958.

After three seasons in the Pirates' farm system, in which he went 28-21 with a 3.57 earned-run average, McBean made his major league debut on July 2, 1961 in the first game of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants at Forbes Field. Entering a tied game, the first batter he faced, Ed Bailey, reached on an error by second baseman Bill Mazeroski. A double, wild pitch & single later, the Giants had plated two runs. A four-run eighth inning by the Pirates spared McBean from taking the loss in his major league debut.

In his next 6 appearances, McBean pitched 10.2 innings without surrendering a run, earning the first two wins of his career. His first career start also came against the Giants on September 11. He allowed three earned runs over nine innings and left with the game tied for a no-decision. For the season, he went 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA & 49 strikeouts.
McBean was converted into a full-time starting pitcher in 1962, and won his first three decisions. He finished with a 15-10 record & 3.70 ERA over the full season.
He was 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA when he was converted into a reliever in May 1963. He was dominant in that role, going 11-2 with a 2.12 ERA and earning eleven saves out of the bullpen. After the season, he joined Roberto Clemente's National League Latino All-Stars for a game at the Polo Grounds on October 12. McBean followed Juan Marichal's four scoreless innings, pitched with four scoreless of his own, and drove in a run with a sixth-inning triple to lead the NL to a 5-2 victory.

McBean was even more dominant in 1964. Following a June 27 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, McBean was 3-0 with an 0.69 ERA & eight saves. He earned 21 saves over the season, which was good enough for second place in the NL (to the Houston Colt .45s' Hal Woodeshick). Coupled with his 8-3 record, he was named The Sporting News' NL Fireman of the Year. He was once again one of the NL's top relievers in 1965, going 6-6 with a 2.29 ERA & 19 saves.
With Roy Face returning in 1966 from an injury plagued 1965 season, he resumed the closer role. Meanwhile, manager Harry Walker relegated McBean to mop up duty. He appeared in 32 of the Pirates' 70 losses; the Pirates were 15-32 in games he appeared in.

Walker was fired midway through the 1967 season and replaced by his predecessor, Danny Murtaugh. At the time, McBean was 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA & four saves. After sixteen appearances out of the bullpen for Murtaugh, McBean returned to the starting rotation. He went 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA & five complete games in seven starts for the manager he broke into the big leagues with. He went 9-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 1968.
McBean was the 50th player selected in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft by the San Diego Padres. He made just one appearance with the Padres before being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for shortstop Tommy Dean & pitcher Leon Everitt. Again a reliever, McBean went 2-6 with a 3.91 ERA & four saves out of the Dodgers' bullpen. After just one inning pitched with the Dodgers in 1970, McBean was released, and he returned to Pittsburgh. He would make seven appearances, all in relief, before his May 18 release. He would pitch in the Philadelphia Phillies' system into the 1971 season before retiring.

[jimsteel]

Carl Weathers, a former NFL/CFL linebacker, passed away at the age of 76

Weathers was also an actor, director and former professional football player. He was known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. He also portrayed Det.

Beaudreaux in the television series Street Justice (1991–1993) and a fictionalized version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development (2004, 2013), and voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). He had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Weathers played college football at San Diego State University. After going undrafted in the 1970 NFL Draft, he signed with the Oakland Raiders. He signed with the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League after being released by the Raiders.