Notable sports deaths in 2019

A look at those athletes, coaches and sports personalities we've lost in 2019.

See the notable 2020 sports deaths here.)

Tyler Trent

Tyler Trent, a former Purdue University student and college football super fan who inspired many with his battle against cancer, died on Jan. 1. He was 20.

'Mean' Gene Okerlund

'Mean' Gene Okerlund, a WWE Hall of Famer who rose to fame as an announcer and interviewer, died at age 76, WWE announced on Jan. 2.

Mel Stottlemyre

Mel Stottlemyre, the Yankees ace turned pitching coach for both New York teams, died at the age of 77 on Jan. 13. The Yankees said Stottlemyre died of complications from multiple myeloma, an incurable bone marrow cancer.

Frank Robinson

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the first black manager in Major League Baseball and the only player to win the MVP award in both leagues, has died. He was 83. Robinson had been in hospice care at his home in Bel Air. MLB confirmed his death Thursday, Feb. 7.

Don Newcombe

Don Newcombe, the hard-throwing Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who was one of the first black players in the major leagues and who went on to win the rookie of the year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards, died Tuesday, Feb. 19. He was 92.

Nick Cafardo

Nick Cafardo, the longtime Boston Globe baseball writer, died after collapsing at the Red Sox's spring training ballpark. He was 62. The newspaper said Cafardo had an embolism Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, and Red Sox medical staff was unable to revive him.

Ted Lindsay

Ted Lindsay, an NHL Hall of Famer and Detroit Red Wings great, died on March 4. He was 93. Lindsay was a nine-time All-Star and provided muscle and meanness for Detroit's "Production Line" of the 1950s. He also helped organize the original Players' Association.

King Kong Bundy

King Kong Bundy, a professional wrestler for the WWF (now WWE) whose real name was Christopher Pallies, died on March 4. The 6-foot-4, 458-pound wrestler from Atlantic City debuted in 1981, and his career was highlighted by his "five count" demand when pinning an opponent and his WrestleMania 2 steel cage match with Hulk Hogan in 1986.

Dan Jenkins

Dan Jenkins, a legendary sports writer and author, died on March 7, TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati confirmed. He was 89. Jenkins attended the first of his 232 major championships, the 1941 U.S. Open at Colonial, at 12 years old in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.

Harry Howell

NHL Hall of Fame defenseman Harry Howell, who played the most games in Rangers’ history died on March 9. He was 86. He had been living at an assisted care facility near his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. A seven-time All-Star, Howell played 1,160 games for the Rangers from 1952-69 and had his No. 3 retired by the team.

Johnny "Lam" Jones

Johnny “Lam” Jones, a former Olympic gold medal sprinter whose electrifying speed and receiving ability prompted the Jets to make a blockbuster move to take him second overall in the 1980 draft, died on March 15 after a long battle with myeloma cancer. He was 60.

Forrest Gregg

Forrest Gregg, who starred at tackle and guard for the 1960s Packers, died at 85, the Pro Football Hall of Fame said in a statement on April 12. Legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi referred to Gregg as the "best player I ever coached."

John Havlicek

John Havlicek, the Boston Celtics great whose steal of Hal Greer’s inbounds pass in the final seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia 76ers remains one of the most famous plays in NBA history, has died. He was 79. The Celtics said the Hall of Famer died Thursday in Jupiter, Florida. The cause of death wasn’t immediately available. The Boston Globe said he had Parkinson’s disease.

David Montgomery

David Montgomery, the Phillies chairman who was Philadelphia's president during the team's 2008 World Series championship season, died at 72 after a five-year battle with cancer, the team announced Wednesday.

Mickey Crowley

Mickey Crowley, a Long Island resdent who officiated the 1989 and 1991 NCAA Tournament finals, died on April 12 at his home in Calabash, North Carolina, his family said. He was 85.

Harold Lederman

Harold Lederman, the International Boxing Hall of Famer who judged matches both in an official capacity and as a ringside analyst on HBO's broadcasts, died on May 11 after a long battle with cancer. He was 79.

Gunther Cunningham

Gunther Cunningham, who spent more than five decades in football, including college and the CFL before making a name for himself in the NFL, died on May 11 at age 72. He worked for six different franchises over 34 years in the league, including a two-year stint as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ashley Massaro

Ashley Massaro, a former WWE star, was found dead on May 16 in her Smithtown home, the WWE announced. She was 39. Her death was "determined to be noncriminal," Suffolk County police said.

Bart Starr

Bart Starr, the Green Bay Packers quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse teams of the 1960s, has died. He was 85. The Packers announced Sunday that Starr had died, citing his family. He had been in failing health since suffering two strokes and a heart attack in 2014.

Bill Buckner

Bill Buckner, the Red Sox All-Star first baseman whose misplay of Mookie Wilson's ground ball in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series became one of the most ne of the most infamous plays in major league history, died on May 27 at age 69. He died after a long battle with Lewy body dementia, Buckner's family said in a statement. The disease causes Alzheimer's-like symptoms along with movement and other problems.

Pat Bowlen

Pat Bowlen, the Denver Broncos owner who transformed the team from also-rans into NFL champions and helped the league usher in billion-dollar TV deals, died on June 13, less than two months before his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 75.

Tyler Skaggs

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died on July 1 at age 27 in Texas, the team announced. There were no other immediate details. The Angels' game against the Texas Rangers scheduled for July 1 was postponed.

Jared Lorenzen

Former Giants and University of Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen died on July 3 at age 38 after years of health problems related to his weight, his family said.

Jim Bouton

Jim Bouton, a former Yankees pitcher and author of the best-selling 1970 book "Ball Four," died on July 10 at age 80 after struggling with a dementia-like condition in recent years.

Walt Michaels

Former Jets head coach Walt Michaels, who was the defensive coordinator for the team's Super Bowl III victory over the Colts, died on July 10, the Jets confirmed. He was 89.

Pernell Whitaker

Former boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist Pernell Whitaker died Sunday, July 14, after he was hit by a car in Virginia, police said. He was 55.

Pumpsie Green

Elijah "Pumpsie" Green, the first black player on the Boston Red Sox, died at age 85, the Red Sox confirmed on July 17.

Mitch Petrus

Mitch Petrus, a former Giants offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl in his second season, died of apparent heat stroke on July 18 in Arkansas, officials said.

Maxim Dadashev

Boxer Maxim Dadashev died on July 23 after suffering a brain injury in a fight in Maryland on July 19. He was 28. The Russian Boxing Federation said Dadashev died "as a result of the injuries he sustained" in the light-welterweight fight with Subriel Matias at the Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Cathy Inglese

Cathy Inglese, a Hofstra women's basketball assistant coach who had previously coached at Boston College from 1993-2008, died on July 24, a week after sustaining a brain injury in a fall. She was 60.

Nick Buoniconti

Nick Buoniconti was the biggest name on the Dolphins’ “No- Name Defense,” and that only was one chapter in a busy professional life that included stints as a television host, agent, lawyer, activist and business executive. But Buoniconti, who died July 30 at age 78, paid a heavy personal price for his family’s involvement in football.

Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson, a former NFL and Texas running back, died in a motorcycle accident in Texas on Aug. 17 at age 36.

Al Jackson

Al Jackson, an original Met in 1962 who spent 50 years with the franchise, died Aug. 19 in a nursing home in Port St. Lucie, Florida after a long illness. He was 83.

Barry Bennett

Former NFL defensive lineman Barry Bennett, who played 11 seasons with the Saints, Jets and Vikings, and his wife were found Wednesday after a friend went to their Minnesota home for a welfare check. Bennett was 63.

Jevan Snead

Jevan Snead, the former Mississippi quarterback who ranks among the school’s career passing leaders, died in Texas at age 32. Police said officers responding to a call found Snead dead in Austin on Saturday night. Austin police provided no information except to say the death isn’t considered suspicious.

Bill Bidwill

William V. “Bill'' Bidwill, who owned the Arizona Cardinals, died on Oct. 2 at age 88.

Patrick Day

Freeport boxer Patrick Day, 27, died on Oct. 16 at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital after suffering a traumatic brain injury during his USBA title fight against Charles Conwell on Oct. 12, promoter Lou DiBella said in a statement.  

Jim Gregory

Hockey Hall of Famer and popular longtime NHL executive Jim Gregory, best known for being one of the first to start bringing European players to North America, died at the age of 83. The league said Gregory died Wednesday, Oct. 30, at his home in Toronto. A cause of death was not disclosed.