Notable sports figures who have died in plane crashes
Roy Halladay of the Phillies delivers against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 17, 2013, in Philadelphia. Credit: Getty Images North America / Drew Hallowell
Prominent athletes, coaches and officials who have died in plane crashes:
Nov. 7, 2017: Roy Halladay, former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nov. 28, 2016: Seventy-one people, including coaches and 19 players of the Brazil Chapecoense soccer team, killed when chartered flight runs out of fuel and crashes into mountains near Medellin, Columbia.
Nov. 17, 2011: Kurt Budke, Oklahoma State women’s basketball coach, passenger on private plane that crashed in Perry County, Arkansas, on a recruiting trip.
Oct. 11, 2006: Cory Lidle, Yankees pitcher, in New York City.
Sept. 11, 2001: Mari Rae Sopper, gymnastics coach at UC Santa Barbara, a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 77 which crashed into the Pentagon in Washington.
Sept. 11, 2001: Garnet “Ace” Bailey, director of pro scouting for the L.A. Kings and Mark Bavis, an amateur scout, passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 — the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.
Jan. 27, 2001: Oklahoma State basketball players Dan Lawson and Nate Fleming, and six team staffers and broadcasters, in Byers, Colo.
Feb. 14, 2000: Tony Bettenhausen, Jr., race car driver-owner, near Lexington, Ky.
Oct. 25, 1999: Payne Stewart, two-time U.S. Open golf champion, near Mina, S.D.
May 11, 1996: Rodney Culver, San Diego Chargers running back, in Florida Everglades.
April 18, 1996: Brook Berringer, Nebraska quarterback, two days before the NFL draft, in Raymond, Neb.
July 13, 1993: Davey Allison, NASCAR driver, the day after a helicopter he was piloting crashed at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
April 28, 1993: 23 players and officials of Zambia’s national soccer team, in Libreville, Gabon.
April 1, 1993: Alan Kulwicki, NASCAR’s 1992 champion, in Blountville, Tenn.
Dec. 8, 1987: 17 players of the Alianza Peruvian first-division soccer team in Lima, Peru.
Aug. 16, 1987: Nick Vanos, Phoenix Suns center, in Romulus, Mich.
Nov. 25, 1985: Six members of the Iowa State women’s cross country team in Des Moines, Iowa.
Dec. 12, 1983: Rex Dockery, Memphis State football coach, with offensive coordinator Chris Faros and defensive back Charles Greenhill, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
March 14, 1980: 14 members of the U.S. amateur boxing team in Warsaw, Poland.
Jan. 11, 1980: Bo Rein, LSU football coach, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Aug. 2, 1979: Thurman Munson, Yankees catcher, in Akron, Ohio.
Dec. 13, 1977: 14 University of Evansville basketball players and coach Bobby Watson in Evansville, Ind.
June 24, 1975: Nets forward Wendell Ladner, in New York.
Dec. 31, 1972: Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, from San Juan, Puerto Rico en route to Nicaragua to aid earthquake victims.
Oct. 11, 1972: 30 Members of a Uruguayan rugby club, in Chile.
Nov. 14, 1970: 36 Marshall University football players, in Huntington, W.Va.
Oct. 2, 1970: 14 Wichita State football players, in Colorado.
Sept. 26, 1969: 25 members of Bolivian soccer team “The Strongest”, in the Andes.
Aug. 31, 1969: Rocky Marciano, world heavyweight boxing champion, in Newton, Iowa.
June 4, 1969: Rafael Osuna, 1963 U.S. Open Tennis Champion, in Mexico.
April 28, 1968: Six members of the Lamar Tech track team, in Beaumont, Texas.
July 24, 1966: Tony Lema, 1964 British Open champion, in Munster, Ind.
Feb. 15, 1964: Ken Hubbs, Chicago Cubs second baseman, in Utah.
April 12, 1962: Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver, in Melbourne.
April 3, 1961: Green Cross, a first-division Chilean soccer team, in the Las Lastimas Mountains.
Feb. 16, 1961: 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team, in Belgium.
Oct. 10, 1960: 16 members of the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football team, in Toledo, Ohio.
Aug. 14, 1958: Six members of the Egyptian fencing team, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Feb. 6, 1958: Eight members of the English soccer champion Manchester United, in Munich.
Nov. 27, 1956: Charlie Peete, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, in Venezuela.
Sept. 20, 1956: Tom Gastall, Baltimore Orioles catcher, in Maryland.
Oct. 30, 1954: Wilbur Shaw, three-time Indy 500 winner and President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Decatur, Ind.
July 1, 1954: John McBride, Alabama halfback, in an ROTC training flight in Texas.
Oct. 27, 1949: Marcel Cerdan, former world middleweight boxing champion, en route to fight Jake LaMotta in Spain.
May 4, 1949: 22 members of Torino, the Italian soccer champions, in Turin, Italy.
June 2, 1943: Nile Kinnick, Iowa’s 1939 Heisman Trophy winner, in the Gulf of Paria.
March 31, 1931: Knute Rockne, Notre Dame football coach, in Kansas.
Oct. 18, 1925: Marvin Goodwin, Cincinnati Reds pitcher, in Houston.
