Introduction This book chronicles the lives and deaths of athletes who departed out world suddenly, unexpectedly and without warning during their playing careers. For many the end came early, cruelly robbing them of the chance to keep competing. For others it arrived in their hour of greatest glory. And for some it came at the end of the road as they struggled to survive in the sports they loved and lived for. All of them faced the same merciless truth - there would be no next year. My interest in the subject began in my college years when I watched mesmerized as three events unfolded of the television screen - the on-field collapse of NFL wide receiver Chuck Hughes at Tiger Stadium in 1971, the kidnapping and murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the Munich Olymics in 1972 and the breakdown of Ruffian on the track at Belmont Park during her match race with Foolish Pleasure in 1975. They captivated and upset me, and I was far from the only one who felt that way. Athletes dying young attract widespread attention. The shock of premature death stirs up deep feelings in millions of fans. In the 1990s I began collecting source material in earnest, starting with contemporaneous newspaper accounts provided by more than 40 public and private libraries. From there I proceeded to longer retrospectives and books that offered insights into the tragedies and the contexts in which the occurred. By the time I began writing early versions of this work I had files on nearly 150 incidents. The book is not an exercise in celebrity reportage, featuring only the famous. Nor is it a master scroll that attempts to record every sudden death in every era in every sport. If a story contained an element that aroused my interest I dug deeper. I was drawn in by the tortuous brotherly bond that led to the passing of Greg Halman and the ain´t-afraid-to-di bedlam of the Isle of Man motorcycle races and the unspeakabel horror of Payne Stewart´s flight of doom from Florida to a farm pasture in North Dakota- The coverage ranges from 1903 to 2022. Time, space and endurance constraints let me to forgo many compelling stories, particularly from earlier times with source material that is often sparse and difficult to access. Most of the 75 accounts take place in America, but 20 other countries factor into the narratives. The highlighted realms are football, baseball, basketball, hockey, motorsports and horse racing. Overall more than 25 sports are included. While writing the main draft I expanded my scope and added eight accounts centered on coaches, game officials, racehorses and sled dogs. A third of the stories focus on "in the arena" deaths, arising from injuries sustained while competing in games, races, matches, bouts, runs and rallies. The rest of the deaths cover the waterfront. Cold-blooded murder at the hands of a perfect strangerm a digruntled fan, and a deranged tycoon. Accidents in jets, prop planes, buses, fishing boats and sports cars. By drug overdose. By drowning in bodies of water large and small. Ba way of disease and genetic defects. In freak accidents in a backyard hot tub and a barbecue pit and the rafters high above a wrestling ring. Grimmest of all, in four cases, and maybe a fifth, by suicide. There are no perfect human beings in out world, and you will not find any here, although a few come close. Furthermore, many of the fallen contributed to their own demise through arrogant, reckless and downright stupid behavior. I´m not condemning them. Now am I mournging them less than I otherwise would. At the same time, I don´t sweep their actions under the rug or absolve them of deserved blame. During the course of the project several recurring themes emerged. One is the squabbling about protective headgear that persisted in football, hockey, baseball, motorsports and biking for decades and continues today with the mandated use of Guardian Caps in NFL training camps. Another us tge ibgiubgm oervasive presence of illicit drugs in the sports world. Whether they´re classified as performance-enhancing like steroids and amphetamines or as drugs of abuse like cocaine and non-prescribed opioids, they´ve been around for a very long time. Then of course there are legal substances - alcohol and tobacco. They´ve been around even longer. There are also repeated instances of accusation and protracted legal action by the families of the departed, directed at the parties they held responsible for their loss. Another takeaway is that sudden death can lead to constructive change. When tragedy strikes, the powers that be often resprong. After Tyler Skaggs died of a fentanyl overdose in 2019, MLB revamped its drug violation policies to emphasize rehabilitation and treatment instead of monetary fines and suspensions. The brutal pounding from Ray Mancini that killed Duk Koo Kim on the Las Vegas Strip in 1982 led boxing to adopt the standing eight count and require extensive pre-fight medical exams. There has not been a heat stroke fatality in the NFL since Korey Stringer collapsed and died in training camp in 2001. Dale Earnhardt´s death in the same year prompted NASCAR to require use of the HANS (head and neck support) device for all drivers in its top three series. And the deaths of 20 horses during the 2019 racing season at Santa Anita Park in California led Congress to mandate uniform anti-doping regulations at tracks nationwide. A book that explores personal tragedy and the darker aspects of human existence can be challenging for both writer and reader. But by delving deeper into death and all it signifies we can reach a greater understanding of life. I didn´t allow all the grim morbidity to overshadow the accomplishments of these magnificent athletes and I hope you won´t either. Their drive to excel was surpassed only by their desire to compete. Each and every one of them was a survivor.
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