In Memoriam 2008
Dock Ellis, Dec. 19: The former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was best remembered for his interesting persona, and claimed he threw a no-hitter against Padres in June 1970 while under the influence of LSD.
Focus on Sport / Getty Images
Sammy Baugh, Dec. 17: Perhaps the greatest Washington Redskin of all time and the last surviving member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame class died at the age of 94.
AP
Pete Newell, Nov. 17: The Hall of Fame basketball coach led California to a national championship in 1959 and the United States to Olympic gold in 1960.
Dino Vournas, AP
Preacher Roe, Nov. 9: The pitcher went 127-84 in a 12-year career with Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, but it was with the Dodgers that he enjoyed his greatest success and acclaim.
Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Gene Hickerson, Oct. 20: One of Jim Brown's lead blockers in Cleveland and a 2007 Hall of Fame inductee, Hickerson passed away at 73 after a long illness.
Cleveland Browns/AP
Nick Weatherspoon, Oct. 17: A former University of Illinois basketball star, Weatherspoon played seven seasons in the NBA and was selected to the all-rookie team in 1973-74.
Madalyn Ruggiero, Chicago Tribune / MCT
Alexei Cherepanov, Oct. 13: A 2007 first-round pick of the New York Rangers, Cherepanov collapsed during the third period of a game in Russia and died soon after.
Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
Paul Newman, Sept. 26: Actor and race car driver Paul Newman passed away at the age of 83. Newman formed the Newman/Haas racing team and also was part of the team that won the 24-hour Daytona endurance race in 1995.
Ron Galella, WIre Image
Mickey Vernon, Sept. 24: The seven-time All-Star and two-time AL batting champ, pictured here in 1946 with Dom DiMaggio, left, and Ted Williams, right, passed away one week after suffering a stroke.
AP
Evan Tanner, Sept. 8: The former UFC middleweight champion, seen here in 2006, went missing in a California desert and was found dead by the Imperial County Sheriff Department. He was only 37.
Zuma Press
