Sudden Deaths in Sports

Douglas Putnam is a graduate of Earlham College and Wisconsin Law School. He lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

Table of Contents


Introduction

1. In the Arena

• Harold Moore: Gladiator

College Football 1905

• Francisco Lázaro: No Sweat

Olympic Marathon 1912

• Ray Chapman: Beanball

MLB 1920

• Bill Masterton: The Unforgiving Ice

NHL 1968

• Chuck Hughes: A Moment’s Notice

NFL 1971

• Duk Koo Kim: Live or

Boxing 1982

• Sergei Shalibashvili: Kiss the Tower

Platform Diving 1983

• Lane Frost: Born to Ride

Bull Riding 1989

2. Spilled Blood

• David Berger: All Gone

Olympic Weightlifting 1972

• Lyman Bostock: Pure Happenstance

MLB 1978

• Ron Settles: Jailhouse Shock

College Football 1981

• Andrés Escobar: Brave to the

World Cup Soccer 1994

• Dave Schultz: Pinned by a Madman

Wrestling 1996

• Greg Halman: Brothers for Life

Baseball 2011

• Celia Barquín Arozamena: Broad Daylight

Golf 2018

• Mike Ryan: Covid Rage

Hockey 2021

3. Dark Waters

• Ed Delahanty: Swept Away

MLB 1903

• Joe Delaney: Great with a Capital

NFL 1983

• Craig Arfons: Last Run on Lake Jackson

Speed Racing 1989

• Tim Crews and Steve Olin: They Never Saw the Dock

MLB 1993

• Shannon Smith: Paradise Lost

College Football 1997

• Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith: Engulfed

NFL 2009

4. Sound of Impact

• Knute Rockne: Dreadful News

College Football 1931

• Thurman Munson: Out of His League

MLB 1979

• Davey Allison: Chopper Down

NASCAR 1993

• Rodney Culver: Nosedive

NFL 1996

• Payne Stewart: Flight of Doom

Golf 1999

• Cory Lidle: Manhattan Fireball

MLB 2006

5. Accidents Will Happen

• Terry Sawchuk: Senseless

NHL 1970

• Don Wilson: Beyond Strange

MLB 1975

• Richard Wertheim: Lethal

Tennis 1983

• Owen Hart: Real as Can

World Wrestling Federation 1999

• Matīss Kivlenieks: Fiasco

NHL 2021

6. Demons and Disease

• Flo Hyman: No Warning

Volleyball 1986

• Len Bias: Shock to the Systems

Basketball 1986

• Reggie Lewis:

Too Young, Too Soon

Basketball 1993

• Sergei Grinkov: Shattered Dream

Pairs Figure Skating 1995

• Andreas Munzer: Hunger Pains

Bodybuilding 1997

• Korey Stringer: Water Is for Cowards

NFL 2001

• Tyler Skaggs: Black Cloud

MLB 2019

7. In the Arena Redux

• Hank Gathers: Heart of a Lion

Basketball 1990

• Ulrike Maier: No Chance

Skiing 1994

• Fabio Casartelli: Deadly Descent

Tour de France 1995

• John McSherry: Last Call

MLB 1996

• Caleb Moore: Fatal Obsession

Snowmobile, ­X-Games 2013

• Oshi: Breaking Point

Iditarod 2019

• Yellow River Stone Forest: 21 Gone

Ultramarathon 2021

8. Win, Place or Die

• Frank Hayes: First Win, Only

Steeplechase 1923

• Ruffian: She Reigns

Match Race 1975

• Billy Haughton: Breaking Gait

Harness Racing 1986

• Mary Bacon: Riding Is Living

Off Track 1991

• Santa Anita Meltdown: How Many More Have to Die?

Thoroughbreds 2019

9. Motorsport Mishaps

• Bill Vukovich: The Fearless

Indy 500 1955

• The Dakar Rally: Desert Storm

Off Road Racing 1988

• Ayrton Senna: Collision Course

Formula One 1994

• Dale Earnhardt: Long Live the King

NASCAR 2001

• Jessi Combs: Speed Kills

Speed Racing 2019

• IMTT: Full Throttle

Motorcycle 2022

10. Team Tragedy

• Spokane Indians: Such Hell

Baseball 1946

• Duluth Dukes: North Country Inferno

Baseball 1948

• Cal Poly Mustangs: Lost in the

College Football 1960

• USA Figure Skating: Total Eclipse

Figure Skating 1961

• Wichita State Shockers: Gold Flight

College Football 1970

• Marshall Thundering Herd: The Worst

College Football 1970

• Evansville Purple Aces: Basketball’s Darkest Night

Basketball 1977

• USA Boxing: KO’d by Fate

Boxing 1980

11. Red Highways

• Steve Prefontaine: Bell

Running 1975

• Pelle Lindbergh: A Man and His Porsche

NHL 1985

• Jackson State Tigers: Blue Bengal Curse?

College Football 1988–1990

• John Rodolph: Pure Soul

Wheelchair Racing 1995

• Judith Flannery: End of the Road

Triathlon 1997

• Dwayne Haskins:

Running on Empty

NFL 2022

12. The Savage God

• Rick Carter: No Goodbyes

College Football 1986

• Jeff Alm: Very Close

NFL 1993

• Erica Blasberg: Final Breath

Golf 2010

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index