The JFK assasination was a most tragic moment in history. Sports has its share of tragedies as well. for me, these are the most tragic events in realm of Sports. What are yours? ==Members of the US Olympic team murdered by terrorists in Olympic village in Munich ==Roberto Clemente's plane, on a humanitarisn mission deliverying food to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, crashed ==Walter Payton's announcement of his gravely ill health, and his eventual death at age 43 ==Hank Gathers, an All-American BBer, stricken by a heart attack during a NCAA game that was nationally-televised.
It was members of the Israeli Olympic team that were murdered by terrorists at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. My guess for the sports equivalent of the JFK assasination would be this event or Roberto Clemente's plane crash.
http://www.retrosellers.com/features25.htm http://www.iht.com/IHT/RH/98/rh020698.html The plane accident that killed 18 of the "Busby Babes" in 1958.
After spending a couple of days telling bamaslammer to read a history book in the China thread, you post this. Excellent work.
another one that comes to mind is the Evansville plane prash in the mid-late 70s. There was one prominent figure who could have easily been on this flight, but didn't. http://www.sltrib.com/2002/Dec/12132002/sports/10867.asp Fatal Plane Crash Still Weighs on Sloan Twenty-five years ago, he got a horrible lesson in its unspeakable, tragic finality. On Dec. 13, 1977, a DC-3 charter carrying 14 members of the Evansville University basketball team, head coach Bobby Watson, two assistants, 10 members of the support staff and two fans crashed just after takeoff. En route to Nashville and a game against Middle Tennessee State -- just 3 1/2 hours away by bus -- none of the 29 passengers survived. Only months earlier, Jerry Sloan had accepted the job as coach of the Purple Aces, only to change his mind five days later for what he calls "personal reasons; that's all I've ever said." Sloan returned to his job as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls, otherwise he probably would have perished in the crash. "It's been in my life every day," Sloan said, after the Jazz's loss to Charlotte. "It will never go away because it was such a terrible thing." The day was a miserable one from the beginning. It was foggy and rainy in southern Indiana, where Evansville had gotten off to a 1-3 start in its first season in Division I. The airplane, which was also used by the NBA's Indiana Pacers, Notre Dame and Butler University, arrived from Indianapolis two hours behind schedule. After the Purple Aces finally boarded, it took off at 7:20 p.m. Less than two minutes later, it plunged into the mud of a remote valley near the airport. Investigators later blamed the crash on a weight imbalance created by the improper loading of equipment by the crew. "We put a lot into this," Sloan said, referring to his job as a pro coach. "But it really doesn't matter. It's just a game and that [plane crash] put it into perspective about as much as anything can." Sloan heard of the tragedy during a Bulls' game from legendary Chicago sportscaster Jack Brickhouse, and he immediately thought of meeting the team just a few days before the crash. Evansville was in Chicago for a game against DePaul. After being soundly defeated, the team attended a gathering for alumni. Sloan was there, and just before the Purple Aces headed home, Watson asked him to address the players. Sloan climbed aboard their bus and told them to "hang in there" and "keep fighting. . . . You can have a good team." He never saw any of the players or coaches again. Kevin O'Connor, the Jazz's vice president of basketball operations, was an assistant coach at Colorado in 1977. His boss was CU head coach Bill Blair, who happened to be Watson's roommate when they attended college at VMI. Said O'Connor: "It was one of those things you heard about and said, 'That couldn't have happened. I must have heard wrong.' " Today, a memorial for the the victims of the crash will be held on the Evansville campus.
I'd say the OSU plane crash and Len Bias rank pretty high up there. Overdosing on drugs is nothing tragic but from everything Ive read it sounds like it effected many people.
GEORGE: You know Keith, what I've always wondered, with all these ball clubs flying around all season don't you think there would be a plane crash? ... KEITH: (to Jerry) Do you perform anywhere in new York right now? JERRY: I'm performing in this club on the east Side. You should come in. GEORGE: But if you think about it...26 teams, 162 games a season, you'd think eventually an entire team would get wiped out.
