We are not even midway through the year and have already lost a plethora of sporting personalities, athletes, and Hall of Famers in their respective disciples. These sports stars who are not with us today leave an impeccable impact on the game that would be difficult to replicate. The shocking death of these stars certainly has taken us aback, creating a big vacuum that would be difficult to fill.
Just a few days back, the cricketing fraternity was shocked by the sudden demise of the former Australian player Andrew Symonds who died in a car crash. From the cricket pitch to a football field, we look at five superstars who excelled in their respective sports and generated an everlasting impact on the world of sports before leaving for their heavenly abode.
Dan Reeves
When the whole world was celebrating the New Year, American Football fans were mourning the death of former NFL player and coach, Dan Reeves, who succumbed to his battle with dementia. In a career spanning 39-years, Reeves participated in nine Super Bowls and even went on to win two of them with Dallas Cowboys (one as an assistant coach). However, the late veteran is remembered for his excellence in the coaching where he guided Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl and also won six division titles with them. He was also the head coach of the New York Giants for four seasons.
Bob Lanier
The basketball court also had its share of grief with the loss of Bob Lanier days back. The NBA Hall of Famer and former player for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks died of a short illness. The 6’ 11-inch athlete was an eight-time NBA All-Star and an integral part of the NBA family for over 50 years. In a career spanning 14 years, Lanier played as a center and excelled along with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Nate Thurmond.
Dwayne Haskins
The loss of a sportsperson is terrible to bear, especially when a young and promising talent becomes a victim of nature’s cruel game. The NFL world woke up to another staggering news on the morning of April 9. The fans and teammates were all in disbelief after the terrible news of Dwayne Haskins passing away in an accident broke the internet. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback died at the age of 24 after being struck by a dump truck. Haskins was a part of the Washington squad for two years before signing for the Pittsburgh.
Scott Hall
“Hard work pays off, dreams come true, Bad times don’t last, bad guys do,” these were the profound words Scott Hall came up with during his WWE Hall of fame ceremony in 2014. Well, one of our favorite WWE superstars left for the heavenly abode this year due to surgery-related complications. More popular by his ring name Razor Ramon, the WWE icon was best known for his technique, charisma, and cocky on-screen attitude. He was a four-time Intercontinental Champion with WWF (now WWE) and delivered a showstopper of a ladder match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania X.
Shane Warne
It’s been a tough year for Australian cricket. The Aussies have lost many cricketing personalities this year including Andrew Symonds and Rodney Marsh. However, the biggest superstar who bid us adieu was the spin wizard Shane Warne. A legend of the game and a controversial figure on and off the field, Warne was one of the most prolific leg spinners the game has ever seen.
Despite playing many home games on a turf that isn’t regarded as favorable for spin bowling, he managed to scalper 708 wickets in Test Matches and 293 in ODIs. The spin king even cruised IPL (Indian Premier League) team Rajasthan Royals to their maiden and only title win to date as the captain and coach for the side. His one particular ball which knocked the stumps of Mike Gatting in Manchester is widely considered the ball of the century and serves as a fine memory for cricketing fans that they will cherish for years to come.