Olympics

George Foreman (1949–2025), heavyweight boxing champion

George Foreman was the two-time heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist who later parlayed his fame into a successful entrepreneurial career.

Aga Khan IV (1936–2025), spiritual leader, magnate, and philanthropist

The Aga Khan IV was the spiritual leader of the Isma'ili branch of Shia Islam, a billionaire philanthropist who helped build homes, hospitals and schools throughout the world.

Dick Button (1929–2025), Olympic figure skating legend

Dick Button was a two-time U.S. Olympic figure skating gold medal winner who became one of the sport's most well-known commentators.

ígnes Keleti (1921–2025), oldest living Olympic champion

Ágnes Keleti was a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic champion, having won five gold medals in gymnastics in the 1950s.

Greg Gumbel (1946–2024), CBS sportscasting great

Greg Gumbel was a longtime sportscaster best known for his work for CBS on “The NFL Today” and for his coverage of Super Bowls and March Madness.

Peter Westbrook (1952–2024), Olympian who gave back

Peter Westbrook was a pioneering Olympic fencer whose legacy wasn’t just the accolades he won, but also the lives he touched through his nonprofit work.

Bela Karolyi (1942–2024), coach who transformed U.S. gymnastics

Bela Karolyi was a gymnastics coach whose sometimes-controversial methods helped transform U.S. gymnastics and bring home gold medals, techniques that also stirred up criticism for alleged abuse.

Jim Donovan (1956–2024), voice of the Cleveland Browns 

Jim Donovan was a sportscaster best known for his long tenure as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Browns.

Otis Davis (1932–2024), two-time gold medal-winning runner

Otis Davis was a track and field athlete who won two Olympic gold medals for the United States in the 1960 Rome games.

Bob Schul (1937–2024), America’s sole 5,000m Olympic champion

Bob Schul was a renowned long-distance runner who was the U.S.’ only ever 5,000m Olympic champion, winning the gold in 1964.

Frank Carroll (1938–2024), figure skating coach to Olympic medalists

Frank Carroll was a figure skating coach who guided world-renowned skaters like Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek.

Mark Wells (1957–2024), Miracle on Ice forward 

Mark Wells was a hockey forward who won a gold medal with the U.S. team in 1980’s famed “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union and later Finland.

Darren Dutchyshen (1966–2024), anchor on Canada’s The Sports Network 

Darren Dutchyshen was a longtime Canadian sports anchor best known as a mainstay on The Sports Network’s “Sportscentre.”

Sean Burroughs (1980–2024), Olympic gold-winning MLB third baseman

Sean Burroughs was an Olympic gold medal-winning MLB third baseman who spent four years with the San Diego Padres.

Bob Cole (1933–2024), Hall of Fame hockey broadcaster

Bob Cole was a Hall of Fame hockey commentator who was a mainstay on Canadian NHL broadcasts for 50 years.

Olga Fikotová (1932–2024), Olympic gold medalist discus thrower

Olga Fikotová was an Olympic gold medal-winning and record-setting discus thrower whose romance with American athlete Hal Connolly made waves in her home country of Czechoslovakia.

Don Catlin (1938–2024), leader of anti-doping sports research 

Don Catlin was a researcher of sports doping and steroids who pioneered methods to identify new and previously undetected steroid use in athletes. 

Lance Larson (1940–2024), Olympic champ and record-holding swimmer

Lance Larson was an Olympic champion swimmer who was ultimately awarded a silver medal instead of gold in what is considered one of the most controversial calls in modern swimming history.

Oleg Protopopov (1932–2023), gold medal-winning Olympic figure skater

Oleg Protopopov was a two-time Olympic gold medal winner who, along with his wife, Ludmila Belousova, defected from the Soviet Union and became an international figure skating icon. 

Walter Davis (1954–2023), Olympic gold medal-winning NBA star

Walter Davis was a basketball star at the University of North Carolina who later had six All-Star NBA appearances and won an Olympic gold medal with the 1976 USA men’s basketball team.  

Terry Dischinger (1940–2023), Hall of Fame basketball player 

Terry Dischinger was a College Basketball Hall of Fame player, three-time NBA All Star, and Olympic gold medal winner who became a patent-holding orthodontist.

Henry Boucha (1951–2023), Detroit Red Wings center 

Henry Boucha was a center in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota North Stars.

Tony Roberts (1928–2023), legendary Notre Dame broadcaster 

Tony Roberts was a longtime sports broadcaster who spent 26 years calling games for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. 

Alexandra Paul (1991–2023), Olympic ice skater

Alexandra Paul was a competitive ice dancer and figure skater who represented Canada in the 2014 Olympic Games.

Tom Courtney (1933–2023), Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter 

Tom Courtney was an Olympic sprinter known for a last-second victory in the 800-meter race at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

Nikki McCray-Penson (1971–2023), WNBA star and coach 

Nikki McCray-Penson was a star of the WNBA who won Olympic gold on the U.S. women’s basketball team in 1996 and 2000.  

Jimmy Kim (1967–2023), Olympic taekwondo gold medalist

Jimmy Kim was a gold medalist in the first year that taekwondo was included in the Olympics.

Dean Smith (1932–2023), Olympic sprinter and Hollywood stuntman

Dean Smith was a gold medal-winning Olympic sprinter and notable Hollywood stuntman. He doubled for stars like John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Paul Newman in films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Towering Inferno.”

Ben Helfgott (1929–2023), Holocaust survivor and Olympian

Ben Helfgott was a Holocaust survivor who went on to compete in the Olympics as a weightlifter, then spent his life advocating for and supporting his fellow survivors.

Patrick Gasienica (1998–2023), Olympic ski jumper 

Patrick Gasienica was an Olympic ski jumper who competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

Harvey Glance (1957–2023), Olympic track and field champion 

Harvey Glance was a track star who won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics.

Jim Hines (1946–2023), Olympic track and field champion 

Jim Hines was an Olympic champion in track and field who became the first person to run the 100-meter dash in under 10 seconds.

Terry McDermott (1940–2023), Olympic gold medal-winning speed skater

Terry McDermott was a speed skater who won a gold medal in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Tori Bowie (1990–2023), Olympic track & field medalist

Tori Bowie was a track and field star who won three medals in the 2016 Olympics and was a gold medalist in the 2017 World Athletic Championships.

Ralph Boston (1939–2023), record-breaking Olympic gold medalist 

Ralph Boston was a long jumper who won Olympic gold in 1960 and broke Jesse Owens’ longstanding record.

Herb Douglas (1922–2023), oldest living U.S. Olympic medalist

Herb Douglas was a track and field star who won a bronze medal in long jump at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.

Dick Fosbury (1947–2023), groundbreaking high jump star

Olympic gold medalist Dick Fosbury was an influential high jumper who changed the event forever, pioneering the technique now used by almost every competitive high jumper: the Fosbury Flop. He would be inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame as a result. His gold in 1968 proved to be his only appearance in the Olympics, but the maneuver he invented is now a mainstay.

Pat McCormick (1930–2023), Olympic gold medal-winning diver

Four-time Olympic gold-winning diver Pat McCormick was so dominant, she won two medals in the 1956 games just five months after giving birth to her son, Tim. She was among the most dominant competitors in her field, winning 26 titles in an 11-year span, including two undefeated seasons. When not competing, she pursued adventure where she could, including mountain climbing, traveling the Amazon, and piloting planes.

Bob Richards (1926–2023), first athlete featured on Wheaties boxes

Bob Richards was an Olympic gold medalist in pole vaulting who became the first athlete featured on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes.

Greg Foster (1958–2023), world champion hurdler 

Greg Foster was an American hurdler. He is the only person to win three consecutive World Championship titles in the sport.

Greta Andersen (1927–2023), Olympic swimming champion 

Greta Andersen was a Danish professional swimmer. She broke 18 world marathon records and was the largest money winner in women’s professional swimming history.0e280af

Constantine II (1940–2023), last king of Greece

Constantine II was the last king of Greece, who ruled until the monarchy was abolished in 1973.

Billie Moore (1943–2022), first U.S. Olympic women’s basketball head coach

Billie Moore was a women’s basketball coach who coached the first U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team to a silver medal in 1976.

Alexander Gorshkov (1946–2022), first Olympic champion in ice dance

Alexander Gorshkov was a Russian figure skater who won gold the first time ice dance was an Olympic event, at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Jim Redmond (2022), dad who helped his son cross the Olympic finish line

Jim Redmond was an English man who became part of one of the most inspiring moments in Olympic history when he helped his sprinter son cross the finish line at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Lusia Harris (1955–2022), only woman ever drafted by the NBA

Lusia Harris was a basketball pioneer and the only woman ever drafted by the NBA.

Jacques Rogge (1942–2021), former IOC president

Jacques Rogge was the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013.

Joan Ullyot (1940–2021), convinced Olympics to add women’s marathon

Joan Ullyot was a physician and runner whose research and advocacy helped persuade the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to add a women’s marathon to the Summer Olympics.

Angela Bailey (1962–2021), record-holding Olympic sprinter

Angela Bailey was a Canadian sprinter who won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics.