# Important sports figures who died in the ESPN era **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 10, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490 "2011-07-10T05:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/21 "2011-07-11T19:58:31Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Refining my question: people who lived into the ESPN-era, but their contributions predate ESPN. Names I thought of: Jesse Owens, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis. Their contributions are to SPORTS in general, not just ESPN! ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/22 "2011-07-11T20:19:28Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Walter Payton yet? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/23 "2011-07-11T21:43:00Z")
In the non-athletes category, I can think of no more important figure than the one-and-only Howard Cosell. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/24 "2011-07-11T22:08:49Z")
Two people that may not be household names, yet may have had a greater impact on the American culture than almost everyone mentioned here (imho) are [Jim Fixx](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx) and [Fred Lebow](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki?search=Fred+Lebow). ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/25 "2011-07-12T01:28:26Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > Two people that may not be household names, yet may have had a greater impact on the American culture than almost everyone mentioned here (imho) are [Jim Fixx](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Fixx) and [Fred Lebow](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki?search=Fred+Lebow). I would say that other than historically notable athletes they have had [absolutely zero impact on American culture](http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html), except as [the butt of a joke](http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/1603570). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/26 "2011-07-12T05:16:37Z")
YMMV, but Lebow founded and built up what is now the biggest race in the world, and Fixx’s book, The Complete Book of Running, spent 11 weeks at the top of the best seller list, and sold over 1 million copies. Would you disagree that jogging as a form of exercise is more prevalent today than it was 40 years ago? As far as Fixx’s death, here’s some insight, from the previous link: > [@](#): > > In 1986, exercise physiologist Kenneth Cooper published an inventory of the risk factors that might have contributed to Fixx’s death.[4] Granted access to his medical records and autopsy, and after interviewing his friends and family, Cooper concluded that Fixx was genetically predisposed (his father died of a heart attack aged 43 and Fixx himself had a congenitally enlarged heart) and several lifestyle issues (Fixx was a heavy smoker prior to beginning running aged 36, he had a stressful occupation, he had undergone a second divorce, and his weight before he took up running had ballooned to 220lbs) ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/27 "2011-07-12T06:58:42Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Nobody’s mentioned Walter Payton yet? When you clicked “Submit Reply,” you made this post inherently untrue. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/28 "2011-07-12T07:37:26Z")
Tex Schramm Tom Landry ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/29 "2011-07-12T07:47:40Z")
Continuing the Cowboy theme: Dandy Don. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/30 "2011-07-12T14:28:02Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Refining my question: people who lived into the ESPN-era, but their contributions predate ESPN. Names I thought of: Jesse Owens, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis. I am so tickled to be the one to mention OJ Simpson!!!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/31 "2011-07-12T16:15:28Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I am so tickled to be the one to mention OJ Simpson!!!😃 Did I miss some news?? ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/32 "2011-07-13T05:49:08Z")
Ha, no, O.J. isn’t quite dead yet. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/33 "2011-07-13T13:07:45Z")
I suppose I would say Pete Rozelle. Certainly he built it up after the death of Bert Bell. Whether some other guy would have if they had been NFL commissioner is unknowable.It was gaining in popularity. One other person might be ABC sports Roone Arledge who married sports to TV and did a lot of self promotion for his network as “the worldwide leader”. I don’t know if any specific figure in the Olympics or World Cup soccer could be singled out. Avery Brundage is about the only front office name I know but he died in 1975, before ESPN was spawned.I don’t know enough about the World Cup to say. In NASCAR Big Bill France and his son Bill Jr could qualify but their sport simply isn’tthat big. Big Bill did take it out of small dirt tracks in the Deep South and Jr increased its popularity o it totally dominates open wheel racing, which wasn’t the case (curse you.Tony George). Greatest athlete to die in the last 30+ years? Maybe Wilt Chamberlain. Sometimes I think his statistics are so far in front of others, that people can’t absorb it and say petty things like"he can’t shoot free throws". “He lives in a big house” “he only won two championships”. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490/34 "2011-07-22T17:49:08Z")
Another name that occured to me: Conn Smythe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-sports-figures-who-died-in-the-espn-era/588490.md?page=1)