List of sports officials who died while active

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This is a list of sports officials who died while active. This list is organized alphabetically by the sport the individual officiated in, and notes the deaths in chronological order within each sport. Also noted are age, leagues/associations or events they were part of when they died, officiating position (if applicable), cause of death, and date of death. Some deaths occurred due to an in-game injury or medical emergency, but most were the result of injuries and illnesses sustained elsewhere. There are also deaths that occurred due to violence directed towards officials. Abuse of officials, whether it be physical violence or verbal threats, has been of increasing concern in many sports.[1][2][3]

Although this list primarily consists of professional sports officials, amateur sports officials may be included if their deaths are related to games they worked, or were scheduled to do so. Officials who worked in notable high level amateur sports (such as NCAA Division I college sports and Major Junior ice hockey), and officials who worked world championship or Olympic/Paralympic events shortly before their deaths are treated as professional. This list does not include officiating supervisors or officials who retired shortly before their deaths, unless they were working a game at the time.

Association football

Photograph of Vladimir Pettay
RPL referee Vladimir Pettay died in the 2011 crash of RusAir Flight 9605
Photograph of Johan Hamel at a match in 2019
Ligue 1 referee Johan Hamel [simple] died of a stroke in 2022

The following are association football/soccer referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
Russia Vladimir Pettay 38 Russian Premier League plane crash June 20, 2011 [4]
Netherlands Richard Nieuwenhuizen 41 Royal Dutch Football Association assaulted by players December 2, 2012 [5]
United States Ricardo Portillo 46 Liga Continental de Futbol (Utah) (amateur) assault by player May 4, 2013 [6]
Brazil Otávio da Silva 20 unknown league in Pio XII (amateur) decapitated by spectators June 30, 2013 [7]
United States John Bieniewicz 44 recreational league in Detroit assault by player July 1, 2014 [8]
CanadaColombia Edwin Quintero 49 unknown league in Toronto shot during game October 9, 2022 [9]
France Johan Hamel 42 Ligue 1 stroke November 15, 2022 [10]
South Africa Max Molelekoa 31 Premier Soccer League car accident January 21, 2023 [11]
South Africa Akho Ndzingo 30 Premier Soccer League gunshot wounds June 12, 2024 [12]
Jamaica Wilverglen Lamey 48 Jamaica Football Federation in-game collapse September 21, 2024 [13]
Uganda Peter Kabugo 27 Uganda Premier League in-game cardiac arrest due to asthma attack November 1, 2024 [14]

Athletics

Track and field

The following are track and field officials who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Event Association Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States Maree Rodebaugh 56 shot put Amateur Athletic Union[a] internal bleeding after being struck in back during meet May 29, 1977 [15]
United States Paul Suzuki 77 shot put USA Track & Field[b] brain injury during pre-meet practice June 22, 2005 [16]
Germany Dieter Strack 74 javelin throw Düsseldorf Athletics (DLV) impaled during meet August 26, 2012 [17]
United States Douglas Koban 75 hammer throw USA Track & Field Niagara brain injury during meet December 7, 2014 [18]
United States Ethan Roser 19 hammer throw College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin[c] brain injury during meet April 22, 2017 [19]

Australian rules football

Photograph of Alexander Salton
VFL umpire Alexander Salton was a casualty of World War I, and is the only VFL/AFL umpire to die in military service
Photograph of Ern Jenkins in 1907
VFL umpire Ern Jenkins died less than three months after the conclusion of the 1927 season

The following are Australian football umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
Australia Alexander Salton 47 goal umpire Victorian Football League killed in action during WWI September 10, 1916 [20]
Australia Ern Jenkins 48 goal umpire Victorian Football League unknown December 21, 1927 [21] [22]
Australia Teddy Shorten 51 goal umpire Victorian Football League unknown July 9, 1949 [22]
Australia Greg Sidebottom 61 field umpire Kyabram District Football League[d] in-game heart attack April 2, 2016 [23][24]
Australia Jesse Baird 26 goal umpire Australian Football League murdered February 19, 2024 [25]

Baseball

Photograph of Jack Sheridan umpiring a game in 1905
AL umpire (and Honor Rolls of Baseball inductee) Jack Sheridan died of a heart attack in 1914
NL umpire John McSherry (pictured umpiring a 1985 game) died after collapsing during the Cincinnati Reds 1996 home opener
Photograph of Eric Cooper umpiring a game in 2007
MLB umpire Eric Cooper died of surgery complications two weeks after working a 2019 postseason game

The following are baseball umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States Jack McQuaid 35–36 National League unknown April 16, 1895 [26]
United States Jack Sheridan 52 American League heart attack November 2, 1914 [27]
United States Steve Kane 45 Ohio State League[e] heart attack October 30, 1915 [28][29]
United States Silk O'Loughlin 42 American League influenza December 20, 1918 [30]
United StatesEngland Pete Harrison 36 National League tuberculosis March 10, 1921 [31]
United States Paul Sentell 43 National League collapsed during pre-game warmup from appendicitis April 27, 1923 [32]
United States Frank Wilson 38 National League appendicitis June 12, 1928 [33]
United States Sherry Magee 44 National League pneumonia March 13, 1929 [34]
United States Cy Pfirman 48 National League kidney disease May 16, 1937 [35]
United States Lou Kolls 48 American Association[f] car accident February 23, 1941 [36]
United States Cal Drummond 52 American Association[g] in-game stroke May 3, 1970 [37]
United States Tony Venzon 56 National League complications of open heart surgery September 20, 1971 [38]
United States Lou DiMuro 51 American League post-game car accident June 7, 1982 [39]
United States Bill Kunkel 48 American League colon cancer May 4, 1985 [40]
United States Dick Stello 53 National League car accident November 18, 1987 [41]
United States Lee Weyer 51 National League post-game heart attack July 4, 1988 [42]
United States Nick Bremigan 43 American League heart attack March 28, 1989 [43]
United States John McSherry 51 National League in-game heart attack April 1, 1996 [44]
United States Wally Bell 48 Major League Baseball heart attack October 14, 2013 [45]
United States Eric Cooper 52 Major League Baseball blood clot following knee surgery October 20, 2019 [46]
United States David Simon 51 Frontier League[h] cardiac arrest December 5, 2022 [47]
United States Conor McKenzie 29 Northwoods League car accident while travelling to game July 9, 2023 [48]
United States Marty Bauer 55 Atlantic League unknown October 4, 2024 [49]

Softball

The following are softball umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States Ricky Scearce Jr 60 University Interscholastic League in-game heart attack May 4, 2012 [50]
United States Jeff Reynolds 65 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association in-game heart attack May 25, 2016 [51][52]
Canada Rick Rogers 61 Softball Ontario collapsed during tournament July 21, 2024 [53]

Basketball

The following are basketball referees that died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States Troy Raymond 46 Sun Belt Conference, Southland Conference[i] suicide August 12, 2011 [54]
United States Greg Willard 54 National Basketball Association pancreatic cancer April 1, 2013 [55]
United States Tony Brown 55 National Basketball Association pancreatic cancer October 20, 2022 [56]
United States Don McGillicuddy 56 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association in-game cardiac arrest March 1, 2024 [57]

Boxing

The following are boxing referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Final match Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States Richard Green 46 Page def. Snipes (May 20, 1983, USBA) suicide September 15, 1983 [58]
United States Mitch Halpern 33 Mendoza def. Álvarez (August 12, 2000, WBA) suicide August 20, 2000 [59]

Cricket

The following are cricket umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
Wales Alcwyn Jenkins 72 South Wales Cricket Association in-game brain injury July 4, 2009 [60]
IsraelIndia Hillel Awaskar 55 Israel Cricket Association in-game neck injury November 30, 2014 [61]
Wales John Williams 80 Pembroke County Cricket League in-game brain injury August 15, 2019 [62]
India Sumit Bansal 46 Delhi & District Cricket Association cardiac arrest shortly after recovering from in-game injury October 10, 2021 [63]

Gridiron football

The following are gridiron football officials (including Canadian rules officials and those of other football variations) who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States James Barnhill 45 referee American Football League heart attack March 11, 1966 [64]
United States George Young 45 umpire American Football League brain tumor September 21, 1969 [65]
United States Jack Vest 45 referee National Football League motorcycle crash June 2, 1972 [66][67]
United States Harry Kessel 47 head linesman National Football League unknown October 9, 1972 [68][69]
United States George Ellis 53 field judge National Football League unknown illness July 31, 1974

[70][71]

United States Vince Jacob 51 side judge National Football League heart attack October 26, 1982 [72]
United States Dick Jorgensen 56 referee National Football League complications of a blood disorder October 10, 1990 [73]
United States Dave Hamilton 61 umpire National Football League unknown January 9, 1995 [74][75]
United States Donnie Hampton 47 field judge National Football League heart attack January 30, 1995 [76][77]
United States Bob Lawing 58 back judge National Football League cancer May 6, 2010 [78][79]
United States Carl Madsen 71 replay official National Football League cardiac arrest while driving home from game October 24, 2021 [80]

Ice hockey

The following are ice hockey officials who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
Canada Stéphane Provost 37 linesman National Hockey League motorcycle crash April 22, 2005

[81]

Sweden Roland Hedberg 62 referee Swedish Ice Hockey Association in-game brain injury January 30, 2010 [82][83]
United States Butch Mousseau 48 referee Western Collegiate Hockey Association brain injury during pre-game warmup March 25, 2016 [84]
Czech Republic Pavel Lainka 24 referee WSM Liga[j] in-game brain injury September 10, 2016 [85]
Russia Rafael Kadyrov 47 referee Kontinental Hockey League brain cancer January 20, 2017 [86]

Rugby football

Rugby league

The following are rugby league match officials/referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
AustraliaEngland Ted Hooper 54 New South Wales Rugby Football League[k] collapsed after match August 22, 1925 [87]
England Chris Leatherbarrow 27 Super League suicide November 1, 2015 [88]

Rugby union

The following are rugby union match officials/referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
Australia Kerry Fitzgerald 43 Queensland Rugby Union[l] heart attack December 18, 1991 [89][90]
South Africa Ian Rogers 41 South African Rugby Football Union[m] cancer November 26, 1998 [91]
Australia Ian Hooper 60 Far North Coast Rugby Union in-match heart attack April 28, 2019 [92]

Tennis

The following are tennis umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position Final tournament Cause of death Date of death Ref(s)
United States Dick Wertheim 60–61 linesman 1983 US Open in-game brain injury September 15, 1983 [93]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Rodebaugh was fatally struck during the 1977 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
  2. ^ Suzuki was fatally struck during the 2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
  3. ^ Roser was fatally struck while assisting officials as a volunteer.
  4. ^ Sidebottom was an umpire in the VFL from 1976 to 1987.
  5. ^ Kane previously umpired in the National League and Federal League.
  6. ^ Kolls previously umpired in the AL.
  7. ^ Drummond umpired in the AL from 1960 to 1969, where he suffered a serious head injury that led to his death.
  8. ^ Simon was also umpiring college baseball at the time of his death.
  9. ^ Raymond was a referee for the 2003-04 NBA season.
  10. ^ Lainka was refereeing a junior hockey game when he was mortally injured.
  11. ^ Hooper had retired in 1915, and was working as the NSWRFL’s referee assignor when he died after officiating an exhibition match in 1925.
  12. ^ Fitzgerald refereed the 1987 Rugby World Cup final and his final match was during the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
  13. ^ Rogers refereed the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and was assigned to 1999 Rugby World Cup qualifying but had fallen ill.

References

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