In 2022, the sports world mourned the loss of some NFL players, coaches and legends. We remember these individuals who have contributed to the Games – and our enjoyment of them – over the years.
Jan. 1 – Dan Reeves, 77, was a running back for the Dallas Cowboys from 1965-72 but better known as the NFL head coach who spent 23 years with the Broncos, Giants and Falcons (1981-2003). Three of his Denver teams reached the Super Bowl in the 1980s, as did his Atlanta team in 1998. He won a Super Bowl each as a player and offensive coordinator.
Jan. 5 – Ralph Neely, 78, was an offensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboys for 13 seasons (from 1965-77). He was selected to the first team All-Pro three times from 1967-69. In his final season, the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII once morest Denver. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-1960s team.
Jan. 10 – Don Maynard, 86, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. He served as a receiver for 16 seasons, including one with the New York Giants of the NFL and one with Hamilton of the CFL, before signing with the New York Titans of the AFL (later renamed the Jets). He played for them for 13 years, including the 1968 Super Bowl season. When he retired in 1973 following one season in St. Louis, he was the leading receiver in pro football with 633 catches, 11,834 yards and 88 touchdowns. He was the first player to surpass 10,000 yards.
Feb. 19 – Charley Taylor, 80, was drafted top 10 in the 1964 NFL and AFL draft by Arizona State University. Washington picked him at the 3rd position and he played there for 13 years, first as a halfback and then as a wide receiver. He made it to eight Pro Bowls, was selected to the first-team All-Pro in 1967, and was a member of the 1972 team that lost Super Bowl VII to the Dolphins, who played a perfect season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
March 8 – Johnny Grier, 74, joined the NFL as an official in 1981 and became the first black umpire in 1988. He officiated his only Super Bowl game in 1988, which was also his last game as a field judge (now called a back judge). He officiated 15 playoff games during his career, with his biggest refereeing being the 1993 AFC Championship Game. He retired from the field in 2004 due to a leg injury.
March 18 – John Clayton, 67, was a longtime NFL reporter who rose to prominence following joining ESPN in 1995. He was selected for a place in the Writers’ Wing of the Hall of Fame by the Pro Football Writers Association in 2007.
April 7 – Rayfield Wright, 76, played 13 seasons as an offense tackle in the legendary Dallas Cowboys teams of the 1970s. He was a three-time All-Pro, a six-time Pro Bowler, and was one of the teams that won the Super Bowl in 1971 and 1977. In 2006 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Apr. 9 (Archyde.com) – Dwayne Haskins, 24, set Big Ten records for passing yards and touchdown passes at Ohio State in 2018. He was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft and played three seasons for Washington and Pittsburgh.
Foto: imago images / Icon SMI
April 21 – Daryle Lamonica, 80, played 12 seasons in the AFL and NFL and was the first major quarterback in Raiders history. A native of Notre Dame, he was selected by Buffalo in the 24th round of the 1963 AFL draft and picked by Green Bay in the 12th. He was never able to replace Jack Kemp as the Bills’ regular and was drafted before the 1967 season traded to Oakland. He was voted AFL Player of the Year in 1967 and 1969 and led the Raiders to three straight AFL championship games. The 1967 team rolled over the Oilers in the championship game but lost to Green Bay in Super Bowl II.
May 12 (Archyde.com) – Gino Cappelletti, 88, spent his entire 11-year playing career with the Patriots and later served as a game analyst for 28 years. He was the 1964 AFL Player of the Year and was a five-time Pro Bowler. He still holds the Patriots’ record for points in a game, having caught two TD passes, had four field goals and contributed four extra points in a 42-14 win over the Oilers in 1965.
June 1 – Marion Barber III, 38, played seven seasons as a running back in the NFL, six of them from 2005 to 2010 with Dallas. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007 and is in the top 10 on the list of Cowboys for most career rushing yards.
Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press
June 17 – Hugh McElhenney, 93, was a member of the 49ers’ Million Dollar Backfield in the mid-1950s and played 13 seasons in the NFL with late-career stints in Minnesota, New York and Detroit. When he retired in 1964, he had the third-highest total of all-purpose yards in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970 and the College Football Hall in 1981.
June 21 – Jaylon Ferguson, 26, has played 38 NFL games in three seasons for the Baltimore Ravens as a linebacker/edge rusher. At Louisiana Tech, he led the country with 17.5 sacks in 2018 and was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
June 22 – Tony Siragusa, 55, had a 12-year NFL career as an interior defensive lineman, first with Indianapolis from 1990-96 and then with Baltimore through 2001. He was a key player on the Ravens’ awesome defense, who won the Super Bowl XXXV won. His big personality propelled him to a second career as a sideline reporter at Fox from 2003-15.
July 4 – Hank Goldberg, 82, had a long career at ESPN as an NFL analyst and handicapper for football and horse racing. He began his media and betting career in the 1970s as an assistant to Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder and became an analyst for the Miami Dolphins on radio in 1977, a position he held until 1991. From 1978 to 2007 he had a daily radio show in Miami.
July 21 – Jim Lynch, 76, was a prolific linebacker at Notre Dame in 1965 and 1966 and played in the NFL for 11 years with Kansas City. Lynch was the defensive captain of the 1966 Notre-Dame championship team, was unanimously voted an All-American, and received the Maxwell Award for the nation’s top player. As a pro, he was one of the Chiefs’ regulars to win the Super IV, earning him a spot in the team’s Hall of Fame. In 1992 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Aug. 24 – Len Dawson, 87, struggled to get a starting spot in the NFL before moving to the AFL in 1962 and leading the Dallas Texans to the league title. The next season he moved to Kansas City and stayed there for 14 years. He led the Chiefs to the 1963 AFL title and Super Bowl I. The Chiefs were the last AFL winners of the Super Bowl, when it was still between rival league champions.
Oct. 19 – Charley Trippi, 100, was a rounder on Georgia offense, defense and special teams in the 1940s and was an early NFL star with the Chicago Cardinals from 1947-55. Georgia won the national championship during his sophomore year in 1942, and following two years in World War II he returned to win the 1946 Maxwell Award and take second place in the Heisman Trophy. He signed for $100,000 to join the Cardinals’ million-dollar backfield and helped them win the 1947 NFL Championship by playing on both sides of the ball and returning kicks. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959 and the Pro Football Hall in 1968.
Oct. 28 (Archyde.com) – Vince Dooley, 90, played football at the University of Georgia for more than 40 years, starting as a head coach in 1964 at the age of 31. In 1994 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Oct. 31 – John McVay, 91, is best known for being the San Francisco 49ers’ football administrator during their heyday from 1979-1994. The franchise won five Super Bowls during this period, three under head coach Bill Walsh and two under George Seifert.
Nov. 3 (Archyde.com) – Ray Guy, 72, remains the only player purely punter to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also the first punter selected in the first round of the NFL draft, picking the Oakland Raiders 23rd overall.
Nov. 30 – John Hadl, 82, was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for 16 years, including 11 years with San Diego and the remaining years with the Rams, Packers and Oilers. He was a two-time Kansas All-American at quarterback/halfback in 1960 and 1961, and was drafted by both the NFL and AFL in 1962.
Dec. 12 – Mike Leach, 61, was a head coach at three major colleges between 2000 and 2022. In 21 seasons, his teams attended 17 bowl games while he picked up four awards for Conference Coach of the Year and 2008 and 2018 National Coach of the Year. He began coaching small colleges in 1987 before becoming the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in Kentucky in 1997.
Foto: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network
Dec. 21 – Franco Harris, 72, was the main ball carrier of the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. He had a modest collegiate career at Penn State, but was drafted 13th overall by Pittsburgh in 1972. He made an instant splash, rushing for 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns, and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. In his 11 years with the Steelers, he had eight 1,000-yard seasons and was selected to nine Pro Bowls. He was named Super Bowl IX MVP following rushing for 158 yards in a 16-6 win over Minnesota. When he retired in 1984 following a final season in Seattle, he was the third-best rusher (12,120 yards) and 91 touchdowns. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.