Ted Williams

popular name: Catfish Hunter

date_of_death: September 9, 1999

age: 53

cause_of_death: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: Jim "Catfish" Hunter, whose pitching prowess earned him five World Series rings, 224 victories, a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame and made him the game's first big-money free agent. Recruited right out of high school at age 18, Hunter won his first major-league game, and a year after that, at 20, he made the American League All-Star team in a season in which he finished 9-11. He reached 20 wins for the first time in 1971 with a 21-11 record and won at least 20 games the next four seasons. In 1974, he was 25-12 and won the Cy Young Award. In 1968, he pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins, the seventh perfect game in modern baseball history at the time. And the Athletics, by then in Oakland, dominated baseball in the early '70s with the likes of Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Gene Tenace, Rollie Fingers and a group that played hard, on and off the field. "We were the long-haired, mustached gang from Oakland," Hunter said. "We were lucky just to be there, was what they said." After the Oakland A's, Hunter signed with the New York Yankees not because they offered the most money, but rather it was close to his home in North Carolina. Hunter's first season with the Yankees was his last of five consecutive 20-win years. He was 23-14 for the 1975 Yankees and pitched for them until 1979, when he retired at 33, with a 224-166 record and a 3.26 ERA. He was on World Series-winning teams with Oakland in 1972-74 and New York in 1977-78. At age 52 he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and passed away the following year.

popular name: Willie Stargell

date_of_death: April 9, 2001

age: 61

cause_of_death: Stroke

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: Willie Stargell was a legendary Major League Baseball player who spent his entire 21-season career (1962–1982) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Known for his powerful left-handed swing, Stargell hit 475 home runs and drove in 1,540 RBIs, earning a reputation as one of the most feared sluggers of his era. He was a seven-time All-Star and played a key role in leading the Pirates to two World Series championships, in 1971 and 1979. In the latter, he was both the National League MVP and the World Series MVP, serving as the emotional leader of the “We Are Family” team. Nicknamed "Pops" for his leadership and mentorship, Stargell was beloved by teammates and fans alike. In 1979, at the age of 39, he became the first and currently only player to win the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, the NL Championship Series MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in one season. In 1982, the Pirates retired his uniform number 8. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 in his first year of eligibility. Upon his death in 2001, he was laid to rest at Oleander Memorial Park in Wilmington, North Carolina.

popular name: Beals Wright

date_of_death: August 23, 1961

age: 81

cause_of_death: Natural causes

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: A graduate of Harvard University, Beals Wright was an accomplished tennis player, winning gold medals in men’s singles and doubles at the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games, U.S. championships in men’s doubles in 1904, 1905, and 1906, and the men’s singles in 1905. Beals was a member of the Davis Cup team for five years between 1905 and 1912, and was ranked in the top ten U.S. tennis players for ten years. After his playing days ended, he continued in the sport as a referee and as a promoter of tennis tournaments. Beals Wright was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (then called the Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame) in 1956.