The Arena Football League fullback for the San Jose SaberCats was only 26 when he died on May 28, 2012. Kirton played in college for the University of Washington and was a team captain in 2008.

Bob Boozer won Olympic gold in 1960 and played 11 years in the NBA, winning one title as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. The No. 1 pick in the 1959 NBA Draft was a two-time All-American at Kansas State. He died on May 19, 2012 at the age of 75 from a brain aneurysm.

Fuller (far left) was best known for a race his horse ultimately didn't win. On May 4, 1968, Dancer's Image, ridden by Bob Ussery, won the Kentucky Derby. But days later, the horse was disqualified for having a banned medication in his system. The decision was quite controversial, particularly in light of Fuller's support of the civil-rights movement. Fuller died of cancer on May 14 at a skilled-care facility in Portsmouth, NH, at the age of 89.

Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker, died May 2, 2012 at his home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He was 43. Seau, who spent 19 seasons playing for the Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots, made headlines in October 2010 when he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and drove his car off a cliff after he was released from jail. Seau suffered minor injuries and explained that he fell asleep at the wheel and the accident wasn’t a suicide attempt.

Norwegian Olympic swimmer Alexander Dale Oen died Monday, April 30, 2012 after finishing a training session with teammates in Arizona, Norway's swimming federation said. A silver-medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 100m breaststroke, Dale Oen was on track for another medal in London.

Former Yankee Moose Skowron died April 27 of congestive heart failure at age 81. He was a five-time World Series champion and one of only two players to hit three home runs in Game 7s. Skowron helped the New York Yankees win four titles in the 1950s and 1960s and was an eight-time All-Star. He frequently attended Yankees old-timer events.

The inventor of ski goggles changed the sport for the better with his invention in the 1960s. An orthodontist, Smith used his knowledge of dental tools to create the double-layered goggle that is standard for today's pro athletes and, of course, amateurs alike.

Longtime jockey Eusebio "Eddie" Razo Jr., shown in a 2008 photo at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., was killed in a garage fire April 24 at his Chicago-area home, according to reports. Razo, 46, rode 2,692 winners in his career, according to the Daily Racing Form. Prominent on the Illinois circuit and at Oaklawn Park, Razo won several meet riding titles.

Saul, shown in a 1981 photo, died April 15 at the age of 64 after a long battle against leukemia. Saul was a six-time Pro Bowl center who played on the only Los Angeles Rams team to reach the Super Bowl. The Rams' eighth-round draft pick out of Michigan State in 1970, Saul finished his career with 105 consecutive starts. He was a favorite of Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo, who took his snaps in the Super Bowl XIV loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Schintzius, shown in a 1991 photo, died April 15 from respiratory failure at the age of 43. A 7-foot-2 center, Schintzius led the University of Florida to its first three NCAA tournament appearances. He remains the only SEC player with more than 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists and 250 blocked shots. He was selected 24th overall in the 1990 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. He went on to have stints with the Kings, Nets, Pacers, Clippers and Celtics in nine seasons in the NBA.

The former Montreal Canadiens defenseman captained the historic franchise for eight seasons, winning four Stanley Cups, before retiring after the 1955-56 season. Bouchard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and his No. 3 was retired by the team in 2009. The man who was known as a hard-nosed D-man and a fierce hitter died on April 14. He was 92.

Italian soccer player Piermario Morosini suffered a heart attack on the pitch and died on April 14, 2012. Morosini fell to the ground in the 31st minute of a game and tried unsuccessfully to get up before receiving urgent medical attention on the field. Morosini was just 25 years old.

At 43, the two-time Olympic medalist in diving met an untimely death April 9, 2012 while being treated for an unknown illness. Lenzi won a gold medal in the 3-meter springboard event in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze in the same event in Atlanta in 1996.

Kiel, shown in this 1988 photo while a member of the Green Bay Packers, died April 8 at the age of 50. Kiel starred for Notre Dame as a quarterback and punter from 1980-83, setting the record for the longest pass in Irish history with a 96-yarder to Joe Howard against Georgia Tech in 1981. In the NFL, Kiel made three starts and appeared in 25 games in five seasons with the Buccaneers, Colts and Packers from 1984 to 1991.

Michael Peterson, an Australian considered the best surfer in the world before such titles were bestowed, died March 29 after suffering a heart attack. He was 59. Peterson was virtually unbeatable in the early 1970s, and the 1972 movie "Morning of the Earth" contained an iconic moment of him performing a high-speed cutback.

Boxing writer and historian Bert Sugar, who was as colorful a character as any fighter he chronicled, died March 25 of cardiac arrest. He was 75. Known for his fedora and cigar, Sugar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005 and wrote more than 80 books, including ''The 100 Greatest Boxers Of All Time.''

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Mel Parnell died March 20 at age 89 after a long fight with cancer. In a 10-year major league career spent entirely with the Red Sox, Parnell compiled a 123-75 record and 3.50 ERA. He is the winningest left-hander in Red Sox history and the fourth-best overall.

Nik Zoricic was a freestyle skier with the the Canadian National Ski Cross team, who died from head injuries after flying off the course and crashing in a World Cup skicross event on March 11. Zoricic, who was 29 when he died, was born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, but moved to Canada when he was five years old. He competed in alpine ski racing before switching to skicross in 2008.

Major League umpire Harry Wendelstedt died March 9 after an extended illness. He was 73. Wendelstedt called seven NL championship series and four All-Star games, and he was behind the plate for five no-hitters. He was on the major league umpiring staff from 1966-98. In 1998, Wendelstedt (left) posed for this photo with his son, Hunter Wendelstedt, also an umpire, before a game.

Don Mincher was a two-time All-Star first baseman who played for the 1972 World Series champion Oakland Athletics. He also had stints with the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Texas Rangers, Seattle Pilots and Washington Senator during his 13-year career in the major leagues. Mincher was 73 when he died on March 6 after a long illness.

Alex Webster was a star player for the New York Giants from 1955-64 and then returned to coach the team from 1969-73. The running back, who spent his entire playing career with the Giants, won the 1956 NFL championship game with the team. He died on March 3 at the age of 80.

Nicknamed ''Kid,'' Carter played nearly two decades (1974-92) with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants and the LA Dodgers. He was the first player to go into the Hall of Fame with an Expos cap on his plaque. An 11-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove award winner, Carter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. He is remembered for igniting the Mets' stunning 10th-inning rally in their classic comeback win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Carter was 57 when he died on Feb. 16 after battling brain cancer.

Not many people could scream at Sugar Ray Leonard and get away with it. But Angelo Dundee more than earned that right — and Leonard's respect. Arguably the most famous trainer in boxing history, Dundee trained 15 world champions, including the likes of Leonard, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Upon his retirement, Dundee became one of the sport's greatest ambassadors, being inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. Dundee died on Feb. 1 at the age of 90.

Former college basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour had a 373-202 record in college basketball, including eight NCAA tournament appearances. He spent 19 seasons coaching at Missouri State, Saint Louis and UNLV. Spoonhour died on Feb. 1 at the age of 72 after fighting a long battle with a lung illness. He had also received a lung transplant in 2010.

For more than half of his life, Joe Paterno was the head coach of Penn State's football team. And over that 46-season career, JoePa set a major college football record with 409 victories, including two national championships. He guided the Nittany Lions to 37 bowls and sent more than 250 players to the NFL. His career came to an abrupt end in November 2011 as the program was embroiled in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. Shortly after, it was revealed he was battling lung cancer. On Jan. 22, Paterno died at the age of 85.

After founding Pocono Raceway in the early 1960s, Joseph Mattioli spent four decades building the track into one of the premier destinations on the NASCAR circuit. With the help of his wife Rose, Mattioli oversaw the track for 68 Sprint Cup races. The couple retired last year but, in handing over control to their eldest three grandchildren, maintained Pocono as the lone remaining family-owned-and-run track on the Sprint Cup schedule. Also a dentist, 'Doc' died on Jan. 26 after a lengthy illness. He was 86.

Jeffrey Ntuka, 26, made five appearances with the South Africa national team and was a member of Chelsea's reserve team for six months in 2003. Ntuka also played two years with South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs beginning in 2009. After battling alcohol addiction, Ntuka's contract with Supersport United expired, leaving him teamless. Ntuka was stabbed to death in Jan. 21 inside a Kroonstad, South Africa nightclub.

Sarah Burke, 29, was a Canadian freestyle skier who won four gold medals at the X Games in the Superpipe event. She was also the first woman to land a 1080 in competition, making three complete revolutions before landing. After lobbying to legitimize freestyle skiing for several years, Burke's efforts paid off when the sport was added to the 2014 Winter Olympics roster. Burke was seriously injured in January 2012 in a training accident in Park City, Utah, and succumbed to her injuries nine days later.

Michael Current, a 66-year-old former NFL lineman, was found dead in an Oregon wildlife refuge on Jan. 16 from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound. He reportedly was expected on the same day to enter a plea on five charges of first-degree sexual abuse on a minor, according to court records. Current played 13 NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins and wrote a 2002 memoir of his time in the league.

Jim Stanley served as the head football coach at Oklahoma State from 1973 to 1978 and most notably served as the Director of Player Personnel for the Arizona Cardinals organization for 12 years, starting in 1995. He also spent two years coaching the USFL's Michigan Panthers, winning the league's championship in 1983. Stanley died on Jan. 12 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 77.

Ron Caron, who was 82 when he died on Jan.9, spent a long career in the front office of NHL franchises, most notably serving as the GM for the St. Louis Blues from 1983 to 1993. During his time there, Caron's Blues included future Hall of Famers Doug Gilmour, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis and Grant Fuhr. He was also a six-time Stanley Cup winner as an assistant general manager with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s. Caron, was nicknamed the "Old Professor" for how well he could remember hockey facts. ''He remembered when he met you, when you scored your first goal, and he could do that for everybody,'' former St. Louis player Bernie Federko remembered. ''It was just amazing.''

Don Carter, the bowling great with the unorthodox style, died on Jan. 5 at age 85. Prior to his death, he had been hospitalized with pneumonia complicated by emphysema. Carter, known as “Mr. Bowling,” was the game’s original superstar. He was a leading force in the formation of the PBA in 1958 and became a charter member of the PBA Hall of Fame in 1975. He was also the first athlete in American sports to sign a $1 million marketing endorsement contract, with bowling ball manufacturer Ebonite in 1964.

Gene Bartow, who died Jan. 3 at the age of 81 after battling stomach cancer, won 647 games in 34 seasons and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. Bartow took UCLA and Memphis State to the Final Four and launched UAB athletics. He also led the Blazers to seven straight NCAA tournament appearances while coaching at the school from 1978-96.