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The article looks back on the careers of several athletes and sports legends who passed away in 2006 including former professional baseball player Kirby Puckett, who died at the age of 45, the former coach of the Boston Celtics basketball team Red Auerbach, who died at the age of 89, and former football player Craig Heyward, who died at the age of 39. INSET: FROM SI'S FAMILY.

The article focuses on the career highlights of several athletes, coaches, and innovators in sports who died in 2004. Ken Caminiti, the 1996 National League MVP and the first major leaguer to admit he'd used steroids, died of a drug overdose. An anomaly in baseball's old-boys' network, Marge Schott, the Reds owner from '84 to '99 was a tireless philanthropist but given to acts of social and racial insensitivity that led to her being suspended. The Wisconsin star, Elroy Hirsch, went by Crazy Legs after a writer said his running style made him look "like a demented duck." Pete Cutino was four times the NCAA Coach of the Year and the Peter J. Cutino award--water polo's Heisman--was established in '99. The National Hot Rod Association's 2001 Rookie of the Year and well-liked as one of the circuit's most easygoing drivers, Darrell Russell was traveling at more than 300 mph when his car broke up at a race in Madison, Ill. Other people mentioned include V. J. Lovero, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Harry Brecheen, Sid Smith, Tug McGraw, Fanny Blankers-Koen, and Yinka Dare.

Presented are a number of announcements including an obituary for Raymond Parks, a founder of NASCAR and a race car owner, notice of the retirement of Rob Blake, an all star professional hockey player with the San Jose Sharks, and the naming of film directors Danny Boyle and Stephen Daldry as creative officials for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in London, England.

The article presents obituaries and notices of other major events in the lives of several notable people, including champion golfer Gay Brewer, security professional Richard Jewell and disbarred former district attorney Mike Nifong.

The article presents news briefs on events in the world of sports for the week of April 24-30, 2007. The deaths of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock and former English soccer star Alan Ball are reported. The victory of the Duke University men's lacrosse team in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament is presented. The plea of guilty to charges of distributing steroids by former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski is noted.

The article reports the deaths of a number of current and former professional athletes in early 2007. Included in the piece is an obituary of basketball player Dennis Johnson. The accidental death of Oliver Tomlinson, father of football player LaDainian Tomlinson, is reported as is the sudden death of football player Damien Nash.

The article offers sports news briefs. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter's pet pit bull and mastiff were shipped to a California kennel after they attacked and killed a miniature horse. Japanese baseball player Sadaharu Oh was released from the hospital. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was arrested for drunken driving. Baseball executive Syd Thrift passed away at the age of 77 years old. Former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay died at the age of 80 years old.

The article presents a selection of news stories related to sports and athletes. Obituaries are presented for baseball player Mark "the Bird" Fidrych and basketball player Marvin Webster, both of whom reached career peaks in the 1970s. Tennis players Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec were married in Switzerland.

This article provides an obituary for photographer Warren Bolster.

The article pays tribute to sports broadcaster Curt Gowdy. During his prolific career, Gowdy called nine Super Bowl (including the first), 16 World Series, 24 Final Fours and eight Olympics.

The article presents news briefs related to sports. World Cup bobsled champion Noelle Pikus-Pace was injured at Calgary Olympic Park when a bobsled plowed into her. Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative founder Victor Conte has been sentenced to four months in prison and four months of house arrest for the distribution of steroids; University of Minnesota-Morris student Rick Rose died of injuries sustained while helping tear down a goalpost after a football game. Radio broadcaster Bill King died.

The article present an obituary for journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson died by suicide at age 67 on Sunday at his home in Woody Creek, Colo. Over a raucous career that he began as sports editor of the Eglin Air Force Base newspaper in Florida in 1956, Thompson wrote about sports and politics with an unpredictably personal style that changed American culture. Intrigued by the NFL, heavyweight fights and big-game fishing as well as presidential campaigns, Thompson ripped across a hilarious landscape of his own invention peopled with friends and admirers from Muhammad Ali, Kenny Stabler and Jim Irsay to Bill Clinton and Johnny Depp. Thompson wrote dozens of books, hundreds of magazine pieces and a long-running column for ESPN.com.

This article reports on milestones and deaths that have occurred in the world of sports. Died of emphysema at age 89, former major league pitcher and umpire Ken Burkhart. In Game 1 of the '70 Series, Burkhart got tangled up with Baltimore catcher Elrod Hendricks and Cincinnati's Bernie Carbo, who was trying to score. The Anaheim Angels were renamed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The team made the switch in an effort to expand its appeal beyond Orange County, but it runs the risk of alienating its hometown base: The city of Anaheim says it will file a lawsuit to get Los Angeles dropped from the name on the grounds that the change violates the team's lease with the city. World Series of Poker champion Greg Raymer foiled a robbery attempt by two men who attacked him at a casino.

This is a series of news briefs related to sports. At age 72, nomadic NBA coach Cotton Fitzsimmons died of complications from lung cancer. The two-time Coach of the Year, who ranks 10th in league history with 832 victories, began his career in Phoenix in 1970 and made stops in Atlanta, Buffalo, Kansas City and San Antonio before taking a Suns front office job in 1987. Two of the nine highway signs welcoming motorists to Akron, Ohio -- HOME OF LEBRON JAMES 2003-2004 NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, were stolen. Following rape allegations involving La Salle basketball players, the school's men's and women's coaches, Billy Hahn and John Miller have resigned. Two players from the men's team, Michael Cleaves and Gary Neal, were charged on July 8 with sexually assaulting a University of New Haven women's player at Miller's summer camp.

This article pays tribute to "Sports Illustrated" first managing editor, Walter Bingham.

This article focuses on the death of former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott at the age of 75. Schott held controlling interest in the team from 1984 until '99, when Major League Baseball forced her to give up everyday control after she made offensive remarks--including calling outfielder Eric Davis one of her "million dollar n-----s." Davis, who played for the Reds from 1984-91 and in '96, remembers the woman who mixed caring (she donated millions to charity) with controversy.

This article presents a series of news briefs and obituaries related to sports. End of the longest losing streak in Rugby World Cup history by the United States with a 39-26 win over Japan; Survival of the two-round cut at the SBS Super Tournament in South Korea by Se Ri Pak, the first woman to make a cut in a men's event since Babe Zaharias at the 1945 Los Angeles Open; Death of IRL driver Tony Renna at age 26 of blunt force injuries to his head and chest after a crash; Death of former Oregon State football coach and athletic director Dee Andros at age 79.

Discusses the death of Hall of Fame football coach Sid Gillman. Gillman who pioneered the west coast offense; Coaching statistics; Personal stories from Esther Gillman and others.

Focuses on entertainer Frank Sinatra, who died in May of 1998. Sinatra's connection with professional sports; His golf tournament; His early movies, including `Take Me Out to the Ball Game'; His experience in the boxing ring on March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden, New Jersey, when Muhammad Ali was battling Joe Frazier.