Notable last survivors of sports occurrences:
June 10, 1904: Walter T. Avery, 90, the last participant in what was long purported to be the 1st baseball game, and was definitely the 1st one played under what became known as the Knickerbocker Rules, at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1846. 58 years.
August 21, 1937: George Wright, 90, the last survivor of the 1st openly professional baseball team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. 68 years.
June 4, 1939: Reginald Welch, 87, the last survivor of the winners of the 1st FA Cup Final, the 1872 Wanderers. He was also the last surviving player from the England team that played Scotland to a 0-0 draw in the 1st international football (soccer) match, the same year. 67 years.
August 15, 1939: George H. Large, 88, the last surviving player in the 1st American football game, New Brunswick, New Jersey, November 6, 1869. Nearly 70 years. The native of Readington, Hunterdon County played on the Rutgers side, and in 1888 served as President of the State Senate, making him the Acting Governor on a few occasions.
May 24, 1942: Billy MacKinnon, 90, the last surviving player in the 1st international football match, at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland, November 30, 1872. 70 years. He and all of his Scotland teammates played their "club football" for Queen's Park of Glasgow.
August 6, 1943: Tom Garrett, 85, the last surviving player from the 1st official cricket test match, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on March 15, 1877. 66 years. He was a bowler, and remains the youngest Australian to play in a senior cricket match against England. Australia, which would not achieve independence for another 24 years, defeated England 245-196. Garrett is the great-grandfather of Peter Garrett, lead singer of Australian rock band Midnight Oil.
July 14, 1951: Sammy Jones, 89, the last surviving player from the Australia cricket team that beat England in what became known as the 1st "Ashes" competition, August 29, 1882. 69 years.
September 26, 1951: H. Montagu Allan, 90, the last surviving original inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, in 1945. 6 years. He was the only original inductee who was alive at all. A major businessman in Montreal, in the early 20th Century, he was not a player. Instead, he was elected in the "Builders" category, for his donation of the Allan Cup, awarded annually to the national senior amateur champions of Canada.
November 17, 1955: Bob Holmes, 88, the last surviving player from the 1st Champions of England's Football League, the 1888-89 Preston North End team. 66 years.
May 3, 1958: Al Maul, 92, the last surviving player from the Union Association, a quasi-major league that played only the 1884 season. 74 years. He led the National League in earned run average in 1895, and last played in the major leagues with the 1901 New York Giants.
July 17, 1961: Ty Cobb, 75, the last survivor of the original 5 honorees by the Baseball Hall of Fame, January 16, 1936. 25 years. He played center field, mostly for the Detroit Tigers, from 1905 to 1928.
December 15, 1961: William Elsworth Hoy, 99, the last surviving player from the Players' League of 1890. Known as Billy, and as Dummy because he was deaf (although not mute, as "dumb" then meant), he was long erroneously believed to be the inspiration for umpires' hand signals, as he couldn't hear them yell, "Ball!" or "Strike!" He played from 1888 to 1902, batted .288 lifetime, collected 2,044 hits, stole 607 bases, led the National League in stolen bases in 1888, and won the 1st American League Pennant with the 1901 Chicago White Sox. He died 2 months after throwing out the first ball at a World Series game hosted by one of his former teams, the Cincinnati Reds, and 5 months before he would have become the 1st former MLB player to reach a 100th birthday.
February 14, 1963: Billy Barlow, 92, the last surviving player from the 1st Stanley Cup winners, the 1893 Montreal Amateur Athletic Association team. 70 years.
March 17, 1965: Amos Alonzo Stagg, 102, the last surviving member of the 1st All-American college football team, 1889, an end at Yale University. 74 years. He became better known as a coach who introduced many of the things football fans now take for granted, including the playbook, the huddle, the center snap, the placekick, the onside kick, the position of linebacker, pads (for players and goalposts), the tackling dummy, uniform numbers and varsity letters.
July 1, 1968: Dr. Ernest Hildner, 94, the last surviving player in the 1st basketball game, Springfield, Massachusetts, December 21, 1891. 76 years.
February 15, 1970: Dimitrios Loundras, 84, the last surviving competitor in the 1st modern Olympic Games, in Athens, Greece, April 15, 1896. 74 years.
November 7, 1972: Freddy Parent, 96, the last surviving member of the winning team in the 1st World Series, the 1903 Boston Americans. 69 years. The team changed its name to the Red Sox in 1907.
March 26, 1973: George Sisler, 80, the last survivor of the group of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame honored at the Hall's opening in Cooperstown, New York, June 12, 1939. 34 years. He played 1st base, mostly for the St. Louis Browns, from 1915 to 1930.
October 13, 1975: Charles "Swede" Risberg, 81, the last survivor of the "Eight Men Out," the Chicago White Sox players who threw the World Series, losing it to the Cincinnati Reds on October 9, 1919. 56 years.
August 22, 1977: Roy Large, 84, the last surviving player from the Carlisle Indian School team, led by Jim Thorpe, that upset the Army football team at West Point, New York, November 9, 1912. 65 years.
July 3, 1984: Ernesto Mascheroni, 76, the last surviving player from the Uruguay team that won the 1st World Cup Final, July 30, 1930. 54 years. He was then a left back for Montevideo team Olimpia, and later played for Internazionale Milano in Italy before coming home and playing for Montevideo team Peñarol.
September 7, 1984: Joe Cronin, 77, the last survivor of the 5 straight American League players struck out by National League and New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell in the 1934 All-Star Game at the Polo Grounds in New York. 50 years. In order: Babe Ruth died in 1948, Lou Gehrig in 1941, Jimmie Foxx in 1967, Al Simmons in 1956, and Cronin in 1984. Bill Dickey, who lived until 1993, then got a hit. Lefty Gomez, who lived until 1989, then struck out -- but while that was a 6th strikeout, it wasn't a 6th consecutive strikeout. Hubbell lived until 1988.
July 27, 1985: Smoky Joe Wood, 95, the last surviving player from the Addie Joss Benefit Game, held to support the family of the Cleveland Indians pitcher who died of meningitis at the start of the season, July 24, 1911. 75 years. A pitcher, Wood was also the last survivor of the 1912 and the 1915 World Champion Boston Red Sox.
January 15, 1986: Jim Crowley, 83, the last survivor of the backfield known as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, winners of the Rose Bowl, January 1, 1925. 61 years.
February 22, 1986: Tom Bradshaw, 82, the last surviving player from the Scotland team that upset England at the original Wembley Stadium in London on March 31, 1928. 58 years. At the time, though, he was playing his "club football" for an English team, Liverpool.
May 11, 1986: Frederick "Fritz" Pollard, 92, the last surviving player from the 1st NFL Champions, the 1920 Akron Pros. 66 years.
March 21, 1988: Edd Roush, 94, the last surviving player from the Federal League of 1914 and 1915, having played for the Pennant-winning Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1914, and moved with them to become the Newark Bears in 1915. He was also the last survivor of the 1919 World Champion Cincinnati Reds, and insisted to the end of his life that they would have won the World Series even if the Chicago White Sox had played to win all the way. He also threw out the first ball before the last game at Cincinnati's Crosley Field in 1970. With a .323 lifetime batting average, and one of the best outfield arms anyone had ever seen at that point, he was generally considered to be the Reds' greatest player ever before the Big Red Machine of the 1970s, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
July 14, 1988: Lawton "Whitey" Witt, 92, the last surviving player from the 1923 New York Yankees, meaning he was the last survivor of the 1st game at the original Yankee Stadium on April 18, and of the 1st Yankee team to win the World Series, on October 15. 65 years.
May 17, 1989: George "Specs" Toporcer, 90, the last surviving baseball player interviewed by Lawrence S. Ritter for his book The Glory of Their Times, published on September 26, 1966. 23 years. An infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, he was also the last surviving player from their 1926 team that won the World Series, which included Grover Cleveland Alexander's strikeout of Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in the 7th inning of Game 7.
April 17, 1990: Angelo Schiavio, 84, the last surviving player from the Italy team that won the World Cup on June 10, 1934. 56 years. He was a forward, played his entire career for Bologna, and at the time of the World Cup was also their manager.
April 22, 1993: Mark Koenig, 88, the last surviving player from the 1927 World Champion New York Yankees, a.k.a. Murderers' Row, often called the greatest baseball team ever. 66 years.
October 12, 1996: René Lacoste, 92, the last survivor of the "Four Muskteers" from France who, along with America's Bill Tilden, dominated international tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Their 1st major title was in 1924, 72 years earlier. Jacques "Toto" Brugnon died in 1978, Henri Cochet died in 1987, and Jean Borotra died in 1994. Lacoste was nicknamed the Crocodile, and it became the emblem of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929, expanding it into a vast sporting goods empire.
September 26, 1997: Elwood "Woody" English, 91, the last surviving player from the 1st Major League Baseball All-Star Game, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, July 6, 1933. 64 years. He was a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs.
March 8, 1999: Joe DiMaggio, 84, the last surviving inductee into Monument Park at Yankee Stadium prior to its closing for renovation, September 30, 1973. 26 years. Miller Huggins died in 1929, Jacob Ruppert in 1939, Lou Gehrig in 1941, Babe Ruth in 1948, Ed Barrow in 1953, Pope Paul VI in 1978, and Mickey Mantle in 1995.
February 23, 2000: Stanley Matthews, 85, the last surviving player from the England soccer team which, while it did not play in the World Cup, took on its winners, Italy, at the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club in North London, November 14, 1934. 65 years. At the time, he was an outside right (today, we would call his position "right winger") for Stoke City. He would still be playing in England's top division in 1965, at age 50, and remains the only British footballer ever knighted while still an active player.
August 7, 2002: Charles "Ookie" Miller, 92, the last surviving player from the Chicago Bears team that won the 1st NFL Championship Game, regardless of whether you consider that to be the unofficial one on December 18, 1932, at Chicago Stadium, a 9-0 win over the Portsmouth Spartans (they became the Detroit Lions in 1934); or the official one on December 17, 1933, at Wrigley Field, a 23-21 win over the New York Giants. 70 or 69 years. Either way, he played the position of center.
November 4, 2003: Philip Slone, 96, the last surviving player from the U.S. team at the 1st World Cup, in 1930. 73 years. They reached the Semifinal, making them still the most successful U.S. men's World Cup team ever. Slone attended New York's High School of Commerce right after Lou Gehrig did, and was a midfielder on such early U.S. professional teams as the All-Jewish New York Hakoah and Brookhattan. He only played 1 game for the U.S. team, but it was in the 1930 World Cup.
November 4, 2003: Philip Slone, 96, the last surviving player from the U.S. team at the 1st World Cup, in 1930. 73 years. They reached the Semifinal, making them still the most successful U.S. men's World Cup team ever. Slone attended New York's High School of Commerce right after Lou Gehrig did, and was a midfielder on such early U.S. professional teams as the All-Jewish New York Hakoah and Brookhattan. He only played 1 game for the U.S. team, but it was in the 1930 World Cup.
April 27, 2005: George "Red" Horner, 95, the last surviving player from the Ace Bailey Benefit Game, often called the 1st NHL All-Star Game, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, February 14, 1934. 71 years. He was also the last surviving player from the Howie Morez Memorial Game, at the Montreal Forum, November 2, 1937. At the time of each game, he was a defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
June 1, 2005: George Mikan, 80, the last surviving original inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, established in 1959. 46 years. (Its original building did not open until 1968.)
December 27, 2005: John Druze, 91, the last surviving member of the 1936-38 Fordham University line (offensive and defensive) known as the Seven Blocks of Granite, best known for their scoreless tie with the University of Pittsburgh at the Polo Grounds in New York -- which could retroactively be considered one of the periodic "Games of the Century" -- on October 16, 1937. 68 years.
November 5, 2006: Pietro Rava, 90, the last surviving player from the "Rest of Europe" team that played England in the Football Association 75th Anniversary Game at Wembley Stadium, October 26, 1938. 68 years. A left back for Turin-based Juventus, he had helped Italy win the 1936 Olympics and the 1938 World Cup (the last survivor of each team), although he was not yet a regular for their 1934 World Cup win. The last surviving England player was Stan Cullis, a centre-half for Wolverhampton Wanderers, who later became their greatest manager, living until February 28, 2001. 62 years.
December 17, 2008: Sammy Baugh, 94, the last surviving original inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, September 8, 1963. 45 years. He played quarterback, cornerback and punter for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952.
January 22, 2009: Bill Werber, 100, the last surviving former teammate of Babe Ruth, playing for the Yankees in the 1930 and 1933 seasons. Ruth played his last game on May 30, 1935, so, 74 years. Werber also won the 1940 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds.
September 10, 2009: Lou Bender, 99, the last surviving player from "The Original Celtics," the 1st great pro basketball team, which dominated the sport in the 1920s. They were disbanded in 1927, so, 82 years.
December 1, 2009: Tommy Henrich, 96, the last surviving player from, and the beneficiary of, The Mickey Owen Game, Game 4 of the World Series, October 5, 1941. 68 years. He was also the last survivor of the Yankees' 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1941 World Champions.
December 23, 2011: James "Pappy" Ricks, 68, the last surviving player from the New York Renaissance Five, or "the New York Rens," the legendary all-black pro basketball team of the 1930s. He last played for them in 1936, so, 55 years.
February 28, 2013: Ford "Moon" Mullen, 96, the last surviving basketball player from the 1st NCAA Tournament Champions, the University of Oregon, March 27, 1939. 74 years.
May 27, 2015: John Siegal, 97, the last surviving player from the Chicago Bears team that beat the Washington Redskins 73-0, the biggest blowout in NFL history, in the NFL Championship Game, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, December 8, 1940. 75 years. He played end on both offense and defense.
July 16, 2015: Alcides Ghiggia, 88, the last surviving player from the Uruguay team that won the World Cup, shocking Brazil in the Final at the Estadio do Maracana, an event remembered in Brazil as the Maracanazo, July 16, 1950. 65 years.
March 14, 2016: Davy Walsh, 92, the last surviving player from the Republic of Ireland team that upset England at Goodison Park in Liverpool, home of Everton Football Club, September 21, 1949. 66 years. At the time, he was a forward for Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion.
October 21, 2016: Jerry Rullo, 93, the last surviving member of the 1st NBA Champions, the 1947 Philadelphia Warriors. 69 years.
November 23, 2016: Ralph Branca, 90, the last surviving member of the 1st desegregated Major League Baseball team, the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers. 69 years. A few other teammates of Jackie Robinson are still alive.
June 18, 2018: Walter Bahr, 91, the last surviving player from the U.S. soccer team that defeated England at the World Cup in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, June 29, 1950. 68 years. His sons Matt and Chris went on to become Super Bowl-winning placekickers.
Alive as of May 6, 2019:
* Eddie Basinski, 96, is the last surviving player from the "tricornered game" in which the Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants each played 6 innings at the Polo Grounds, to raise money for war bonds, June 26, 1944. 75 years. A Dodger infielder, Basinski is also 1 of the last 2 survivors of the 1930s and '40s players mentioned in Dave Frishberg's song "Van Lingle Mungo." The other is John Antonelli, 89, one of the heroes of the Giants' 1954 World Championship. He is also 1 of 4 surviving former Boston Braves.
(UPDATE: Antonelli died on February 28, 2020, and that not only left Basinski as the last survivor from the song, but left Del Crandall and Bert Thiel as the last 2 living former Boston Braves. Thiel died on July 31, 2020, leaving Crandall as the last one.)
* Reg Harrison, 95, is the earliest surviving player for an FA Cup winner, East Midlands team Derby County, who beat South London team Charlton Athletic at Wembley Stadium, 4-1, on April 27, 1946. 73 years. (UPDATE: He died on September 17, 2020.)
(UPDATE: Antonelli died on February 28, 2020, and that not only left Basinski as the last survivor from the song, but left Del Crandall and Bert Thiel as the last 2 living former Boston Braves. Thiel died on July 31, 2020, leaving Crandall as the last one.)
* Reg Harrison, 95, is the earliest surviving player for an FA Cup winner, East Midlands team Derby County, who beat South London team Charlton Athletic at Wembley Stadium, 4-1, on April 27, 1946. 73 years. (UPDATE: He died on September 17, 2020.)
* Howie Meeker, 95, is the last surviving player from the 1st official NHL All-Star Game, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, October 13, 1947. 71 years. He was a right wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is also the last surviving player for their Stanley Cup-winning teams of 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951. This also makes him the earliest surviving player for a Stanley Cup winner. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, as a broadcaster. (UPDATE: He died on November 8, 2020.)
* Bobby Brown, 94, is the earliest surviving player for a World Series winner, the New York Yankees, who beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 7 games, at Yankee Stadium, on October 6, 1947. 71 years.
* Charlie Trippi, 97, is the earliest surviving player for an NFL Championship team, the Chicago Cardinals, who beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 at Comiskey Park, December 28, 1947. 71 years.
* Neil Harvey, 90, is the last surviving player from the 1948 Australia cricket team that beat England in their regular "Ashes" series, known as "The Invincibles" because they are the only cricket team ever to tour England without losing a test match. June 10 to August 18, 1948. 71 years. While Donald Bradman, often regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket history, was undergoing his farewell tour, Harvey was a rookie, on his 1st tour. Domestically, he played for Victoria (the State of Australia that includes Melbourne) from 1946 to 1957, and for New South Wales (the State that includes Sydney) from then until his retirement from the sport in 1963.
* Arnie Ferrin, 93, is the earliest surviving player for an NBA Championship team, the Minneapolis Lakers, who beat the Washington Capitols in 6 games, April 13, 1949. 70 years. He's also the earliest surviving player for an NCAA Championship team, the University of Utah, beating Dartmouth College 42-40 at the old Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1944. 75 years.
* Jesse Freitas, 98, the last surviving player from the All-America Football Conference, which played its last game on December 11, 1946. 71 years. A quarterback, he played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1946 and 1947, the Chicago Rockets as their starter in 1948, and 1 game for the original version of the Buffalo Bills in 1949. (UPDATE: He died on May 18, 2020, at 99.)
* Jack Myers, 94, is the last surviving player from the Philadelphia Eagles teams that won the NFL Championship in a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cardinals (a rematch of the year before) at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, December 19, 1948; and the next year, in a 14-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, December 18, 1949. 70 and 69 years.
* Bob Cousy, 90, is the last surviving player from the 1st NBA All-Star Game, at his home court, the Boston Garden, March 2, 1951. 68 years.
* Tony Marchi, 86, is the earliest surviving player for a Football League title team, Tottenham Hotspur of North London, who clinched at home at White Hart Lane against Yorkshire team Sheffield Wednesday, April 28, 1951. 68 years. He was also the only player to still be there in 1961, when they won their only other League title, also against Wednesday, on April 17, 1961.
* Willie Mays, who turns 88 today, is the last surviving player from the Bobby Thomson Game, October 3, 1951. 68 years. He is also the last surviving player from the game where he made "The Catch," Game 1 of the World Series, September 29, 1954. 65 years.
* Horst Eckel, 87, is the earliest surviving player for the West Germany team that beat Hungary at the Wankdorf Stadium in Berne, Switzerland, to win the World Cup, on July 4, 1954. 65 years.
* Francisco Gento, age 85, is the last surviving player from the 1st European Cup Final, at Parc des Princes, Paris, June 13, 1956. 63 years. He is also the last survivor from the 1957 Final, and remains the only man to win 6 European Cups, all with Real Madrid.
* Don Larsen, 89, is the last surviving player from the perfect game that he pitched for the Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, still the only no-hitter in World Series history, October 8, 1956. 63 years. (UPDATE: Larsen died on January 1, 2020.)
* Edward "Whitey" Ford, 90, is the last surviving player among the Yankees who were involved in what became known as "The Copacabana Incident" at the Copacabana nightclub in Midtown Manhattan, May 16, 1957. 62 years. Billy Martin died in 1989, Mickey Mantle in 1995, Hank Bauer in 2007, Johnny Kucks in 2013 and Yogi Berra in 2015. The wives of all except Martin, then between marriages, were also there. I don't know if Mrs. Bauer or Mrs. Kucks is still alive, but Mrs. Mantle, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Berra have all since died. (UPDATE: Ford died on October 8, 2020.)
* There are 6 living survivors of the Munich Air Disaster that killed 23 people, including 8 members of the Manchester United soccer team on its way back from a European Cup Quarterfinal in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), February 6, 1958, 61 years: United players Bobby Charlton (81) and Harry Gregg (86); stewardess Rosemary Cheverton; Eleanor Miklos, wife of travel agent Bela Miklos, who was killed; Vera Lukić, the wife of a Yugoslav diplomat; and her daughter, Vesna Lukić. As Vesna was a baby, she is likely to end up as the last survivor. Vera was pregnant with her son Zoran, and some sources list him as one of the survivors as well.
(UPDATE: Gregg died on February 16, 2020, leaving 5 survivors, and Charlton as the last surviving player.)
* There are 2 surviving players from the Brazil team that won the World Cup, beating host Sweden at Råsundastadion in the Stockholm suburb of Solna on June 29, 1958: Mario Zagallo and Pelé. Dino Sani, Moacir, José Altafini and José "Pepe" Macia are still alive, but did not play in the Final.
* Barron Hilton, 91, the last survivor of "The Foolish Club," the 8 rich men who decided to blow their fortunes on teams in the American Football League, at the AFL's founding meeting in Chicago, August 14, 1959, 60 years. He named his team the Los Angeles Chargers, but has always denied that he named them after the credit card he'd founded, Carte Blanche.
He was a son of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton; was a brother of Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr., a.k.a. Nicky Hilton, making him briefly a brother-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor; and is the grandfather of Paris Hilton.
(UPDATE: Barron Hilton died on September 19, 2019.)
* There are 4 surviving players from the baseball-themed game show Home Run Derby, which aired in syndication from January 9 to July 2, 1960, 59 years: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Al Kaline and Rocky Colavito. (UPDATE: Kaline died on April 6, 2020, leaving 3: Mays, Aaron and Colavito.)
* From the Bill Mazeroski Game, October 13, 1960, 59 years ago, there are 14 survivors. The Pittsburgh Pirates have 8: Mazeroski himself, Dick Groat, Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner, Hal Smith, Joe Christopher, Vernon Law and Roy Face. The Yankees have 6: Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Hector Lopez, Bobby Shantz, Jim Coates and Ralph Terry. (UPDATE: Coates died on November 15, 2019. Smith died on January 9, 2020, lowering the number to 12.)
* From the game where Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season, October 1, 1961, 58 years ago, there are 8 survivors: 4 Yankees, Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Hector Lopez and Jack Reed; and Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski. Elijah "Pumpsie" Green, Chuck Schilling (no relation to Curt) and Don Gile. This does not include players on the roster who did not play, such as Whitey Ford. (UPDATE: Green died on July 17, 2019, dropping the number to 7.)
* There are 3 surviving players from the Brazil team that won the World Cup, beating Czechoslovakia at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago on June 17, 1962: Mario Zagallo, Pelé and Amarildo. Pepe, Coutinho, Jair Marinho, Altair, Mengálvio and Jair da Costa are still alive, but did not play in the Final.
* There are 9 surviving participants in "The Cleveland Summit," gathered in support of Muhammad Ali after he was stripped of the Heavyweight Championship of the World for refusing to be drafted, June 4, 1967, 52 years: Football players Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Willie Davis, Curtis McClinton, Jim Shorter, John Wooten and Walter Beach, all of whom were current or former Cleveland Browns; and basketball players Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then still using his birth name of Lew Alcindor). (UPDATE: Mitchell died on April 5, 2020, and Davis 10 days later, lowering the number to 7.)
* Bobby Brown, 94, is the earliest surviving player for a World Series winner, the New York Yankees, who beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 7 games, at Yankee Stadium, on October 6, 1947. 71 years.
* Charlie Trippi, 97, is the earliest surviving player for an NFL Championship team, the Chicago Cardinals, who beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 at Comiskey Park, December 28, 1947. 71 years.
* Neil Harvey, 90, is the last surviving player from the 1948 Australia cricket team that beat England in their regular "Ashes" series, known as "The Invincibles" because they are the only cricket team ever to tour England without losing a test match. June 10 to August 18, 1948. 71 years. While Donald Bradman, often regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket history, was undergoing his farewell tour, Harvey was a rookie, on his 1st tour. Domestically, he played for Victoria (the State of Australia that includes Melbourne) from 1946 to 1957, and for New South Wales (the State that includes Sydney) from then until his retirement from the sport in 1963.
* Arnie Ferrin, 93, is the earliest surviving player for an NBA Championship team, the Minneapolis Lakers, who beat the Washington Capitols in 6 games, April 13, 1949. 70 years. He's also the earliest surviving player for an NCAA Championship team, the University of Utah, beating Dartmouth College 42-40 at the old Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1944. 75 years.
* Jesse Freitas, 98, the last surviving player from the All-America Football Conference, which played its last game on December 11, 1946. 71 years. A quarterback, he played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1946 and 1947, the Chicago Rockets as their starter in 1948, and 1 game for the original version of the Buffalo Bills in 1949. (UPDATE: He died on May 18, 2020, at 99.)
* Jack Myers, 94, is the last surviving player from the Philadelphia Eagles teams that won the NFL Championship in a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cardinals (a rematch of the year before) at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, December 19, 1948; and the next year, in a 14-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, December 18, 1949. 70 and 69 years.
* Bob Cousy, 90, is the last surviving player from the 1st NBA All-Star Game, at his home court, the Boston Garden, March 2, 1951. 68 years.
* Tony Marchi, 86, is the earliest surviving player for a Football League title team, Tottenham Hotspur of North London, who clinched at home at White Hart Lane against Yorkshire team Sheffield Wednesday, April 28, 1951. 68 years. He was also the only player to still be there in 1961, when they won their only other League title, also against Wednesday, on April 17, 1961.
* Willie Mays, who turns 88 today, is the last surviving player from the Bobby Thomson Game, October 3, 1951. 68 years. He is also the last surviving player from the game where he made "The Catch," Game 1 of the World Series, September 29, 1954. 65 years.
* Horst Eckel, 87, is the earliest surviving player for the West Germany team that beat Hungary at the Wankdorf Stadium in Berne, Switzerland, to win the World Cup, on July 4, 1954. 65 years.
* Francisco Gento, age 85, is the last surviving player from the 1st European Cup Final, at Parc des Princes, Paris, June 13, 1956. 63 years. He is also the last survivor from the 1957 Final, and remains the only man to win 6 European Cups, all with Real Madrid.
* Don Larsen, 89, is the last surviving player from the perfect game that he pitched for the Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, still the only no-hitter in World Series history, October 8, 1956. 63 years. (UPDATE: Larsen died on January 1, 2020.)
* Edward "Whitey" Ford, 90, is the last surviving player among the Yankees who were involved in what became known as "The Copacabana Incident" at the Copacabana nightclub in Midtown Manhattan, May 16, 1957. 62 years. Billy Martin died in 1989, Mickey Mantle in 1995, Hank Bauer in 2007, Johnny Kucks in 2013 and Yogi Berra in 2015. The wives of all except Martin, then between marriages, were also there. I don't know if Mrs. Bauer or Mrs. Kucks is still alive, but Mrs. Mantle, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Berra have all since died. (UPDATE: Ford died on October 8, 2020.)
* There are 6 living survivors of the Munich Air Disaster that killed 23 people, including 8 members of the Manchester United soccer team on its way back from a European Cup Quarterfinal in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), February 6, 1958, 61 years: United players Bobby Charlton (81) and Harry Gregg (86); stewardess Rosemary Cheverton; Eleanor Miklos, wife of travel agent Bela Miklos, who was killed; Vera Lukić, the wife of a Yugoslav diplomat; and her daughter, Vesna Lukić. As Vesna was a baby, she is likely to end up as the last survivor. Vera was pregnant with her son Zoran, and some sources list him as one of the survivors as well.
(UPDATE: Gregg died on February 16, 2020, leaving 5 survivors, and Charlton as the last surviving player.)
* There are 2 surviving players from the Brazil team that won the World Cup, beating host Sweden at Råsundastadion in the Stockholm suburb of Solna on June 29, 1958: Mario Zagallo and Pelé. Dino Sani, Moacir, José Altafini and José "Pepe" Macia are still alive, but did not play in the Final.
* Barron Hilton, 91, the last survivor of "The Foolish Club," the 8 rich men who decided to blow their fortunes on teams in the American Football League, at the AFL's founding meeting in Chicago, August 14, 1959, 60 years. He named his team the Los Angeles Chargers, but has always denied that he named them after the credit card he'd founded, Carte Blanche.
He was a son of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton; was a brother of Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr., a.k.a. Nicky Hilton, making him briefly a brother-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor; and is the grandfather of Paris Hilton.
(UPDATE: Barron Hilton died on September 19, 2019.)
* There are 4 surviving players from the baseball-themed game show Home Run Derby, which aired in syndication from January 9 to July 2, 1960, 59 years: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Al Kaline and Rocky Colavito. (UPDATE: Kaline died on April 6, 2020, leaving 3: Mays, Aaron and Colavito.)
* From the Bill Mazeroski Game, October 13, 1960, 59 years ago, there are 14 survivors. The Pittsburgh Pirates have 8: Mazeroski himself, Dick Groat, Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner, Hal Smith, Joe Christopher, Vernon Law and Roy Face. The Yankees have 6: Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Hector Lopez, Bobby Shantz, Jim Coates and Ralph Terry. (UPDATE: Coates died on November 15, 2019. Smith died on January 9, 2020, lowering the number to 12.)
* From the game where Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season, October 1, 1961, 58 years ago, there are 8 survivors: 4 Yankees, Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Hector Lopez and Jack Reed; and Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski. Elijah "Pumpsie" Green, Chuck Schilling (no relation to Curt) and Don Gile. This does not include players on the roster who did not play, such as Whitey Ford. (UPDATE: Green died on July 17, 2019, dropping the number to 7.)
* There are 3 surviving players from the Brazil team that won the World Cup, beating Czechoslovakia at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago on June 17, 1962: Mario Zagallo, Pelé and Amarildo. Pepe, Coutinho, Jair Marinho, Altair, Mengálvio and Jair da Costa are still alive, but did not play in the Final.
* There are 9 surviving participants in "The Cleveland Summit," gathered in support of Muhammad Ali after he was stripped of the Heavyweight Championship of the World for refusing to be drafted, June 4, 1967, 52 years: Football players Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Willie Davis, Curtis McClinton, Jim Shorter, John Wooten and Walter Beach, all of whom were current or former Cleveland Browns; and basketball players Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then still using his birth name of Lew Alcindor). (UPDATE: Mitchell died on April 5, 2020, and Davis 10 days later, lowering the number to 7.)
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