Those We Lost In the Trump Era -- Outside of Sports and Show Business

In memoriam, those we lost between Donald Trump's stolen election and the end of his term. This is for the remaining figures, who were not chiefly involved with either sports or show business.

Literature

Sam Shepard, November 5, 1943 - July 27, 2017.

Len Wein, June 12, 1948 - September 10, 2017.

Richard Wilbur, March 1, 1921 - October 14, 2017.

Peter Mayle, June 14, 1939 - January 18, 2018.

Ursula K. Le Guin, October 21, 1929 - January 22, 2018.

Tom Wolfe, March 2, 1930 - May 14, 2018.
Philip Roth, March 19, 1933 - May 22, 2018.

Harlan Ellison, May 27, 1934 - June 28, 2018.

V.S. Naipaul, August 17, 1932 - August 11, 2018.

Neil Simon, July 4, 1927 - August 26, 2018.

Stan Lee, December 28, 1922 - November 12, 2018.

Amos Oz, May 4, 1939 - December 28, 2018.

Vonda N. McIntyre, August 28, 1948 - April 1, 2019.

Herman Wouk, May 27, 1915 - May 17, 2019.

Toni Morrison, February 18, 1931 - August 5, 2019. 

D.C. Fontana, March 25, 1939 - December 2, 2019.

Elizabeth Wurtzel, July 31, 1967 - January 7, 2020.

Mary Higgins Clark, December 24, 1927 - January 31, 2020.

Clive Cussler, July 15, 1931 - February 24, 2020.

Terrence McNally, November 3, 1938 - March 24, 2020.

Michael McClure, October 20, 1932 - May 4, 2020.

Larry Kramer, June 25, 1935 - May 27, 2020.

Dennis O'Neil, May 3, 1939 - June 11, 2020.

Winston Groom, March 23, 1943 - September 16, 2020.

Terry Goodkind, January 11, 1948 - September 17, 2020.

Diane di Prima, August 6, 1934 - October 25, 2020.

Ben Bova, November 8, 1932 - November 29, 2020.

Alison Lurie, September 3, 1926 - December 3, 2020.

John le Carré, October 19, 1931 - December 12, 2020.

Journalism

Gwen Ifill, September 29, 1955 - November 14, 2016.

Nat Hentoff, June 10, 1925 - January 7, 2017.

Hugh Hefner, April 9, 1926 - September 27, 2017.

Anthony Bourdain, June 25, 1956 - June 8, 2018.

Jamal Khashoggi, October 13, 1958 - October 2, 2018.

William Goldman, August 12, 1931 - November 16, 2018.

Harry Leslie Smith, February 25, 1923 - November 28, 2018.

Neil Sheehan, October 27, 1936 - January 7, 2021.

Astronauts

John Glenn, July 18, 1921 - December 8, 2016.

Gene Cernan, March 14, 1934 - January 16, 2017.

John Young, September 24, 1930 - January 5, 2018.

Alan Bean, March 15, 1932 - May 26, 1932.

Alfred Worden, February 7, 1932 - March 18, 2020.

Public Service -- American

Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser, March 28, 1928 - May 26, 2017.

John B. Anderson, Illinois Congressman, February 15, 1922 - December 3, 2017.

Stansfield Turner, CIA Director, December 1, 1923 - January 18, 2018.

Barbara Bush, First Lady, June 8, 1925 - April 17, 2018.

John McCain, Arizona Senator, August 29, 1936 - August 25, 2018.

George H.W. Bush, President, June 12, 1924 - November 30, 2018.

Paul Volcker, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, September 5, 1927 - December 8, 2019.

John Lewis, Georgia Congressman and civil rights leader, February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, March 15, 1933 - September 18, 2020.

David Dinkins, New York Mayor, July 10, 1927 - November 23, 2020.

Paul Sarbanes, Maryland Senator Maryland, February 3, 1933 - December 6, 2020.

William F. Winter, Mississippi Governor, February 21, 1923 - December 18, 2020.

Bruce Boynton, civil rights activist, June 19, 1937 - November 23, 2020.

Public Service -- Other Countries

Martin McGuinness, Northern Irish Deputy First Minister, May 23, 1950 - March 21, 2017.

Helmut Kohl, German Chancellor, April 3, 1930 - June 16, 2017.

Winnie Mandela, South African First Lady, September 26, 1936 - April 2, 2018.

Kofi Annan, Ghanian Secretary-General of the United Nations, April 8, 1938 - August 18, 2018.

Wim Kok, Dutch Prime Minister, September 29, 1938 - October 20, 2018.

Paddy Ashdown, British diplomat, February 27, 1941 - December 22, 2018.

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, January 5, 1921 - April 23, 2019.

Bob Hawke, Australian Prime Minister, December 9, 1929 - May 16, 2019.

Jacques Chirac, French President, November 29, 1932 - September 26, 2019.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian Secretary-General of the United Nations, January 19, 1920 - March 4, 2020.

Betty Williams, Northern Irish diplomat, May 22, 1943 - March 17, 2020.

John Hume, Northern Irish diplomat, January 18, 1937 - August 3, 2020.

John Turner, Canadian Prime Minister, June 7, 1929 - September 19, 2020.

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French President, February 2, 1926 - December 2, 2020.

Science

Stephen Hawking, January 8, 1942 - March 14, 2018.

Katherine Johnson, August 26, 1918 - February 24, 2020.

Freeman Dyson, December 15, 1923 - February 28, 2020.

Fashion

Kate Spade, December 24, 1962 - June 5, 2018.

Lee Radziwill, March 3, 1933 - February 15, 2019.

Gloria Vanderbilt, February 20, 1924 - June 17, 2019.

Pierre Cardin, July 2, 1922 - December 29, 2020.

Architecture

I.M. Pei, April 26, 1917 - May 16, 2019.

César Pelli, October 12, 1926 - July 19, 2019.

Other

Mike Ilitch, founder of Little Caesars Pizza, July 20, 1929 - February 10, 2017.

Joachim Rønneberg, World War II hero, August 30, 1919 - October 21, 2018.

Paul Allen, computer executive, January 21, 1953 - October 15, 2018.

Lee Iacocca, automotive executive, October 15, 1924 - July 2, 2019.

Sumner Redstone, media executive, May 23, 1923 - August 11, 2020.

Chuck Yeager, 1st pilot to break sound barrier, February 13, 1923 - December 7, 2020.

Those We Lost In the Trump Era -- Show Business Edition

Goodbye, Mr. Bond. And also to you, Mr. Bond.

In memoriam, those we lost between Donald Trump's stolen election and the end of his term. Show business edition.

If a figure was known for doing one thing more than another -- say, acting more than singing, or dancing more than either -- then I will put them in that category.

Actors

Robert Vaughn, November 22, 1932 - November 11, 2016.

Ron Glass, July 10, 1945 - November 25, 2016.

Carrie Fisher, October 21, 1956 - December 27, 2016.
Debbie Reynolds, April 1, 1932 - December 28, 2016.
William Christopher, October 20, 1932 - December 31, 2016.

Miguel Ferrer, February 7, 1955 - January 19, 2017.

John Hurt, January 22, 1940 - January 25, 2017.
Mary Tyler Moore, December 29, 1936 - January 25, 2017.
Bill Paxton, May 17, 1955 - February 25, 2017.

Tim Pigott-Smith, May 13, 1946 - April 7, 2017.
Roger Moore, October 14, 1927 - May 23, 2017.

Glenne Headly, March 13, 1955 - June 8, 2017.
Adam West, September 19, 1928 - June 9, 2017.
Stephen Furst, May 8, 1954 - June 16, 2017.

Jeanne Moreau, January 23, 1928 - July 31, 2017.

Jay Thomas, July 12, 1948 - August 24, 2017.

Bernie Casey, June 8, 1939 - September 19, 2017.

Robert Guillaume, November 30, 1927 - October 24, 2017.
Jim Nabors, June 12, 1930 - November 30, 2017.

Rose Marie, August 15, 1923 - December 28, 2017.

Jerry Van Dyke, July 27, 1931 - January 5, 2018.

Dorothy Malone, January 29, 1924 - January 19, 2018.

John Mahoney, June 20, 1940 - February 4, 2018.

Nanette Fabray, October 27, 1920 - February 22, 2018.

David Ogden Stiers, October 31, 1942 - March 3, 2018.

Soon-Tek Oh, June 29, 1932 - April 4, 2018.
Chuck McCann, September 2, 1934 - April 8, 2018.

Harry Anderson, October 14, 1952 - April 16, 2018.
Bruno Sammartino, October 6, 1935 - April 18, 2018.

Verne Troyer, January 1, 1969 - April 21, 2018.
Robert Mandan, February 2, 1932 - April 29, 2018.
Margot Kidder, October 17, 1948 - May 13, 2018.

Joseph Campanella, November 21, 1924 - May 16, 2018.
Clint Walker, May 30, 1927 - May 21, 2018.

Eunice Gayson, March 17, 1928 - June 8, 2018.

Tab Hunter, July 11, 1931 - July 8, 2018.

Charlotte Rae, April 22, 1926 - August 5, 2018.

Bill Daily, August 30, 1927 - September 4, 2018.

Christopher Lawford, March 29, 1955 - September 4, 2018.

Burt Reynolds, February 11, 1936 - September 6, 2018.

Sondra Locke, May 28, 1944 - November 3, 2018.

Ken Berry, November 3, 1933 - December 1, 2018.

Philip Bosco, September 26, 1930 - December 1, 2018.

Penny Marshall, October 15, 1943 - December 17, 2018.

Donald Moffat, December 26, 1930 - December 20, 2018.

Carol Channing, January 31, 1921- January 15, 2019.

Kaye Ballard, November 20, 1925 - January 21, 2019.

Kristoff St. John, July 15, 1966 - February 3, 2019.

Albert Finney, May 9, 1936 - February 7, 2019.

Morgan Woodward, September 16, 1925 - February 22, 2019.

Katherine Helmond, July 5, 1929 - February 23, 2019.

Luke Perry, October 11, 1966 - March 4, 2019.

Seymour Cassel, January 22, 1935 - April 7, 2019.

Georgia Engel, July 28, 1948 - April 12, 2019.

Ken Kercheval, July 15, 1935 - April 21, 2019.

Peter Mayhew, May 19, 1944 - April 30, 2019.

Peggy Lipton, August 30, 1946 - May 11, 2019.

Doris Day, April 3, 1922 - May 13, 2019.

Tim Conway, December 15, 1933 - May 14, 2019.

Sylvia Miles, September 9, 1924 - June 12, 2019.

Isabel Sarli, July 9, 1929 - June 25, 2019.

Arte Johnson, January 20, 1929 - July 3, 2019.

Rip Torn, February 6, 1931 - July 9, 2019.

David Hedison, May 20, 1927 - July 18, 2019.

Rutger Hauer, January 23, 1944 - July 19, 2019.

Peter Fonda, February 23, 1940 - August 16, 2019.

Valerie Harper, August 22, 1939 - August 30, 2019.

Carol Lynley, February 13, 1942 - September 3, 2019.

Diahann Carroll, July 17, 1935 - October 4, 2019.

Rip Taylor, January 13, 1931 - October 6, 2019

John Witherspoon, January 27, 1942 - October 29, 2019.

Michael J. Pollard, May 30, 1939 - November 21, 2019.

Shelley Morrison, October 26, 1936 - December 1, 2019.

Robert Walker Jr., April 15, 1940 - December 5, 2019.

Ron Leibman, October 11, 1937 - December 6, 2019.

René Auberjonois, June 1, 1940 - December 8, 2019.

Caroll Spinney, December 26, 1933 - December 8, 2019.

Danny Aiello, June 20, 1933 - December 12, 2019.

Anna Karina, September 22, 1940 - December 14, 2019.

Claudine Auger, April 26, 1941 - December 18, 2019.

Sue Lyon, July 10, 1946 - December 26, 2019.

Edd Byrnes, July 30, 1932 - January 8, 2020.

Terry Jones, February 1, 1942 - January 21, 2020.

Kirk Douglas, December 9, 1916 - February 5, 2020.

Robert Conrad, March 1, 1935 - February 8, 2020.

Diana Serra Cary, a.k.a. Baby Peggy, October 29, 1918 - February 24, 2020.

Max von Sydow, April 10, 1929 - March 8, 2029.

Stuart Whitman, February 1, 1928 - March 16, 2020.

Lyle Waggoner, April 13, 1935 - March 17, 2020.

Honor Blackman, August 22, 1925 - April 5, 2020.

Jerry Stiller, June 8, 1927 - May 11, 2020.

Fred Willard, September 18, 1933 - May 15, 2020.

Naya Rivera, January 12, 1987 - July 8, 2020.

Kelly Preston, October 13, 1962 - July 12, 2020.

Grant Imahara, October 23, 1970 - July 13, 2020.

Olivia de Havilland, July 1, 1916 - July 26, 2020.

Wilford Brimley, September 27, 1934 - August 1, 2020.

Ben Cross, December 16, 1947 - August 18, 2020.

Chadwick Boseman, November 29, 1976 - August 28, 2020.

Diana Rigg, July 20, 1938 - September 10, 2020.

Michael Lonsdale, May 24, 1931 - September 21, 2020.

Conchata Ferrell, March 28, 1943 - October 12, 2020.

Rhonda Fleming, August 10, 1923 - October 14, 2020.

Sean Connery, August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020.

Geoffrey Palmer, June 4, 1927 - November 5, 2020.

David Prowse, July 1, 1935 - November 28, 2020.

David Lander, June 22, 1947 - December 4, 2020.

Jeremy Bulloch, February 16, 1945 - December 17, 2020.

Dawn Wells, October 18, 1938 - December 30, 2020.

Tanya Roberts, October 15, 1955 - January 4, 2021.

Gregory Sierra, January 25, 1937 - January 4, 2021.

Dancers

Marge Champion, September 2, 1919 - October 21, 2020.

Ann Reinking, November 10, 1949 - December 12, 2020.

Comedians

Dick Gregory, October 12, 1932 - August 19, 2017.

Shelley Berman, February 3, 1925 - September 1, 2017.

Orson Bean, July 22, 1928 - February 7, 2020.

Norm Crosby, September 15, 1927 - November 7, 2020.

Disc Jockeys

Dan Ingram, September 7, 1934 - June 24, 2018.

Harry Harrison, September 20, 1930 - January 28, 2020.

Magicians

Roy Horn (of Siegfried & Roy), October 3, 1944 - May 8, 2020.

James "The Amazing" Randi, August 7, 1928 - October 20, 2020.

Siegfried Fischbacher (of Siegfried & Roy), June 13, 1939 - January 13, 2021.

Game Show Hosts

Tom Kennedy, February 26, 1927 - October 7, 2020.

Alex Trebek, July 22, 1940 - November 8, 2020.

Film Directors

Miloš Forman, February 18, 1932 - April 13, 2018.

Gary Kurtz, July 27, 1940 - September 23, 2018.

Bernardo Bertolucci, March 16, 1941 - November 26, 2018.

Stanley Donen, April 13, 1924 - February 21, 2019.

John Singleton, January 6, 1968 - April 28, 2019.

Franco Zeffirelli, February 12, 1923 - June 15, 2019.

D.A. Pennebaker, July 15, 1925 - August 1, 2019.

Alan Parker, February 14, 1944 - July 31, 2020.

Michael Apted, February 10, 1941 - January 7, 2021.

Producers

Hugh Wilson, August 21, 1943 - January 14, 2018.

Steven Bochco, December 16, 1943 - April 1, 2018.

Harold Prince, January 30, 1928 - July 31, 2019.

Robert Evans, June 29, 1930 - October 26, 2019.

Buck Henry, December 9, 1930 - January 8, 2020.

James Lipton, September 19, 1926 - March 2, 2020.

Carl Reiner, March 20, 1922 - June 29, 2020.

Joe Ruby (of Ruby-Spears), March 30, 1933 – August 26, 2020.

Ken Spears (of Ruby-Spears), March 12, 1938 - November 6, 2020.

Herbert F. Solow, December 14, 1930 - November 19, 2020.

Rock & Roll

Leon Russell, April 2, 1942 - November 13, 2016.

Butch Trucks of The Allman Brothers Band, May 11, 1947 - January 24, 2017.

Chuck Berry, October 18, 1926 - March 18, 2017.

Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band, December 8, 1947 - May 27, 2017.

Tom Petty, October 20, 1950 - October 2, 2017.

Fats Domino, February 26, 1928 - October 24, 2017.

David Cassidy of The Partridge Family, April 12, 1950 - November 21, 2017.
Johnny Hallyday, June 15, 1943 - December 5, 2017.

Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries, September 6, 1971 - January 15, 2018.

Dennis Edwards of The Temptations, February 3, 1943 - February 1, 2018.

D.J. Fontana of Elvis Presley's early band, March 15, 1931 - June 13, 2018.

Aretha Franklin, March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018.

Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane, January 30, 1942 - September 27, 2018.

Otis Rush, April 29, 1934 - September 29, 2018.

Geoff Emerick, December 5, 1945 - October 2, 2018.

Tony Joe White, July 23, 1943 - October 24, 2018.

Daryl "The Captain" Dragon, August 27, 1942 - January 2, 2019.

James Ingram, February 16, 1952 - January 29, 2019.

Peter Tork of The Monkees), February 13, 1942 - February 21, 2019.

Hal Blaine, February 5, 1929 - March 11, 2019.

Dick Dale, May 4, 1937 - March 16, 2019.

Roky Erickson, July 15, 1947 - May 31, 2019.

Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack, November 20, 1941 - June 6, 2019.

Dave Bartholomew, December 24, 1918 - June 23, 2019.

Eddie Money, March 21, 1949 - September 13, 2019.

Ric Ocasek of The Cars, March 23, 1944 - September 15, 2019.

Robert Hunter, songwriter for The Grateful DeadJune 23, 1941 - September 23, 2019.

Ginger Baker of Cream, August 19, 1939 - October 6, 2019.

Allee Willis, November 10, 1947 - December 24, 2019.

Bob Shane of The Kingston Trio, February 1, 1934 - January 26, 2020.

Bill Withers, July 4, 1938 - March 30, 2020.

Little Richard, December 5, 1932 - May 9, 2020.

Trini Lopez, May 15, 1937 - August 11, 2020.

Tommy DeVito of The Four Seasons, June 19, 1928 - September 21, 2020.

Helen Reddy, October 24, 1941 - September 29, 2020.

Johnny Nash, August 19, 1940 - October 6, 2020.

Eddie Van Halen, January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020.

Spencer Davis, July 17, 1939 - October 19, 2020.

Len Barry of The Dovells, June 12, 1942 - November 5, 2020.

Chad Stuart of Chad & Jeremy, December 10, 1941 - December 20, 2020.

K.T. Oslin, May 15, 1942 - December 21, 2020.

Leslie West of Mountain, October 22, 1945 - December 23, 2020.

Gerry Marsden of Gerry & The Pacemakers, September 24, 1942 - January 3, 2021.

Jimmie Rodgers, September 18, 1933 – January 18, 2021. 

Country Music

Glen Campbell, April 22, 1936 - August 8, 2017.

Tony Joe White, July 23, 1943 - October 24, 2018.

Roy Clark, April 15, 1933 - November 15, 2018.

Kenny Rogers, August 21, 1938 - March 20, 2020.

Mac Davis, January 21, 1942 - September 29, 2020.

Jerry Jeff Walker, March 16, 1942 - October 23, 2020.

Charley Pride, March 18, 1934 - December 12, 2020.

K.T. Oslin, May 15, 1942 - December 21, 2020.

Ed Bruce, December 29, 1939 - January 8, 2021.

Jazz

Keely Smith, March 9, 1928 - December 16, 2017.

Hugh Masekela, April 4, 1939 - January 23, 2018.

Nancy Wilson (not the Heart singer), February 20, 1937 - December 13, 2018.

Leon Redbone, August 26, 1949 - May 30, 2019.

João Gilberto, June 10, 1931 - July 6, 2019.

McCoy Tyner of the John Coltrane Quartet, December 11, 1938 - March 6, 2020.

Betty Wright, December 21, 1953 - May 10, 2020.

Jimmy Cobb, January 20, 1929 - May 24, 2020.

Eugene Wright, May 29, 1923 - December 30, 2020.

Pop Music

Vic Damone, June 12, 1928 - February 11, 2018.

Charles Aznavour, May 22, 1924 - October 1, 2018.

Michel Legrand, February 24, 1932 - January 26, 2019.

Jerry Herman, July 10, 1931 - December 26, 2019.

Vera Lynn, March 20, 1917 - June 18, 2020.

Johnny Mandel, November 23, 1925 - June 29, 2020.

Juliette Gréco, February 7, 1927 - September 23, 2020.

Phyllis McGuire of The McGuire Sisters, February 14, 1931 - December 29, 2020.

Classical Music & Opera

André Previn, April 6, 1929 - February 28, 2019.

Jessye Norman, September 15, 1945 - September 30, 2019.

Ennio Morricone, November 10, 1928 - July 6, 2020.

Gospel Music

Edwin Hawkins, August 19, 1943 - January 15, 2018.

Rap Music

Albert Johnson, a.k.a. Prodigy, November 2, 1974 - June 20, 2017.

Gustav Elijah Åhr, a.k.a. Lil Peep, November 1, 1996 - November 15, 2017.

Craig Mack, May 10, 1970 - March 12, 2018.

Jahseh Onfroy, a.k.a. XXXTENTACION, January 23, 1998 - June 18, 2018.

Mac Miller, January 19, 1992 - September 7, 2018.

Nipsey Hussle, August 15, 1985 - March 31, 2019.

Richard Stephen Shaw, a.k.a. Bushwick Bill of The Geto Boys, December 8, 1966 - June 9, 2019.

Jarad Anthony Higgins, a.k.a. Juice WRLD, December 2, 1998 - December 8, 2019.

Bashar Barakah Jackson, a.k.a. Pop Smoke, July 20, 1999 - February 19, 2020.

Daniel Dumile, a.k.a. MF Doom, July 13, 1971 - October 31, 2020.

Those We Lost In the Trump Era -- Sports Edition

In memoriam, those we lost between Donald Trump's stolen election and the end of his term. Sports edition:

Baseball

Mike Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Tigers, July 20, 1929 - February 10, 2017.

Luis Olmo, early Puerto Rican star, August 11, 1919 - April 28, 2017.

Ed Mierkowicz, last surviving player from the 1945 World Champion Detroit Tigers, March 6, 1924 - May 19, 2017.

Jim Bunning, Hall-of-Fame pitcher and Senator from Kentucky, October 23, 1931 - May 26, 2017.

Roy Halladay, Hall of Fame pitcher, May 14, 1977 - November 7, 2017.

Bobby Doerr, Boston Red Sox Hall-of-Famer, April 7, 1918 - November 13, 2017.

Red Schoendienst, St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Fame 2nd baseman and manager, February 2, 1923 - June 6, 2018.

Willie McCovey, San Francisco Giants Hall-of-Famer, January 10, 1938 - October 31, 2018.

Mel Stottlemyre, Yankees Monument Park pitcher and coach, November 13, 1941 - January 13, 2019.

Frank Robinson, Hall of Fame player and 1st black manager in MLB, August 31, 1935 - February 7, 2019.

Don Newcombe, Brooklyn Dodgers ace pitcher, June 14, 1926 - February 19, 2019.

Bill Buckner, All-Star 1st baseman, December 14, 1949 - May 27, 2019.

Tyler Skaggs, active pitcher for Los Angeles Angels, July 13, 1991 - July 1, 2019.

Jim Bouton, Yankee pitcher and author of Ball Four, March 8, 1939 - July 10, 2019.

Pumpsie Green, 1st black player for Boston Red Sox, October 27, 1933 - July 17, 2019.

Don Larsen, Yankee pitched World Series' only no-hitter, a perfect game in 1956, August 7, 1929 - January 1, 2020.

Tony Fernández, All-Star shortstop, June 30, 1962 – February 15, 2020.

Johnny Antonelli, New York Giants pitching hero of 1954 World Series, April 12, 1930 - February 28, 2020.

Jimmy Wynn, 1960s and '70s slugger, March 12, 1942 - March 26, 2020.

Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers Hall-of-Famer, December 19, 1934 - April 6, 2020.

Jim Frey, Pennant-winning manager for the Kansas City Royals, May 26, 1931 - April 12, 2020.

Dámaso García, 1978 World Champion Yankee, February 7, 1957 - April 15, 2020.

Matt Keough, Oakland Athletics pitcher, July 3, 1955 - May 1, 2020.

Bob Watson, Houston Astros 1st baseman and Yankee general manager, April 10, 1946 - May 14, 2020.

Claudell Washington, All-Star outfielder, August 31, 1955 - June 10, 2020.

John McNamara, Pennant-winning manager for the Boston Red Sox, June 4, 1932 - July 28, 2020.

Tom Seaver, New York Mets Hall-of-Famer, November 17, 1944 - August 31, 2020.

Lou Brock, St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famer, June 18, 1939 - September 6, 2020.

Jay Johnstone, outfielder known as a prankster, November 20, 1946 - September 28, 2020.

Lou Johnson, 1960s Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, September 22, 1936 - September 30, 2020.

Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famer, November 9, 1935 - October 2, 2020.

Ron Perranoski, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, April 1, 1936, - October 2, 2020.

Whitey Ford, Yankee Hall-of-Famer, October 21, 1928 - October 8, 2020.

Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds Hall-of-Famer, September 19, 1943 - October 11, 2020.

Dick Allen, 1960s and '70s slugger, March 8, 1942 - December 7, 2020.

Phil Linz, early 1960s Yankees "Supersub," June 4, 1939 - December 9, 2020.

Phil Niekro, Atlanta Braves Hall-of-Famer, April 1, 1939 - December 26, 2020.

Tommy Lasorda, Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame manager, September 22, 1927 - January 7, 2021.

Don Sutton, Los Angeles Dodgers Hall-of-Famer, April 2, 1945 - January 18, 2021.

Football

Ara Parseghian, National Championship coach at Notre Dame, May 21, 1923 - August 2, 2017.

Jim Taylor, Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Famer, September 20, 1935 - October 13, 2018.

Paul Allen, owner of the Seattle Seahawks, January 21, 1953 - October 15, 2018.

Johnny "Lam" Jones, track star and ill-fated New York Jet, April 4, 1958 - March 15, 2019.

Joe Bellino, 1960 Heisman Trophy winner, March 13, 1938 - March 27, 2019.

Forrest Gregg, Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Famer, October 18, 1933 - April 12, 2019.

Chet Coppock, Chicago Bears broadcaster, April 30, 1948 - April 17, 2019.

Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts Hall-of-Famer, January 2, 1926 - April 29, 2019.

Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Fame quarterback, January 9, 1934 - May 26, 2019.

Jim Hardy, last surviving player from the 1952 NFL Champion Detroit Lions, April 24, 1923 - August 16, 2019.

Barron Hilton, founding owner of the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, October 23, 1927 - September 19, 2019.

Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, 1955 Heisman Trophy winner, March 2, 1934 - September 20, 2019.

Pat Sullivan, 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, January 18, 1950 - December 1, 2019.

Sam Wyche, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and coach, January 5, 1945 - January 2, 2020.

Chris Doleman, Minnesota Vikings Hall-of-Famer, October 16, 1961 - January 28, 2020.

Willie Wood, Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Famer, December 23, 1936 - February 3, 2020.

Joe Reid, last surviving player from the 1951 NFL Champion Los Angeles Rams, March 18, 1929 - March 5, 2020.

Del Shofner, New York Giants All-Pro receiver, December 11, 1934 - March 11, 2020. 

Timothy Brown, Philadelphia Eagles running back, May 24, 1937 - April 4, 2020.

Tom Dempsey, 1st player to kick a 63-yard field goal, January 12, 1947 - April 4, 2020.

Bobby Mitchell, Washington Redskins Hall-of-Famer, June 6, 1935 - April 5, 2020.

Pete Retzlaff, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro tight end, August 21, 1931 - April 10, 2020.

Willie Davis, Green Bay Packers, July 24, 1934 - April 15, 2020.

Mike Curtis, Baltimore Colts All-Pro linebacker, March 27, 1943 - April 20, 2020.

Don Shula, Hall of Fame coach for the Miami Dolphins, January 4, 1930 - May 4, 2020.

Gene Rossides, last surviving player from the 1947 Columbia team that upset Army, October 23, 1927 - May 16, 2020.

Ken Riley, Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro cornerback, August 6, 1947 - June 7, 2020.

Jim Kiick, Miami Dolphins All-Pro running back, August 9, 1946 - June 20, 2020.

Joe Bugel, Washington Redskins assistant coach created "Hogs" offensive line, March 10, 1940 - June 28, 2020.

Larry Wilson, St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famer invented the safety blitz, March 24, 1938 - September 17, 2020.

Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears Hall-of-Famer, May 30, 1943 - September 23, 2020.

Fred Dean, Hall of Fame defensive end, February 24, 1952 - October 14, 2020.

Herb Adderley, Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Famer, June 8, 1939 - October 30, 2020. 

Paul Hornung, Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Famer, December 23, 1935 - November 13, 2020.

Jake Scott, Miami Dolphins' Super Bowl VII MVP, July 20, 1945 - November 19, 2020.

Fred Akers, University of Texas coach, March 17, 1938 - December 7, 2020.

Ray Perkins, New York Giants coach, November 6, 1941 - December 9, 2020.

Kevin Greene, Hall of Fame linebacker, July 31, 1962 - December 21, 2020.

Floyd Little, Denver Broncos Hall-of-Famer, July 4, 1942 - January 1, 2021.

Basketball

Darrall Imhoff, 1959 University of California National Champion, October 11, 1938 - June 30, 2017.

John Kundla, 1950s Minneapolis Lakers coach, July 3, 1916 - July 23, 2017.

Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics Hall-of-Famer, November 14, 1946 - January 16, 2018.

Hal Greer, Philadelphia 76ers Hall-of-Famer, June 26, 1936 - April 14, 2018.

Anne Donovan, Hall of Fame women's player and coach, November 1, 1961 - June 13, 2018.

Paul Allen, owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, January 21, 1953 - October 15, 2018.

Carl Meinhold, last surviving player from the 1948 NBA Champion Baltimore Bullets, March 29, 1926 - February 23, 2019.

John MacLeod, Phoenix Suns coach, October 3, 1937 - April 14, 2019.

John Havlicek, Boston Celtics Hall-of-Famer, April 8, 1940 - April 25, 2019.

David Stern, longtime NBA Commissioner, September 22, 1942 - January 1, 2020.

Dick Schnittker, last surviving player from the 1954 NBA Champion Minneapolis Lakers, May 27, 1928 - January 12, 2020.

Morgan Wootten, all-time winningest high school coach, April 21, 1931 - January 21, 2020.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Hall-of-Famer, August 23, 1978 - January 26, 2020.

Bora Stanković, Yugoslavian/Serbian executive, July 9, 1925 - March 20, 2020.

Curly Neal, Harlem Globetrotters legend, May 19, 1942 - March 26, 2020.

Jim Tucker, last surviving player from the 1955 NBA Champion Syracuse Nationals, December 11, 1932 - May 14, 2020.

Jerry Sloan, Chicago Bulls All-Star and Utah Jazz coach, March 28, 1942 - May 22, 2020.

Eddie Sutton, only man to coach 3 schools into the NCAA Final Four, March 12, 1936 - May 23, 2020.

Wes Unseld, Washington Bullets Hall-of-Famer, May 14, 1946 - June 2, 2020.

Harry Glickman, founding owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, May 13, 1924 - June 10, 2020.

Lou Henson, Hall of Fame coach at the University of Illinois, January 10, 1932 – July 25, 2020.

Lute Olson, coach led Arizona to the 1997 National Championship, September 22, 1934 - August 27, 2020.

John Thompson, coach led Georgetown to the 1984 National Championship, September 2, 1941 - August 30, 2020.

Billy Tubbs, coached Oklahoma to the 1988 NCAA Final, March 5, 1935 - November 1, 2020.

Tommy Heinsohn, Boston Celtics Hall-of-Famer, August 26, 1934 - November 10, 2020.

K.C. Jones, Boston Celtics Hall-of-Famer, May 25, 1932 - December 25, 2020.

Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns Hall-of-Famer, November 30, 1950 - January 2, 2021.

Hockey

Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins Hall-of-Famer, March 5, 1918 - January 4, 2017.

Mike Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings, July 20, 1929 - February 10, 2017.

Johnny Bower, Toronto Maple Leafs Hall-of-Famer, November 8, 1924 - December 26, 2017.

Stan Mikita, Chicago Blackhawks Hall-of-Famer, May 20, 1940 - August 7, 2018.

Gerry Plamondon, last surviving player from 1946 Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens, January 5, 1924 - January 26, 2019.

Ted Lindsay, Detroit Red Wings Hall-of-Famer, July 29, 1925 - March 4, 2019.

Harry Howell, New York Rangers Hall-of-Famer, December 28, 1932 - March 9, 2019.

Red Kelly, Detroit Red Wings Hall-of-Famer, June 9, 1927 - May 2, 2019.

Pete Babando, scored Game 7 overtime goal that won the 1950 Stanley Cup for the Detroit Red Wings, May 10, 1925 - February 19, 2020.

Henri Richard, Montreal Canadiens Hall-of-Famer, February 29, 1936 - March 6, 2020.

Pat Stapleton, All-Star defenseman for Chicago Blackhawks and 1972 Team Canada, July 4, 1940 - April 8, 2020.

Eddie Shack, left wing on 4 Stanley Cup winners for Toronto Maple Leafs, February 11, 1937- July 25, 2020.

Dale Hawerchuk, Hockey Hall-of-Famer, April 4, 1963 - August 18, 2020.

Jim Neilson, New York Rangers star, November 28, 1940 - November 6, 2020.

Howie Meeker, Toronto Maple Leafs star and Hall of Fame broadcaster, November 4, 1923 - November 8, 2020.

Pierre Lacroix, Colorado Avalanche general manager, August 3, 1948 - December 13, 2020.

Art Berglund, collegiate coach, September 4, 1940 - December 19, 2020.

John Muckler, coached Edmonton Oilers to the 1990 Stanley Cup, April 13, 1934 - January 4, 2021.

Soccer

Graham Taylor, English manager, September 15, 1944 - January 12, 2017.

Piet Keizer, Dutch star, June 14, 1943 - February 10, 2017.

Raymond Kopa, French star, October 13, 1931 - March 3, 2017.

Cheick Tioté, Ivorian player, June 21, 1986 - June 5, 2017.

József Tóth, last survivor of Hungary's 1950s "Magnificent Magyars," May 16, 1929 - October 9, 2017.

Manuel Sanchís, 1960s Real Madrid star, March 26, 1938 - October 28, 2017.

Hans Schäfer, German star of the 1954 World Cup, October 19, 1927 - November 7, 2017.

Cyrille Regis, pioneering black British player, February 9, 1958 - January 14, 2018.

Jimmy Armfield, 1950s and '60s English star, December 21, 1935 - January 22, 2018.

Vic Keeble, last survivor of Newcastle's 1955 FA Cup winners, June 25, 1930 - January 29, 2018.

Roy Bentley, captain of Chelsea FC's 1955 League Champions, May 17, 1924 - April 20, 2018.
Ray Wilson, left back on England's 1966 World Cup winners, December 17, 1934 - May 15, 2018.

Walter Bahr, last survivor of the U.S. team that beat England at the 1950 World Cup, April 1, 1927 - June 18, 2018.

Jimmy McIlroy, 1950s Northern Irish star, October 25, 1931 - August 20, 2018.

Peter Hill-Wood, longtime chairman of Arsenal FC, February 25, 1936 - December 28, 2018.

Emiliano Sala, Argentine star killed in plane crash, October 31, 1990 - January 21, 2019.

Gordon Banks, goalkeeper on England's 1966 World Cup winners, December 30, 1937 - February 12, 2019.

Tommy Smith, 1960s Liverpool FC star, April 5, 1945 - April 12, 2019.

Billy McNeill, captain of Celtic FC's 1967 European Cup winners, March 2, 1940 - April 22, 2019.

José Antonio Reyes, Spanish forward killed in car accident, September 1, 1983 - June 1, 2019.

Cyril Robinson, last survivor of Blackpool's 1953 FA Cup winners, March 4, 1929 - November 9, 2019.

Ron Saunders, managed Aston Villa to 1981 Football League title, November 6, 1932 - December 7, 2019.

Martin Peters, midfielder on England's 1966 World Cup winners, November 8, 1943 - December 21, 2019.

Bobby Brown, last survivor of Scotland team that beat England in 1946, March 19, 1923 - January 15, 2020.

Rob Rensenbrink, Dutch star, July 3, 1947 - January 24, 2020.

Norman Hunter, defender for Leeds United and England's 1966 World Cup winners, October 29, 1943 - April 17, 2020.

Trevor Cherry, Leeds United defender, February 23, 1948 - April 29, 2020.

Tony Dunne, Irish star, July 24, 1941 - June 8, 2020.

Jack Charlton, defender on England's 1966 World Cup winners, May 8, 1935 - July 10, 2020.

Wim Suurbier, Dutch star, January 16, 1945 - July 12, 2020.

Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, Colombian star, last survivor of Millonarios de Bogotá's "Blue Ballet," November 20, 1929 - August 8, 2020.

Nobby Stiles, defender on England's 1966 World Cup winners, May 18, 1942 - October 30, 2020.

Ray Clemence, Liverpool FC goalkeeper, August 5, 1948 - November 15, 2020.

Anele Ngcongca, South African right back, October 21, 1987 - November 23, 2020.

Diego Maradona, Argentine "hero" of the 1986 World Cup, October 30, 1960 - November 25, 2020.

Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese midfielder, January 28, 1978 - November 29, 2020.

Viktor Ponedelnik, last surviving player from Soviet team that won the 1st Euro tournament in 1960, May 22, 1937 - December 5, 2020.

Paolo Rossi, Italian hero of the 1982 World Cup, September 23, 1956 - December 9, 2020.

Gérard Houllier, Liverpool FC manager, September 3, 1947 - December 14, 2020.

Tommy Docherty, Manchester United manager, April 24, 1928 - December 31, 2020.

Colin Bell, Manchester City star, February 26, 1946 - January 5, 2021.

Olympic Gold Medalists

Sammy Lee, 1948 & '52 U.S. diver, August 1, 1920 - December 2, 2016.

Miruts Yifter, 1980 Ethiopian long-distance runner, May 15, 1944 - December 22, 2016.

Betty Cuthbert, 1956 and 1964 Australian sprinter, April 20, 1938 - August 6, 2017.

Irena Szewińska, Polish sprinter in 1964, '68 and '76, May 24, 1946 - June 29, 2018.

Lindy Remigino, 1952 American sprinter, June 3, 1931 - July 11, 2018.

Erzsébet Gulyás-Köteles, 1956 Hungarian gymnast, November 3, 1924 - June 16, 2019.

Mike Troy, 1960 American swimmer, October 3, 1940 - August 3, 2019.

Harrison Dillard, 1948 and 1952 American hurdler, July 8, 1923 - November 15, 2019.

Peter Snell, New Zealand distance runner, December 17, 1938 - December 21, 2019.

Éva Székely, 1952 Hungarian swimmer, April 3, 1927 - February 29, 2020.

Dana Zátopková, 1952 Czech javelin thrower, September 19, 1922 - March 13, 2020.

Jānis Lūsis, 1968 Latvian javelin thrower, May 19, May 19, 1939 - April 29, 2020.

Bobby Morrow, won 3 track Gold Medals for U.S. in 1956, October 15, 1935 - May 30, 2020.

Pete Rademacher, 1956 American boxer, November 20, 1928 - June 4, 2020.

Rafer Johnson, 1960 American decathlete, August 18, 1934 - December 2, 2020.

Kathleen Heddle, 1992 and '96 Canadian rower, November 27, 1965 - January 11, 2021.

Boxing

Eusebio Pedroza, Panamanian Featherweight Champion, March 2, 1956 - March 1, 2019.

Pernell Whitaker, titleholder in 4 weight classes, January 2, 1964 - July 14, 2019.

Others

Roger Bannister, 1st runner to break the 4-minute mile, March 23, 1929 - March 3, 2018.

Dan Jenkins, legendary sportswriter, December 2, 1928 - March 7, 2019.

Roger Kahn, legendary sportswriter, October 31, 1927 - February 6, 2020.

Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Jackie Smith for the Dallas Cowboys Losing Super Bowl XIII

January 21, 1979: Super Bowl XIII is played at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Dallas Cowboys, NFC Champions and winners of Super Bowls VI and XII, faced the Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC Champions and winners of Super Bowls IX and X -- and beat the Cowboys themselves in Super Bowl X.

With 2:46 left in the 3rd quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers were leading the Dallas Cowboys 21-14. But the Cowboys were driving. It was 3rd and 3 on the Steeler 10, and Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach faded back to pass. He saw tight end Jackie Smith wide open in the end zone.

Smith had played 15 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals -- the football team that now plays in Arizona, not the baseball team of the same name -- and made 5 Pro Bowls. He had retired after the 1977 season, but accepted an offer from the Cowboys, who were dealing with injuries at his position. He didn't catch a pass all season long, but was praised for his blocking.

In a Playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons, he did catch a touchdown pass from Danny White, who was filling in for an injured Staubach. Although the Cardinals had gone 9-5 in 1963 (his rookie season), 9-3-2 in 1964, 9-4-1 in 1968, 10-4 to win the NFC Eastern Division in 1974, and 11-3 to win the NFC East, that game against the Falcons was the 1st winning postseason game in which he'd ever played.

Now, with less than 18 minutes in regulation to play in a game for the World Championship, and with his team down by 7 points, Jackie Smith was wide open in the end zone, and the target of a pass by one of the greatest quarterbacks who had ever played.

He dropped it. It looked like he slipped, his legs collapsing underneath him, and the pass popped out of his hands.

Verne Lundquist, then the Cowboys' main radio announcer, said, "Aw, bless his heart, he's got to be the sickest man in America!"

Had he caught the pass, the Cowboys would have been a successful extra-point attempt from tying the game. Instead, the Cowboys had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Rafael Septién, whose father Carlos Septién had played for Mexico in 2 World Cups. The Cowboys were trailing 21-17, the same score by which the Steelers beat them in Super Bowl X.

They could not build momentum on this. Franco Harris added to the Pittsburgh lead with a touchdown run halfway through the 4th quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Roy Gerela slipped, causing him to squib the kick. This should have been a lucky break for the Cowboys.

Instead, Randy White, a future Hall-of-Famer and co-Most Valuable Player with Harvey Martin in the previous year's Super Bowl, tried to pick it up at the 24-yard line, but was wearing a cast to protect his broken left hand, and fumbled it. Dennis Winston recovered it, and the Steelers had the ball at the Dallas 18. On the very next play, Terry Bradshaw threw to Lynn Swann, and he didn't drop it. That made it 35-17 Pittsburgh with less than 7 minutes to go.

The Cowboys didn't give up. Staubach threw a touchdown pass to Billy Joe DuPree with 2:27 left. They recovered an onside kick, and with 22 seconds on the clock, Staubach threw another touchdown pass, to Butch Johnson.

It was 35-31. Had they gotten the Smith touchdown instead of the Septién field goal, presuming Septién had made all the extra points, it would have been 35-35. But they couldn't recover the last onside kick, and the Steelers had won.

It was Jackie Smith's last game, and the last pass he was ever thrown. He caught 480 passes for 7,980 yards, the latter a record for tight ends that stood until 1990. But it took 11 tries after becoming eligible for the Pro Football hall of Fame for him to be elected. It certainly looked as though the voters held it against him.

Today, Smith is 80 years old, and is also a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, and the St. Louis Walk of Fame. He still holds the record of most yards per catch for any tight end, 16.1.

And yet, people remember him most for a pass that he dropped. He was the Bill Buckner of football, nearly 8 years before Buckner's moment under a cloud.

To their credit, something I don't often give them, Cowboy fans generally don't blame Smith for losing the game.

Who should they blame? 

Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Jackie Smith for the Dallas Cowboys Losing Super Bowl XIII

First, a couple of reasons that didn't make the cut: The Best of the Rest.

The Officiating. Cowboy fans are like Notre Dame fans: They believe that they never lose, time just runs out on them. And when they do lose, it's because the officials screwed them. As if they haven't gotten the benefit of dozens of dodgy calls over the years.

Cowboy fans point to two moments, early in the 4th quarter, with the score 21-17 in Pittsburgh's favor, after the Smith drop. Bradshaw threw a pass to Swann, who collided with Cowboy cornerback Benny Barnes, and didn't catch the ball. Referee Fred Swearingen called pass interference on Barnes.

The instant replay suggested that the contact might have been incidental, but there was then no provision for challenging a play through instant replay. Even if there had been, it has to be conclusive that the call was wrong. It was too close to be considered conclusively wrong. The play would have stood.

Swearingen was also the referee in the 1972 Playoffs when the Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders on a play known as the Immaculate Reception. Anybody who wasn't a Steeler admirer wanted to believe that Swearingen got that call wrong, and that he got the one 6 seasons later wrong as well.

Two plays after the interference call, the Steelers had 3rd-and-4 on the Cowboy 17. Cowboy linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, who had predicted a 31-0 Dallas win, and had told the media, already inclined to believe that Bradshaw wasn't very bright, "Bradshaw is so dumb, he couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him on the C and the A" -- sacked him for a 12-yard loss.

Except Swearingen had blown his whistle before the snap, and called a delay-of-game penalty on the Steelers. The replay showed that not only had the whistle been blown, but pretty much everybody on both sides had heard the whistle, except Henderson -- hence, the comparative lack of protection for Bradshaw.

So now, instead of 4th and 16, at a spot where a field goal attempt would have been 51 yards, it was 3rd and 9. And Harris scored a touchdown.

Cowboy fans complained about these 2 calls. But the 1st was inconclusive, and the 2nd was absolutely correct. That's why "The officials screwed us" doesn't make the Top 5 here. It rarely does, even when it appears to be true. Here, it appears to be a big stretch, at best.

Age. Smith was 38. And Staubach, who had led the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl the year before, was about to turn 37. Plenty of quarterbacks have done well at that age and higher, but perhaps he had also begun to decline.

Now, the Top 5:

5. Jackie Smith. By the admission of most anybody in the Cowboy organization at that time, they wouldn't have gotten into that Super Bowl without him.

4. Expectations. It wasn't just that Smith was old for a receiver. While he did catch a touchdown pass from Danny White in the Playoff game against the Falcons, Staubach was quarterbacking again, and had hardly thrown to him all year. Now, in the biggest game of them, all, Staubach was throwing to him? He shouldn't have expected himself to receive that pass, and nobody else should have been expecting him to receive it, either.

3. Randy White's Injury. If he hadn't been hurt, he wouldn't have fumbled the Roy Gerela kickoff. If he had simply held onto the ball anyway, it would have been 28-17 Steelers with 7 minutes to go. Would the Cowboys have scored twice more anyway? Maybe. But he didn't.

Nobody talks about this play. Maybe if it had happened first, they would. But all anybody remembers is the Smith drop.

2. The Doomsday Defense. Until this very game, which the Steelers won despite allowing 31 points, the most points any team had allowed in an NFL championship game, under any name, and still won, was the 28 that the 1950 Cleveland Browns allowed to the Los Angeles Rams. It would take until Super Bowl LII, in 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles, for a team to allow more than 31 points in an NFL championship game and still win.

Face it, the Cowboys' vaunted "Doomsday Defense" failed. If they had done their job, Smith's drop wouldn't have mattered.

1. The Steelers Were Better. They had already won back-to-back Super Bowls in the decade, including beating the Cowboys just 3 years earlier. The Steelers were 14-2, and beat a pair of 10-6 teams to get into the Super Bowl: The Denver Broncos and the Houston Oilers. The Cowboys were 12-4, and while they beat a 12-4 Los Angeles Rams team in the NFC Championship Game, their previous Playoff win was against the 9-7 Atlanta Falcons.

The Cowboys had 6 players who have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Rayfield Wright, Cliff Harris and... Jackie Smith. Many observers would argue that Drew Pearson and Charlie Waters should also be in. That would be 8. (UPDATE: Pearson was elected a few days after I posted this, raising the total to 7.)

The Steelers have 10: Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount and Donnie Shell. So even with the Cowboys' "should" players, the Steelers have more. And that's without considering the Steelers' own "shoulds," such as Larry Brown, Jon Kolb and L.C. Greenwood.

And while it's true that their own Steel Curtain defense didn't exactly get the job done either, their offense scored 35 points, tying what was then a Super Bowl record. Not since the 1961 Green Bay Packers had a team scored more points than that in an NFL Championship Game, under any name. Look at the number of Hall of Famers that each team had, or should have.

VERDICT: Not Guilty. The problem wasn't that Jackie Smith dropped a key pass. The problem was that the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s may have been the best football team ever assembled. The problem wasn't that the Cowboys, or anybody thereon, failed. It's that they were beaten by a better team.

After the game, Bradshaw told the media, "Ask Hollywood how dumb I am now." He was named MVP of that Super Bowl, and the next year's, with the Steelers going into the 4th quarter trailing the Rams and coming back to win. Henderson's drug problem drove him out of football, just as an elbow injury and clinical depression ended Bradshaw's career. Both men recovered, and can laugh about it now.

But don't laugh at Jackie Smith. And don't blame him, either.