Sports Disasters

Football riot

On January 2, 1971, at the annual New York Old Firm match between the Celtic and Rangers, the former had been leading 1-0 with time running.  The spectators, thinking the game was a sure win for the Celtic, started to leave. But Colin Stein equalized for the Rangers and fans who were streaming down the steps, rushed back and created a stampede. Bodies fell and hundreds were crushed in the ensuing chaos. When the smoke cleared, 66 spectators died while 140 more were injured.  It was Britain’s worst football disaster.

Le Mans race june 1955

Pierre Le Vegh’s Mercedes was speeding at 150 mph at the Le Mans 24 Race when it hit the rear of another car, sommersaulted over the safety barrier, caught fire and broke into pieces, killing Levegh and sending debris flying in to the crowd. Incredibly, the race continued to the finish and drivers were not told about the tragedy. Eight hours after the accident, two other  Mercedes, driven by Juan Fangio and Stirling Moss were pulled out of the race. Organizers believed that canceling the race would have started a panic.  It was the worst disaster in motor racing history with 83 people dead and more than 100 injured.

Manchester United

On February 6, 1958, English soccer champion Manchester United, returning from Belgrade Yugoslavia, stopped in Munich to refuel. The weather was bad and twice, the plane had been unable to get enough height to take off the aircraft and hit a house at the end of the runway.  Twenty people died that included 8 journalists.  Matt Busby survived together with two players who never played again.

University of Evansville (INDIANA)

Twelve team members and head coach Bobby Watson  of the University of Evansville Basketball Team perished when their plane  crashed after taking off in dense fog on December 13, 1977.

Bolivian soccer team

On September 26,1969, the Bolivian team called “The Strongest”, returning to La Paz from an out-of-town game did not arrive home after their plane crashed in the Andes, killing the entire team of 19 players and all club officials.

Oklahoma State U

On January 27, 2001, eight people associated with the Oklahoma State University men's basketball team, along with two pilots  died, when their plane crashed in a snowstorm East of Denver, while returning from a game in Colorado.

Other famous athletes who died in crashes

MARCEL CERDAN age 33, former middleweight champion, en route to fight Jake LaMotta for the title, died on October 27, 1949.

ROCKY MARCIANO age 46, who retired as an unbeaten heavyweight champion, died in a private plane near Des Moines.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE, a future Basketball Hall of Famer, en route to Managua, Nicaragua to aid earthquake victims.

JOHN COOPER, 1964 Olympics silver medalist in the 400m hurdles, along with 346 people died in a Turkish Airlines crash over France.

WENDELL LADNER age 26, a New York Nets forward who was burned badly, was identified through a 1974 ABA Championship ring on his finger.  He died in a plane crash on June 24, 1975.

KOBE BRYANT, one of the greatest players in NBA, died  in a helicopter crash, on January 26, 2020 at a hilly area in Calabasas, California. Bryant was traveling with his daughter Gianna and several school sports officials.  Cause of the crash was pilot disorientation.

In my life i’ve loved them all

Two remarkable women died only a day apart. In my last column, I mentioned the demise of TV host and businesswoman, Hildi “Ate Ging” Montesclaros, who succumbed to heart and kidney complications. I’ve known Ate Ging for over 10 years while she was starting as co-host with Sam Costanilla in Sam Enchanted Evening. She later took over Sam’s program as producer, host and performer in a show called “As Time Goes By”, which was interrupted by the Covid-19  pandemic. With singing as part of her life, she bounced back with a new show, “Till The End of Time”, only to be temporarily stopped due to health protocols. Ate Ging was also the proprietor of Bio Troff Capsules and Hildigrace Townhouses. The following day, Madam Lily Gokongwei Ngo Chua of the Robinsons conglomerate, followed to the Great Beyond.  Even with her standing in the business world, Madam Lily remained humble and well-liked by her employees. She supported my Elvisaya gigs that became awaited events especially during Mother’s Day, Grandparent’s Day and Christmas.  She gave me a room at the Summit Circle when when she noticed it took a while for me to get into my jumpsuit. I asked her once if she ever watched my shows, because I don’t see her in the crowd.  She said she watched from the third floor because as there’s so many people watching and her security personnel did not want her to go down. Finally, dying on the same week was my cousin Eileen Javallana Uytiepo, daughter of Tito Pancho Uytiepo, a music Icon designer and ballet dancer in Bacolod. Tito Pancho composed the Masskara theme “Bacolod, Bacolod and popularized the Hablon fabric. In My Life… I've Loved Them All.  As I was ending this column, Ramon RJ Jacinto announced that veteran drummer Cesar Cruz died yesterday. Cesar traced his roots to the legendary Cruz Band that included Tirso Cruz. Cesar was a fixture in the Executive Lounge TV show of RJ, together with Joey Casal, Tom Galang and Ian Jacinto. Hasta La Vista Cesar, Drum In Peace (DIP).