FALLEN STARS: John O'Sullivanremembers Irish and international figures who passed away this year and recalls some of their most notable achievements.
JUDGING BY the warmth of the testimonials that accompanied his death, Noel O'Reillywill be missed as a person as much as the qualities he exuded in his professional capacity within the Football Association of Ireland. He will undoubtedly be most fondly remembered by a host of underage soccer internationals over whom he took pastoral care, primarily working as an assistant to Brian Kerr.
They were a great team as evidenced by their success. O'Reilly, 60, was the FAI's senior coach educator and manager of the Irish Universities men's team at the time of his passing but his contribution to Irish soccer extends way beyond those remits. O'Reilly had a distinguished coaching career at club and international level and earlier this year he became one of a select group of Irish coaches to receive a Uefa Pro-Licence.
At club level he was best known for his involvement with Dublin schoolboy club Belvedere and League of Ireland sides Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic. He once managed the Republic of Ireland Under-18 squad and was also coach to various other international under-age teams over the years as well as being a member of Kerr's senior management team from 2003 to 2005. He was coach to the Ireland squads which won the 1998 European Under-16 and Under-18 Championships and also the team which finished third at the World Under-20 Cup in 1997. Guitar in hand he was as popular off the pitch.
Sporting obituaries are invariably more poignant when referring to the death of a young person and 20-year-old Irish international Show Jumper Benny Kuehnle, certainly fits that summation. He was a promising talent, part of Ireland's young rider team that competed at this year's European championships in Prague.
He led the team to sixth place and finished 11th in the individual competition from 65 of Europe's top young riders.
Irish rugby lost two high-profile former administrators in Kerryman Bob Fitzgerald, a former president of the Leinster Branch (1960-'61) and a former secretary of the IRFU (1964-'86), and Roy Loughead, a former president of Bangor rugby club, the Ulster Branch and the IRFU (2001-2002). This year also saw the passing of Dr Jack Malloy; the one-time UCD and Bective Rangers player was capped by Ireland in 1950.
In horse racing Bobby Beasley's(72) exploits included becoming champion jockey and winning the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The sport also marked the loss of Gabriel "Squibs" Curran, a former classic winning jockey, John Clarke(Dawn Run's former groom) and Paul Magee, son of RTÉ broadcaster Jimmy, who worked as a betting reporter for the national station before joining Boylesports bookmakers. In December the sport mourned the passing of trainer John Fowler, a former jockey.
In GAA, 2008 marked the passing of former players Larry Fanning(Waterford), Pat Stakelum(Tipperary), Jim English(Wexford), Seamus Hearn(Wexford), Garry McMahon(Kerry), Darrell Darcy(Tipperary), Joe Coady(Waterford) as well a couple of distinguished writers in The Irish Times' own Seán Kilfeatherand Paddy O'Hara.
Tommy Bolt(92) was golf's answer to John McEnroe is terms of temperament, becoming better known under the sobriquets "Terrible Tommy", or "Thunder Bolt", for his fits of pique that generally manifest themselves in club throwing.
His swing was sweet enough to win him 15 titles on the American tour, including the 1958 US Open but the fans loved to see him lose his temper and the subsequent fireworks. The stories are legion like the time a caddie handed him a two-iron to play out of thick rough: hardly ideal it was the only club he had left in the bag.
On another occasion he decided to chastise an errant putter by tying it to the back bumper of his car and driving a few hundred miles back to his home.
George Larry James, known as the "Mighty Burner", who died on his 61st birthday from colon cancer will be best remembered for his silver medal performance in the 400 metres at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. The 400 metres race came two days after the 200 metres, where the gold medallist Tommie Smith and third-placed John Carlos had bowed their heads and raised their black-gloved clenched fists into the air in a black power salute and were subsequently suspended from the US team.
James broke his world record, and the 44-second barrier, running 43.97, but finished second to Lee Evans, who won in a phenomenal 43.86. Another American Ron Freeman came third, the sweep itself overshadowed by anticipation of what gesture the runners might make, following Smith's and Carlos's expulsion from the Games.
At the medals ceremony, the three marched to the podium wearing Black Panther-style berets, with clenched fists raised, but took off their hats and lowered their fists when the national anthem was played.
James got his gold medal two days later, running the third leg and handing the baton to Evans as the three medallists, plus Vince Matthews, smashed the 4 x 400 metres world record with a time of 2:56.16 that would not be broken until 1992.
Lennart Bergelin(83) was a fine tennis player and a winning Davis Cup captain for Sweden but will be best remembered as the man who helped Björn Borg become a sporting icon. They were together for 12 years as coach and player (1971 to 1983).
Ian McColl(81) was an accomplished post war right-half, a member of Rangers' "iron curtain" defence. After a notable swansong in the Scottish Cup final of 1960, he became a successful manager of the national team.
Another octogenarian, former Celtic footballer Jimmy Sirrel(86) made an even bigger impression as a manager taking Notts County from the Fourth to the First Divisions and shared a good relationship with his city neighbour, a certain Brian Clough, the latter in charge at Forest.
Reference to the two Glasgow teams is an apposite introduction to the sad passing of Tommy Burns, a player whose death crossed the Celtic-Rangers divide in the city.
Burns (51), a victim of melanoma cancer, was a left-footed midfield player, capped eight times by Scotland. He was unlucky enough to be Celtic's manager from 1994-97, a period of Rangers' dominance; the latter's run of nine consecutive Scottish championships ended in 1997.
Phil Hill(81) was the first of only two US drivers to win the Formula One world championship, achieving that distinction in 1961 driving for Ferrari, 17 years before the Italian-born Mario Andretti won at the wheel of a Lotus.
He clinched the title in horrific circumstances when winning the Italian grand prix at Monza, a race in which his Ferrari team-mate Wolfgang von Trips, his only rival for the crown, was killed, along with more than a dozen spectators, following a horrifying collision with Jim Clark's Lotus.
Don Fox(72) will unfortunately be recalled for the worst moment of his career, a missed last-minute conversion straight in front of the posts that cost Wakefield Trinity the 1968 Challenge Cup final against Leeds at Wembley.
The incident overshadowed an excellent personal performance that had already secured him the Lance Todd trophy as man of the match, and also a distinguished 18-season career in which he set a try-scoring record for Featherstone Rovers, helped Wakefield win their first two championships, and shared in three victories against Australia.
In rugby's other code, union, this year marked the death of former international referee Mike Titcomb(75) who was never allowed to forget his one moment of controversy in a Five Nations match at Lansdowne Road in 1968.
He awarded a drop goal to Welsh scrumhalf Gareth Edwards when the ball passed outside the top of the upright, levelling the match at 6-6. There was a furious crowd reaction and the referee was apparently pelted with oranges and other missiles.
The incident led to a lengthy stoppage. Near the end, Ireland won a five-yard scrum and scored a try, earning justice and a 9-6 win.
Titcomb was mortified when he realised his mistake and apologised for his error.
Cecilia Colledge(87) was 11 years and 73 days when she competed for Britain in the 1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, a record that remains unbroken to this day. She was stylish and technically accomplished ice skater, good enough to become a British, European and world champion.
Russian walker German Skurygin (45) won the silver medal for the 50km walk at the 2003 World Championships in Paris was found dead in his Moscow apartment. He claimed a gold medal in the same discipline four years earlier in Seville but was subsequently stripped of the title for failing a doping test.
