List of sports officials who died while active

This is a list of sports officials who died while active. This list is organized alphabetically by the sport the individual officiated in, and notes the deaths in chronological order within each sport. Also noted are age, leagues/associations or events they were part of when they died, officiating position (if applicable), cause of death, and date of death. Some deaths occurred due to an in-game injury or medical emergency, but most were the result of injuries and illnesses sustained elsewhere. There are also deaths that occurred due to violence directed towards officials. Abuse of officials, whether it be physical violence or verbal threats, has been of increasing concern in many sports.

Although this list primarily consists of professional sports officials, amateur sports officials may be included if their deaths are related to games they worked, or were scheduled to do so. Officials who worked in notable high level amateur sports (such as NCAA Division I college sports and Major Junior ice hockey), and officials who worked world championship or Olympic/Paralympic events shortly before their deaths are treated as professional. This list does not include officiating supervisors or officials who retired shortly before their deaths, unless they were working a game at the time.

Association football

The following are association football/soccer referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 38 Russian Premier Leagueplane crash 41 Royal Dutch Football Associationassaulted by players 46 Liga Continental de Futbol (amateur, Salt Lake City, United States) assault by player 20 unknown league in Pio XII, Brazil (amateur) decapitated by spectators 44 recreational league in Detroit, United States assault by player 49 unknown league in Toronto, Canada shot during game (simple) 42 Ligue 1stroke 31 Premier Soccer Leaguecar accident 30 Premier Soccer Leaguegunshot wounds 48 Jamaica Football Federationin-game collapse 27 Uganda Premier Leaguein-game cardiac arrest due to asthma attack

Athletics Track and field

The following are track and field officials who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Event Association Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 56 shot put Amateur Athletic Union internal bleeding after being struck in back during meet 77 shot put USA Track & Field brain injury during pre-meet practice 74 javelin throw Düsseldorf Athletics (DLV) impaled during meet 75 hammer throw USA Track & Field Niagara brain injury during meet 19 hammer throw College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin brain injury during meet

Australian rules football

The following are Australian football umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 47 goal umpire Victorian Football League killed in action during WWI 48 goal umpire Victorian Football League unknown 51 goal umpire Victorian Football League unknown 61 field umpire Kyabram District Football Leaguein-game heart attack 26 goal umpire Australian Football League murdered

Baseball

The following are baseball umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 35–36 National Leagueunknown 52 American Leagueheart attack 45 Ohio State Leagueheart attack 42 American League influenza 36 National League tuberculosis 43 National League collapsed during pre-game warmup from appendicitis 38 National League appendicitis 44 National League pneumonia 48 National League kidney disease 48 American Association car accident 52 American Association in-game stroke 56 National League complications of open heart surgery 51 American League post-game car accident 48 American League colon cancer 53 National League car accident 51 National League post-game heart attack 43 American League heart attack 51 National League in-game heart attack 48 Major League Baseball heart attack 52 Major League Baseball blood clot following knee surgery 51 Frontier League cardiac arrest 29 Northwoods Leaguecar accident while travelling to game 55 Atlantic League unknown

Softball The following are softball umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 60 University Interscholastic Leaguein-game heart attack 65 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Associationin-game heart attack 61 Softball Ontario collapsed during tournament

Basketball The following are basketball referees that died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 46 Sun Belt Conference, Southland Conferencesuicide 54 National Basketball Associationpancreatic cancer 55 National Basketball Associationpancreatic cancer 56 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Associationin-game cardiac arrest

Boxing The following are boxing referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Final match Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 46 Page def. Snipes (May 20, 1983, USBA) suicide 33 Mendoza def. Álvarez (August 12, 2000, WBA) suicide

Cricket The following are cricket umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 72 South Wales Cricket Associationin-game brain injury 55 Israel Cricket Associationin-game neck injury 80 Pembroke County Cricket Leaguein-game brain injury 46 Delhi & District Cricket Association cardiac arrest shortly after recovering from in-game injury

Gridiron football

The following are gridiron football officials (including Canadian rules officials and those of other football variations) who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 45 referee American Football League heart attack 45 umpire American Football League brain tumor 45 referee National Football League motorcycle crash 47 head linesman National Football League unknown 53 field judge National Football League unknown illness 51 side judge National Football League heart attack 56 referee National Football League complications of a blood disorder 61 umpire National Football League liver failure 47 field judge National Football League heart attack 58 back judge National Football League cancer 71 replay official National Football League cardiac arrest while driving home from game

Ice hockey

The following are ice hockey officials who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 37 linesman National Hockey League motorcycle crash 62 referee Swedish Ice Hockey Association in-game brain injury 48 referee Western Collegiate Hockey Associationbrain injury during pre-game warmup (cs) 24 referee WSM Ligain-game brain injury 47 referee Kontinental Hockey Leaguebrain cancer

Motorsport The following are officials including motorsport marshals who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age PositionSeries Event Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 52 Race MarshalFormula One 1962 Monaco Grand Prix Struck by a flying wheel after a multi-car accident at the Gasworks hairpin 19 German Red Cross WorkerFormula One 1963 German Grand Prix Struck by an errant wheel from Willy Mairesse's Ferrari 19 Track MarshalFormula One 1977 South African Grand Prix Struck full-speed by Tom Pryce over a blind crest as he was running across the track to attend to the stalled car of Renzo Zorzi. Pryce was following another driver who narrowly missed Jansen van Vuuren and another marshal. Jansen van Vuuren's hand-held fire extinguisher struck Pryce's head, also killing the driver instantly. Unknown Turn WorkerCART 1990 Molson Indy Vancouver Run over by left-rear wheel of Willy T. Ribbs's car after push-starting another car around a blind corner 44 Track OfficialCART 1996 Molson Indy Toronto Struck by wheel of Jeff Krosnoff's car as it penetrated the catch fencing, striking a tree and light pole, killing Krosnoff as well 68 Safety Car driverNASCAR Winston Cup Series 1996 NASCAR Thunder 100 Massive heart attack during safety car runs 2 days prior to race day 33 Fire MarshalFormula One 2000 Italian Grand Prix Struck in head and chest by disconnected wheel and tire during Lap 1 accident 51 Track MarshalFormula One 2001 Australian Grand Prix Struck in chest by disconnected wheel and tire after being instructed to stand close to the fencing for crowd control purposes 38 Track MarshalFormula One 2013 Canadian Grand Prix Run over by a tractor crane taking a stalled car off the track. Robinson dropped a radio while guiding the crane and stumbled picking it up, being crushed under the crane's wheel.

Rugby football Rugby league

The following are rugby league match officials/referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 54 New South Wales Rugby Football League collapsed after match 27 Super League suicide

Rugby union

The following are rugby union match officials/referees who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age League Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 43 Queensland Rugby Union heart attack 41 South African Rugby Football Union cancer 60 Far North Coast Rugby Union in-match heart attack

Tennis The following are tennis umpires who died during their careers or officiating assignments.

Name Age Position Final tournament Cause of death Date of death Ref(s) 60–61 linesman 1983 US Open in-game brain injury

See also Lists of sportspeople who died during their careers - including a list of gyojis who died while active

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