10 Athletes That Died While Playing

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5. Frank Hayes





Frank Hayes was a horse jockey. He was 35 years old and had been training horses for most of his life. He was chosen to ride a horse named Sweet Kiss by the owner. Hayes would participate in the Belmont Park racetrack in New York. Though the odds were against winning, Hayes was still ready to run the race and give it a try. In February of 1923, to everyone’s surprise, Sweet Kiss won the race. Once the race was over and the horse finally stopped, the horse’s owner ran out to the field to congratulate Hayes, but he was slumped in the saddle and not moving. Doctors confirmed that Hayes had a heart attack during the race. As weird as it may be, Frank Hayes stands as the only jockey that has won a race after his death.

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4. Scott Brayton



Brayton was a race car driver from Coldwater, Michigan. He was able to take part in 14 Indianapolis 500s from 1981 until his death. During the 1980s, Brayton is well known for introducing a Buick stock-block V-6 to the racing world. He was able to score his best finish at the Speedway in 1989, finishing in 6th but still seven laps down. In 1993 he matched the same stats. When the Indy Racing League was announced in 1996, Brayton was considered a contender of the IRL title. Though the season started off rough, he was able to qualify and won his second Indy pole. On May 17, 1996, Brayton was practicing in his backup car when a tire blew. His car went into turn two, spun around, hit the outside of the wall, and eventually stopped. Brayton hit the wall at speeds higher than 230mph. He died because of the severe impact with the wall.

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3. Ed Sanders



Ed Sanders was a boxer that competed on the minor level, the professional level, and even in the Olympics. His first Olympic boxing championship was in the 1952 summer games. He easily knocked out his opponent, Hans Jost, and went on to beat Giacomo DiSegni in his second fight. At this time, the only person keeping Sanders from the gold was Ingemar Johansson. After the Olympics Sanders went professional and fought eight fights in nine months, losing two of them. On December 12, 1954, Sanders was boxing Willie James. This would be his last fight. During the first ten rounds, the two traded heavy blows. By the 11th round, Sanders appeared to be tired. James hit Sanders with a punch combination and he fell and lost consciousness. He never regained consciousness and died after doctors tried to relieve bleeding in his brain.

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2. Reggie Lewis



Reggie Lewis was a basketball player for the Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. He had an average of 20.8 points a game and finished with a career average of 17.6 per contest. In 1992, Lewis was chosen to play his first and only NBA All-Star Game which was held in Orlando Florida. He was able top play 15 minutes of the game and scored seven points. He also grabbed four rebounds. During a Celtics practice game on July 27, 1993, Lewis died suddenly. He suffered sudden cardiac death and was only 27 years old.

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1. Dale Earnhardt



Dale Earnhardt was an American race care driver that is known for driving stock cars in NASCAR’s top division. He is greatly known for his success in the Winston Cup Series. He won 76 races during his career and was able to take home seven championships. He stands with Richard Petty as the men with the most championships held during a career. In 1998, Earnhardt was able to pull off his first and only Daytona 500 win. During his career, he took on many different epithets: “The Intimidator,” “Ironhead,” and “The Man In Black.” During his race in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt died in the last-lap of the race. His car slid off of the track and went on the flat apron, and then turned sharply back towards the outside retaining wall. His car was then hit by the #36 car, and both cars hit nose-first into the wall. Earnhardt hit the wall at a critical angle going about 150mph. His car was in ruins but many thought the crash was minor. Earnhardt died from his injuries sustained from crashing into the wall.