Paterno, Miller bookend year in deaths

— He went to work where a statue of him stood outside the stadium, his place of business for more than a half-century. He would not live to see the statue hauled away.

The other never had a statue erected in his honor, although some said there should be one, bronze or otherwise, at the doorstep of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He would live to see himself spurned by the Hall five times.

Joe Paterno and Marvin Miller, a couple of New Yorkers, were bookends to the year’s losses in sports - the football coach dying at 85 in January, the union leader at 95 a few days shy of December.

The year’s obituaries in sports also came with a tragic soundtrack of gunfire: Junior Seau, Hector Camacho, Jovan Belcher. More quietly, baseball now moves on without Gary Carter and basketball without Jack Twyman and Rick Majerus. Big names in boxing like Angelo Dundee and Carmen Basilio also were lost.

Paterno’s legacy was a complicated mix of football and education, universitiesand leadership, responsibility and justice. Miller was an often unspoken part of a running conversation about the culture of money of sports, and the rights of the peoplewho play the games.

Paterno’s death came less than three months after it was disclosed he had lung cancer. That news fell on a State College, Pa., community already shocked by the child sex-abuse revelations regarding longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno’s death closed a sweeping narrative, although the legal fallout and emotional wreckage are still very much alive. The swiftness of it all was almost Shakespearean in scope: the fall of a man who for so long was the symbol of everything right in his work only to be undone by scandal and cast aside.

In his blue windbreaker and black-rimmed glasses and his words still carrying echoes of Brooklyn, Paterno was the face and foundationof Penn State. He raised many millions of dollars for the school. His was the voice of perspective and reason in college sports. He won more games than anyone else, until the NCAA over the summer vacated victories dating to 1998. Legions of Penn State players - and countless others in State College - swore by the man. He been on the coaching staff for more than 60 years, and had been the head coach since 1966. He was JoePa.

But then came the startling accusations and subsequent conviction, after Paterno’s death, of Sandusky. Paterno insisted he followed the chain of command, informing his athletic director of what he was told had happened, although he did not go to the police.

Paterno said he was not given a graphic account of Sandusky’s locker-room rape of a young boy. Later, with the Washington Post in his last interview, he acknowledged a naivete - “I never heard of ... rape and a man.”

Paterno’s remorse already had been clear by then. Hours before Penn State trustees fired him, he said: “This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”

Miller sent a bulldozer through the landscape of Major League Baseball, and by the time he was done the terrain of all professional sports would never look the same.

Miller, with silver hair and mustache, cut his union teeth with the steelworkers. Surely one of his biggest triumphs was getting players to think of themselves as an organized workforce with rights, not hired hands serving at the whim of ownership.

“He changed not just the sport but the business of the sport permanently,” former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent said. “And he truly emancipated the baseball player - and in the process all professional athletes.”

Miller ran the union from 1966 to 1981. He clashed with owners and commissioners who were wary of him every step of the way. When hestarted, the minimum salary was $6,000; this past season, the minimum was $480,000. When he took over, baseball was still a decade away from its first million-dollar player; today, the average salary is $3.2 million.

And it was not only the players who grew rich as the game became more popular than ever. The very ownerswho fought Miller watched the value of their franchises soar to fabulous sums.

The springboard was free agency and the end of the reserve clause that bound player to club. The landmark decision came in 1975 when arbitrator Peter Seitz sided with the players. Seitz later would refer to Miller as baseball’s Moses.

“Anyone who’s ever played modern professional sports owes a debt of gratitude to Marvin Miller,” Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano said. “He gave us ownership of the game we play.”

Gun violence cut across sports this year.

Seau, the one-time fierce linebacker of his hometown San Diego Chargers, shot himself in the chest at 43, leaving no note and so many in football shaken. Camacho, the loud, boastful fighter and a champion several times, was shot in the face while in a car in Puerto Rico. The coffin of the 50-year-old boxer was carried from a New York church to shouts of “Macho.” Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs shot his girlfriend to death. The 25-year-old linebacker then drove to the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, thanked his coach and general manager who werethere and shot himself in the head.

“This is such an unexplainable event,” Chiefs teammate Andy Studebaker said.

Camacho’s death was one of so many in boxing. The lineup could fill a wing of its hall of fame:

Dundee, the peerless trainer who was in the corner for Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard and always drew the best out of his fighters, was 90. He also handled Basilio, who died at 85 after a career in which he took the middleweight crown from Sugar Ray Robinson in 1957 only to lose it six months later.

Former heavyweight champ Michael Dokes, with a long string of victories and a long rap sheet, was 54; Teofilo Stevenson, the threetime Olympic champion from Cuba with a devastating right hand, was 60; Emanuel Steward, who ran the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit and trained Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis, was 68, and boxing historian Bert Sugar, the raconteur with the fedora and cigar who knew everybody and everything in his sport, was 75.

Baseball became a little less joyful without Carter, “The Kid” gone at 57 from a brain tumor. A Hall of Fame catcher mostly with the New York Mets and Montreal Expos, Carter was a commander behind the platewho never lost sight of what a pleasure it was to play the game. Johnny Pesky, a lifetime .307 hitter and part of the Boston Red Sox’s DNA, died at 92, but Pesky’s Pole in right field in Fenway Park remains in play.

Notable sports deaths in 2012ADMINISTRATORS Paul Dee, 65; Bill Jones, 48; Louis Stout, 73; George Wine, 81.

ART LeRoy Neiman, 91.

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL John McCarthy, 22; Jim Stynes, 45.

AUTO RACING/MOTORCYCLING Jorge Martinez Boero, 38; Jerry Grant, 77; Bill Jenkins, 81; Joseph Mattioli, 86; Cotton Owens, 88; Ferdinand Porsche, 76; Lee Richardson, 33; Gareth Roberts, 24; Carroll Shelby, 89; Sid Watkins, 84.

BASEBALL Jeff Adcock, 51; Darrel Akerfelds, 50; Pedro Borbon, 65; Dave Boswell, 67; Gary Carter, 57; Ryan Freel, 36; Gail Harris, 81; Herman Hernandez, 54; Kevin Hickey 56; Hal Keller, 84; Paul Keyes, 50; Frank Mattox, 49; Lee MacPhail, 95; Dave May, 68; Jerry McMorris, 71; Marvin Miller, 95; Don Mincher, 73; Leslie Mueller, 93; Andy Musser, 74; Louise Nippert, 100; Mel Parnell, 89; Frank Pastore, 55; Pascual Perez, 55; Johnny Pesky, 92; Ron Plaza, 77; Tom Saffell, 91; Doris Sams, 85; Bill Skowron, 81; Les Smith, 93; Marty Springstead, 74; Champ Summers, 66; Floyd Temple, 85; Joe Walsh, 58; Harry Wendelstedt, 73; Eddie Yost, 86.

BASKETBALL Ralph Abraham, 63; Gene Bartow, 81; Bob Boozer, 75; Pete Brennan, 75; Donnie Butcher, 76; Ed Conlin, 79; Pat Cummings, 55; Joseph Curran, 89; Dana Davis, 56; LeRoy Ellis, 72; Jim Fitzgerald, 86; Simon Gourdine, 72; Dennis Hamilton, 68; Dick Harter, 81; Michael Haynes, 22; Kenny Heitz, 65; Art Heyman, 71; Charlie Hoag, 81; Marv Kessler, 80; Fuzzy Levane, 92; Delvy Lewis, 68; Ted Luckenbill, 72; Rick Majerus, 64; Slater Martin, 86; Ian Naismith, 72; Neil Reed, 36; Nolan Richardson III, 47; Dan Roundfield, 59; Peter Sauer, 35; Dwayne Schintzius, 43; Charlie Spoonhour, 72; Ken Trickey, 79; Jack Twyman, 78; Lou Watson, 88; Kenny Williamson, 65; Orlando Woolridge, 52.

BOBSLED Forrest Morgan, 90.

BOWLING Don Carter, 85; Marty Piraino, 88.

BOXING Carmen Basilio, 85; Jimmy Bivins, 92; Hector Camacho, 50; Michael Dokes, 54; Angelo Dundee, 90; Garip Erkuyumcu, 73; Don Fullmer, 72; Andy Ganigan, 59; Wayne Kelly, 63; Arnaldo Mesa, 46; Eddie Perkins, 75; Corrie Sanders, 46; Teofilo Stevenson, 60; Emanuel Steward, 68; Bert Sugar, 75; Johnny Tapia, 45.

CLIMBING Maurice Herzog, 93; Jack Roberts, 58. CRICKET Tom Maynard, 23.

CYCLING Kyle Bennett, 33; Inaki Lejarreta, 29; Fiorenzo Magni, 91.

EQUIPMENT/MERCHANDISE Byron Donzis, 79; Robert Newton, 85; Bob Smith, 78; Norman Sas, 87; Tom Sims, 61; Larry Stevenson, 81; William Staub, 96.

EXTREME SPORTS Micah True, 58.

FENCING Bob Anderson, 89; Edoardo Mangiarotti, 93.

FIGURE SKATING Barbara Ann Scott, 84.

FOOTBALL Grady Allen, 66; George Anderson, 82; Joe Avezzano, 68; Dick Beam, 75; Jovan Belcher, 25; JR Boone, 86; Dean Brown, 44; Jerry Brown, 25: Frank Burns, 84; Jim Carlen, 79; Jimmy Carr, 79; Bob Chappuis, 89 Edward Christian, 20; Ray Costict, 56; Tom Coyle, 62; Kurt Crain, 47; Ben Davidson, 72; Ray Easterling, 62; Cleveland Elam, 60; Ron Erhardt, 80; Grant Feasel, 52; Vince Gibson, 78; Eddie Jones, 74; Edgar Kaiser Jr., 69; Alex Karras, 77; Eagle Keys, 89; Blair Kiel, 50; Johnie Kirton, 26; Roland Lakes, 72; Mike Lynn, 76; Art Malone, 64; Tom Martinez, 67; Fred Matua, 28; Ken McRoyal, 22; Art Modell, 87; O.J. Murdock, 25; Cal Murphy, 79; Billy Neighbors, 72; R.C. Owens, 77; John Panelli, 85; Ladarious Phillips, 20; Joe Paterno, 85; Jesse Powell, 65;Jeff Richard, 19; Bud Riley, 86; Stacy Robinson, 50; Darrell Royal, 88; Steve Sabol, 69; Joe Sarra, 75; Rich Saul, 64; Junior Seau, 43; Freddie Solomon, 59; Jim Stanley, 77; Don Steinberg, 90; Bill Stewart, 59; Gary Tinsley, 22; Steve Van Buren, 91; Ernie Warlick, 80; Alex Webster, 80; Ralph Wenzel, 69.

GOLF Doug Brecht, 62; Jim Flick, 82; Ramon Sota, 74; Scott Steele, 55; Colleen Walker, 56.

GYMNASTICS Eduarda Mello Queiroz, 17.

HOCKEY Emile Bouchard, 92; Herb Carnegie, 92; Ron Caron, 82; Bill Ezinicki, 88; Vladimir Krutov, 52; Ivan Pravilov, 48; Charles “Lefty” Smith, 81; Valeri Vasilyev, 62.

HORSE RACING Bill Baffert Sr., 88; John Cashman, 72; Lewis Cenicola, 66; Robert B. Cohen, 86; Marje Everett, 90; Peter Fuller, 89; Loyd “Boo” Gentry, 87; Jorge Herrera, 33; Frank Martin, 86; Pete Pedersen, 92; Mitch Shirota, 78. Horses: Arcadius, 8; Artax, 17; Benburb, 23; Deputed Testamony, 32; Dynaformer, 27; Giant Ryan, 6; Montjeu, 16; Pulpit, 18; Theatrical, 30.

MEDIA Furman Bisher, 93; Beano Cook, 81; Bob Curtis, 87; Jim Durham, 65; Chris Economaki, 91; Mary Foster, 68; Trent Frayne, 93; Warner Fusselle, 68; Clive Gammon, 83; Jim Huber, 67; Tom Kenville, 82; Joe Mooshil, 85; Jessica Redfield, 24; Randy Starkman, 51; Dom Valentino, 83.

MUSIC Ernie Hays, 77.

OLYMPICS Henry Adefope, 84; LeRoy Walker, 93.

POKER Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston Jr., 83.

POWERBOATING William Nocker, 47.

PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCERS: Carl Beane, 59; David Courtney, 56; Budd Lynch, 95.

RODEO Broc Cresta, 25.

ROWING John Fairfax, 74; Nemanja Nesic, 24.

RUGBY Jock Hobbs, 52; Ian Kirkpatrick, 82; Selorm Kuadey, 24; Nevin Spence, 22; Wilson Whineray, 77.

SKIING/SKI JUMPING Jill Kinmont Boothe, 75; Sarah Burke, 29; Sixten Jernberg, 83; Nils Karlsson, 94; Jiri Raska, 70; Bjorn Sieber, 23; Nik Zoricic, 29.

SOCCER Gary Ablett, 46; Arianna Alioto, 18; Jules Francois Bocande, 53; Miguel Calero, 41; Giorgio Chinaglia, 65; John Connelly, 74; Nigel Doughty, 54; Austen Everett, 25; Felix, 74; Helmut Haller, 73; Chinonso Ihelwere Henry, 21; Michael Jones, 25; Harry Keough, 84; Timo Konietzka, 73; Lefter Kucukandonyadis, 86; Robert Kutasi, 48; Jesus Lupian, 19; Marcos “Marquitos” Alonso Imaz, 78; Patrick Mafisango, 32; Joe McBride, 74; Miljan Miljanic, 81; Kenny Morgans, 73; Piermario Morosini, 25; Alkis Panagoulias, 78; Manuel Preciado, 54; Dave Sexton, 82; Wlodzimierz Smolarek, 54; John Souza, 91; Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah, 88; Kirk Urso, 22; Rashidi Yekini, 48; Jose Maria Zarraga, 81.

SWIMMING/DIVING Ron Ballatore, 71; Ann Curtis, 86; Mark Lenzi, 43; Philip Moriarty, 98; Alexander Dale Oen, 26; Murray Rose, 73.

TENNIS Margaret DuPont, 94; Robert Kelleher, 99.

TRACK AND FIELD Milt Campbell, 78; Jack Davis, 81; George Mattos, 83; Yves Niare, 35; Samia Yusuf Omar, 21; Reggie Pearman, 89; Pat Porter, 53.

VOLLEYBALL Vigor Bovolenta, 37; Gene Selznick, 82.

WRESTLING Jeff Blatnick, 55. Pro: Chief Jay Strongbow, 83.

YACHTING Britton Chance Jr., 72.

Sports, Pages 21 on 12/25/2012

Upcoming Events