Died: Lamine Diack, 88
On December 03, in Dakar, Senegal (see “Last Lap” for more on the former IAAF president).
Died: Erika Fisch, 87
On November 09, in Hannover, Germany. Placed 4th for Germany in the ’56 Olympic long jump. Ranked No. 3 in the world that year and No. 4 in ’58. Also scored 5 times in the 80H, with a high of No. 4 in ’62. Ran on WR-setting 4×1 in ’56
Died: Buddy Fowlkes, 93
On November 30, in Atlanta, Georgia. Hall Of Fame coach for his 28-year span at Georgia Tech, he mentored 12 NCAA champions. As an athlete he was a 3-time SEC long jump champ.
Died: Al Franken, 96
On December 08, in Los Angeles, of leukemia. Innovative Southern California track promoter whose events included the Sunkist and Pepsi meets in LA and the Jack In The Box fixture in San Diego. He was one of the most influential people in the sport for decades. “That indoor track & field came to the West Coast and flourished was because of Al Franken,” famed miler Jim Beatty told the Orange County Register.
Died: Jim Gerhardt, 92
On November 29, in Houston. The 11th-placer in the ’52 Olympic triple jump, the Rice alum was the runner-up at the Olympic Trials that year.
Died: C.J. Hunter, 52
On November 28. The ’99 world champion in the shot, the Penn State alum was a 6-time World Ranker, with No. 1s in ’94 & ’99. He made the U.S. top 10 on 11 occasions. His career ended when he tested positive for nandrolone before the ’00 Olympics.
Died: Emmit King, 62
On November 28, in Bessemer, Alabama, of a gunshot wound suffered in a shootout. The ’83 NCAA 100 champion for Alabama, he won a WC bronze that same year. He also captured gold in ’83 as part of the U.S. 4×1. He World Ranked 3 times, topped by a No. 4 in ’83.
Died: Matt Scherer, 38
On December 08. The 5th-placer for Oregon in the ’06 NCAA 400, he Ranked No. 10 in the 800 in the U.S. in ’08 and later became a top pacemaker on the pro circuit. At the time of his death he was COO of RunnerSpace.
Died: Terry Scott, 57
On November 14, in Lees Summit, Missouri. The ’85 NCAA champ in the 100 for Tennessee, he World Ranked No. 7 in the dash that year.
Died: Victor Sillon, 93
On December 16. The 8-time French vault champion World Ranked No. 8 in ’51. His highest placing in 3 Olympics was 9th in ’48.