- Jan 1 Billy Joe Patton, American golfer (Masters 1954 3rd; Walker Cup captain 1969), dies at 88
- Jan 4 Coen Moulijn, Dutch soccer winger (38 caps; Feyenoord 487 games, European Cup 1970), dies from a cerebral infarction at 73
- Jan 6 Uche Okafor, Nigerian footballer (b. 1967)
- Jan 7 Derek Gardner, British Formula 1 car designer (b. 1931)
- Jan 8 Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924)
- Jan 10 Cookie Gilchrist, American football fullback (AFL All Star 1962-65; AFL MVP 1962; CFL All Star 1956-60), dies of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at 75
- Jan 15 Nat Lofthouse, English Footballer (b. 1925)
- Feb 3 Ron Piché, Quebec baseball player (Milwaukee Braves), dies at 75
- Feb 4 Woodie Fryman, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1968, 76; Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos), dies at 70
- Feb 8 Tony Malinosky, American baseball player (b. 1909)
- Feb 10 Trevor Bailey, English cricket all-rounder, writer and broadcaster (61 Tests, 1 x 100, 10 x 50, HS 134no, 132 wickets; BBC), dies in a fire in his retirement flat at 87
- Feb 11 Chuck Tanner, American baseball manager (World Series 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates; Chicago WS, Oakland A's, Atlanta Braves), dies at 82
- Feb 11 Tom Carnegie, American sports announcer (b. 1919)
- Feb 12 Gino Cimoli, American baseball player, dies at 81
- Feb 12 Mato Damjanović, Croatian chess grandmaster (b. 1927)
- Feb 15 Joe Frazier, American baseball outfielder (Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles) and manager (NY Mets 1976–77), dies at 88
Ollie Matson (1930-2011)
Feb 19 Pro/College Football Hall of Fame halfback (First-team All-Pro 1952, 54–59; Pro Bowl 1952, 54–58; NFL 1950s All Decade Team), dies of dementia at 80
- Feb 20 Betty Hicks, American golfer, author (US Open runner-up 1948, 54), dies of Alzheimer's disease at 90
Duke Snider (1926-2011)
Feb 27 American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (8 x MLB All Star; World Series 1955, 59; Brooklyn / LA Dodgers), dies at 84
- Mar 9 Inge Sørensen, Danish swimmer (youngest female Olympic Games medalist in an individual event [12] bronze 200m breaststroke 1936), dies at 86
- Mar 15 Marty Marion, American baseball shortstop and manager (MLB All-Star 1943–50; NL MVP 1944; St. Louis Cardinals), dies from a heart attack at 93
- Mar 21 Gerd Klier, German footballer (b. 1944)
- Mar 21 Ladislav Novák, Czech footballer (b. 1931)
- Mar 21 Nikolai Adrianov, Soviet-Russian gymnast (Olympic-4 gold/2 silver/bronze-1976), dies at 58
- Mar 23 Fred Titmus, English cricket all-rounder (53 Tests, 153 wickets, 10 x 50s; Middlesex), dies at 78
- Apr 1 Lou Gorman, American baseball executive (general manager Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox), dies at 82
- Apr 2 Larry Finch, American college basketball coach (University of Memphis 1986-97), dies at 60
- Apr 10 Homer Smith, American football coach (b. 1931)
- Apr 10 Mikhail Rusyayev, Russian footballer (b. 1964)
- Apr 12 Eddie Joost, American baseball shortstop (MLB All Star 1949, 52; World Series 1940 Cincinnati Reds; Philadelphia Athletics) and manager (Philadelphia A's), dies at 94
- Apr 16 Gerry Alexander, West Indian cricket wicket-keeper (25 Tests, top score 108, 90 dismissals), dies at 82
- Apr 18 Mason Rudolph, American golfer (Ryder Cup 1971; PGA C'ship 1973 3rd), dies at 76
- Apr 18 Olubayo Adefemi, Nigerian footballer, dies at 25
Grete Waitz (1953-2011)
Apr 19 Norwegian long distance athlete (9 x NYC Marathon titles; World C'ship gold 1983; 5 x gold World Cross Country; WR x 4), dies of cancer at 57
- Apr 22 Wiel Coerver, Dutch soccer manager (developer of Coerver Method, football coaching technique), dies of pneumonia at 86
- Apr 24 Colin Snedden, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (1 Test; Auckland), dies at 93
- Apr 25 (Fletcher) Joe Perry, American AAFC/NFL Hall of Fame fullback, 1948-63, 3X Pro Bowl (San Francisco 49ers; Baltimore Colts), and US Navy veteran, dies of complications from dementia at 84
- Apr 30 Emilio Navarro, Puerto Rican baseball player, dies at 105
- May 1 Henry Cooper, English boxer (British, European, C'wealth heavyweight champion; famous defeats to Muhammad Ali 1963, 66), dies of heart failure at 76
- May 1 Ted Lowe, English snooker commentator (Pot Black, BBC), dies at 90
- May 3 Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer (b. 1936)
- May 5 Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player, 1948-58, and manager, 1958-89, dies at 86
Seve Ballesteros (1957-2011)
May 7 Spanish golfer (British Open 1979, 84, 88, US Masters 1980, 83), dies of brain cancer at 54
Harmon Killebrew (1936-2011)
May 17 American Baseball HOF utility (13 × MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1969; 6 × AL HR leader; Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins), dies from esophageal cancer at 74
- May 25 Paul Splittorff, American MLB pitcher and broadcaster (KC Royals), dies of oral cancer at 64
- May 25 Terry Jenner, Australian cricket spin bowler (9 Tests, 24 wickets; WA CA, SA CA), dies from a heart attack at 66
- May 27 Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (b. 1974)
- May 29 Bill Roycroft, Australian equestrian (Olympic gold team event 1960, bronze 1968, 76), dies at 96
- May 31 Andy Robustelli, American NFL defensive end (LA Rams, NY Giants), dies at 85
- May 31 Pauline Betz Addie, American tennis player (5 Grand Slam singles titles), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 91
- Jun 7 Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (b. 1937)
- Jun 9 Mike Mitchell, American basketball small forward (NBA All-Star 1981; Italian League top scorer 1998), dies from cancer at 55
Kurt Nielsen (1930-2011)
Jun 11 Danish tennis player, (Wimbledon 1953, 55 runner-up), dies at 80
- Jun 22 John Waite, South African cricket wicket-keeper, dies at 81
- Jun 24 Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football manager (b. 1933)
- Jun 27 Betty Callaway, English figure skating coach (Torvill & Dean, Regőczy & Sallay), dies after a fall at 83
- Jun 27 Mike Doyle, English former footballer (b. 1946)
- Jun 30 Barry Bremen, American sports imposter and businessman (b. 1947)
- Jul 2 Juno Stover-Irwin, American diver (Olympic silver women's platform 1956, bronze 1952), dies at 82
- Jul 5 Armon Gilliam, American NBA forward, 1987-2000 (Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, NJ Nets, and 3 other teams), and college coach, 2001-05 (Penn State), dies of a heart attack at 47
- Jul 6 John Mackey, American Pro Football HOF tight end (Super Bowl 1970; 3 × First-team All-Pro; 5 × Pro Bowl; Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers), dies at 69
- Jul 7 Dick Williams, American Baseball Hall of Fame manager (World Series 1972, 73 Oakland A's) and utility (Brooklyn Dodgers), dies of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at 82
- Jul 9 Don Ackerman, American basketball player (b. 1930)
- Jul 13 Allan Jeans, Australian football player and coach (b. 1933)
- Jul 16 Forrest Blue, American football center (First-team All-Pro 1971–73; Pro Bowl 1971–74; SF 49ers, Baltimore Colts), dies of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at 65
- Jul 27 Hideki Irabu, Japanese-American NPB and MLB baseball pitcher, 1988-2004 (New York Yankees, 1997-2002), takes his own life at 42
- Aug 3 Allan Watkins, Welsh cricket all-rounder, (15 Tests, England @ 40.15, 11 wickets; Glamorgan), dies at 89
- Aug 3 Bubba Smith, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Michigan State; Pro Bowl 1970, 71; First Team All Pro 1971; Super Bowl 1971; Baltimore Colts) and actor (Police Academy), dies of acute drug intoxication and heart disease at 66
- Aug 4 Naoki Matsuda, Japanese Soccer player (b. 1977)
- Aug 15 Eric Dempster, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, TS 47, 2 wickets; Wellington CA), dies at 86
- Aug 15 Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 27
- Aug 16 Pete Pihos, American Pro/College Football HOF end (Indiana University; 6 x Pro Bowl; 6 × First-team All-Pro; Philadelphia Eagles), dies at 87
- Aug 24 Mike Flanagan, American baseball pitcher (b. 1951)
- Sep 4 Lee Roy Selmon, American College-Pro Football HOF defensive end (NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1979; First-team All-Pro 1979, 80, 82; 6× Pro Bowl; TB Buccaneers), dies from a stroke at 56
- Sep 7 Brad McCrimmon, Canadian ice hockey defenseman (Stanley Cup 1989 Calgary Flames; NHL All-Star 1988; Plus-Minus Award +48 1989), dies as head coach KHL Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in plane crash at 52
- Sep 7 Josef Vašíček, Czech ice hockey center (World C'ship gold 2005; Carolina Hurricanes), dies in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster at 30
- Sep 7 Ruslan Salei, Belarusian ice hockey defenceman (917 NHL games; 48 internationals), dies in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash at 36
- Sep 11 Christian Bakkerud, Danish racing driver (b. 1984)
- Sep 12 Alexander Galimov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1985)
- Sep 27 Dave Hill, American golfer (Vardon Trophy 1969; US Open 1970 runner-up; 13 x PGA Tour titles), dies of emphysema at 74
- Oct 1 Johnny Schmitz, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1946, 48; NL saves leader 1946), dies at 90
- Oct 1 Sven Tumba, Swedish ice hockey center, football winger, golfer, golf course designer, dies of a hip infection at 80
- Oct 5 Graham Dilley, English cricket fast bowler (41 Tests, 138 wickets; Kent CCC, Worcestershire CCC), dies from oesophageal cancer at 52
Al Davis (1929-2011)
Oct 8 American businessman and NFL executive (owner Oakland Raiders), dies of heart failure at 82
Dan Wheldon (1978-2011)
Oct 16 British race car driver (Indianapolis 500, 2005 & 2011), dies in multi car crash at IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas, Nevada at 33
- Oct 18 Kent Hull, American football center (First-team All-Pro 1990, 91; Pro Bowl 1988, 89, 90; Buffalo Bills), dies from chronic liver disease at 50
- Oct 23 Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (250cc World Championship 2008), dies in a track accident at 24
- Oct 31 Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer (European Footballer of the Year 1967), dies at 70
Bob Forsch (1950-2011)
Nov 3 American MLB baseball pitcher, 1974-1989 (St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros), dies of a thoracic aortic aneurysm at 61
- Nov 3 Matty Alou, Dominican baseball outfielder (NL batting champion 1966; MLB All-Star 1968-69; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies of diabetes complications at 72
Joe Frazier (1944-2011)
Nov 7 American boxer (Olympic gold heavyweight 1964; undisputed world heavyweight champion 1970-73), dies of liver cancer at 67
- Nov 8 Ed Macauley, American Basketball Hall of Fame center (7-time NBA All Star), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 83
- Nov 9 Roger Christian, American ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1960; Christian Brother's Hockey Sticks), dies at 75
- Nov 12 Peter Roebuck, English cricketer and journalist, dies at 55
- Nov 17 Kurt Budke, American basketball coach (b. 1961)
- Nov 18 Walt Hazzard, American basketball player (Olympic gold 1964), dies at 69
- Nov 19 Basil D'Oliveira, English cricket all-rounder (44 Tests, 2,484 @ 40.06, 47 wickets), dies form Parkinson's disease at 80
- Nov 22 Ray Flockton, Australian cricketer (prolific NSW batsman of 50's), dies at 81
- Nov 23 Jim Rathmann, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500, 1960; Race of Two Worlds at Monza, 1958), dies after a seizure at 83
- Nov 24 Tatyana Shchelkanova, Soviet long jumper (Olympic bronze 1964), dies at 74
- Nov 25 Vasiliy Alekseyev, Russian weightlifter (Olympic gold 1972, 76), dies at 69
- Nov 27 Gary Speed, Welsh footballer and Wales national football team manager, dies at 42
- Dec 1 Arthur Beetson, Australian rugby league front rower (29 Tests; Balmain, Easts, Parramatta; RL "Immortal") and coach (2 Tests Australia, 16 games Queensland), dies of a heart attack at 66
- Dec 1 Ragnhild Hveger, Danish swimmer (Olympic silver 400m freestyle 1936; 44 world records 1938-56), dies at 90
- Dec 3 Sam Loxton, Australian cricket batsman (12 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 101; Victoria; National team selector 1970-81), dies at 90
- Dec 4 Sócrates [Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Sousa Vieira de Oliveira], Brazilian soccer midfielder and manager (60 caps, 22 goals Brazil; Corinthians), dies of septic shock at 57
- Dec 5 Gennady Logofet, Russian footballer (b. 1942)
- Dec 5 Peter Gethin, British racing driver (b. 1940)
- Dec 15 Andy Carey, American baseball player (third baseman for 1950s New York Yankees), dies at 80
- Dec 22 Bettye Danoff, American golfer (co-founder LPGA Tour), dies at 88