Remembering Contributors To Track and Field Who Died In 2021

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

This is not a complete list, but one that I've pulled together over the past couple of weeks in order to acknowledge and remember people in the track and field community who died in the past year. 

All of them deserve a moment of reflection. We at DyeStat extend our condolences to the friends and families. 

Jaylen Allen - The Texas State sprinter and five-time Sun Belt Conference champion died in an auto accident in June. He was 21. 

Abigail Anderson - The 29-year-old pediatric nurse and former Minnesota runner, the sister of Gabe Grunewald, was struck by a motorist  and killed in August. STORY

Robert Arena - The successful track and cross country coach at Snyder High in New Jersey died unexpectedly in October. He was 36. 

Cameron Burrell - The 2018 NCAA 100 meters champion and proud member of the #SpeedCity family at the University of Houston, died suddenly, shockingly, in August. He was 26. STORY

Larry Crouser - The patriarch of the Crouser family in Gresham, Ore., and grandfather of Olympic champion Ryan Crouser, died in July after witnessing Ryan's world record in the shot put. He was 86. 

Dorothy Dawson - A trail-blazing coach and advocate for youth athletics in Illinois, she was the president of USATF-Illinois from 2000-2013. She was 91. STORY

Lamine Diack - The former head of World Athletics died in December at age 88. He was a Senegalese businessman, administrator and standout athlete in the 1950s. His tenure at World Athletics was beset by corruption scandals. 

Lee Evans - The first man in history to run under 44 seconds for 400 meters, 1968 Olympic champion and world record holder, died in May at age 74. STORY

Al Franken - The innovative and influential Los Angeles-based track and field promoter and meet director died in December at age 96. 

Jim Gerhardt - A member of the U.S. track team at the 1952 Olympics, where he competed in the triple jump, he was also a Master's track athlete into his 80s. He was 92.

Bob Gourley - The influential Rhode Island coach was a leading advocate nationally for the hammer and weight throw events and he spent countless hours documenting his weekly rankings, Gourley's List. He died in October at age 84. STORY

Ed Grant - The legendary New Jersey sportswriter, who was a walking encyclopedia of East coast track and field, attended every Penn Relays since 1946. He was 94. STORY

Agnes Jebet Tirop - The 2015 World Cross Country champion and fourth-place finisher in the Tokyo Olympic Games women's 5,000 meters for Kenya was killed in October. She was 25. 

Byron LaBeach - A Jamaican Olympian who competed at the 1952 Olympic Games, he is also a member of the Morgan State athletics Hall of Fame. He died at 91.  

Bob Maplestone - Former Eastern Washington star and the first British man to run sub-four for the mile indoors, he was 74. STORY

John McDonnell - The legendary Arkansas coach, winner of 40 national championships in a 36-year coaching career, died in June at the age of 82. STORY

Paul McMullen - The "Pride of Cadillac" was a talented Michigan runner who competed in the 1996 Olympic and two World Championships. He died in a skiing accident in March. He was 49. 

Alegna Osorio - The Cuban hammer throw died of injuries suffered in a training accident in July. She was just 19.  

Matt Scherer - An All-American at Oregon, one of the world's best rabbits and a key member of the RunnerSpace team who was there from the start of the company, died in early December. He was 38. STORY

Terry Scott - A Kansas City native, he became a state champion sprinter in Kansas and an NCAA 100 meters champion in 1985, competing for Tennessee. He continued in the sport as a successful high school coach. He died in November at age 57.

Marius Van Heerden - The former South African Olympian, and national record holder in the 800 meters, died of COVID-19 in January. He was 46.

Troy Waldron - The father of hurdler Nonah Waldron and a valuable member of the Motor City Track Club of Michigan passed away in July.