The Year in Sports: A Tribute to Those Who Left Us in 2011

From Joe Frazier to Bubba Smith, we lost great ones in 2011.

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Smokin’ Joe Frazier  - A relentless ring stalker and powerful puncher, Joe Frazier reigned as world heavyweight  boxing champion from 1970 to 1973 in a career highlighted by three thrilling fights against Muhammad Ali. Frazier died at 67 in his hometown of Philadelphia on Nov. 7. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Smokin’ Joe Frazier  - A relentless ring stalker and powerful puncher, Joe Frazier reigned as world heavyweight  boxing champion from 1970 to 1973 in a career highlighted by three thrilling fights against Muhammad Ali. Frazier died at 67 in his hometown of Philadelphia on Nov. 7. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Charles Aaron “Bubba” Smith - Combining his huge 6'-7, 265-pound frame with tremendous quickness and agility, Bubba Smith was a dominant defensive end at Michigan State and in nine NFL seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers. He went on to a successful acting career, with roles in the Police Academy series, among other credits. Smith, 66, died in L.A. on Aug. 3.  (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Photo By Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Robert “Tractor" Traylor - Nicknamed  “Tractor” for his bulk and power, Robert Traylor enjoyed a seven-year NBA career with three teams. He died at 34 in Puerto Rico on May 11 of an apparent heart attack. (Photo: AP/Tom Pidgeon)

John Mackey - A favorite receiver of Hall-of-Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts in the 1960s, John Mackey revolutionized the tight-end position, served as the first president of the NFL Players Association and was himself enshrined in Canton in 1992. He died on July 6 at 69, after a 10-year battle with dementia.(Photo: Baltimore Sun/MCT/Landov)

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John Mackey - A favorite receiver of Hall-of-Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts in the 1960s, John Mackey revolutionized the tight-end position, served as the first president of the NFL Players Association and was himself enshrined in Canton in 1992. He died on July 6 at 69, after a 10-year battle with dementia.(Photo: Baltimore Sun/MCT/Landov)

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Ron Springs - Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs died May 12 at the age of 54. He was a collegiate star at Grambling University and an advocate for kidney disease sufferers. Springs fell into a coma during an elbow operation in 2007 and never recovered. (Photo: AP Photo/File)

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Ron Springs - Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs died May 12 at the age of 54. He was a collegiate star at Grambling University and an advocate for kidney disease sufferers. Springs fell into a coma during an elbow operation in 2007 and never recovered. (Photo: AP Photo/File)

Photo By Photo: AP Photo/File

Lee Roy Selmon - Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and University of Oklahoma defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, was 56 when he died on Sept. 4.    (Photo: Michael J. Minardi/Getty Images)

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Lee Roy Selmon - Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and University of Oklahoma defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, was 56 when he died on Sept. 4.    (Photo: Michael J. Minardi/Getty Images)

 Chester McGlockton - A four-time All-Pro defensive tackle with the Los Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, Chester McGlockton was an assistant coach at Stanford when he died at 42 on November Nov. 30.(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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 Chester McGlockton - A four-time All-Pro defensive tackle with the Los Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, Chester McGlockton was an assistant coach at Stanford when he died at 42 on November Nov. 30.(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Al Davis - Late Raiders owner Al Davis was a rebel — and that's precisely what people either loved or loathed about him. Despite the good that he did — like being the first NFL owner to hire an African-American head coach — Davis controversially moved the Raiders out of Oakland to Los Angeles and then back to Oakland. He also controversially benched former Raiders Super Bowl MVP Marcus Allen over contract disputes before releasing him in 1992 and insisted on drafting quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who's largely considered as the biggest flop in NFL Draft history.(Photo: Scott Anger, File/SP Photo)

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Al Davis - Renegade Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis, 82, helped advance diversity in the NFL, hiring the first Black head coach, Art Shell, in 1988; Davis also hired the league’s first Latino head coach, Tom Flores, and the first woman CEO, Amy Trask. He died on Oct. 8. (AP Photo/Scott Anger, File)

Orlando Brown - Orlando Brown, an offensive lineman who played for 10 years with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, died at the age of 40 on Sept. 23. (Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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Orlando Brown - Orlando Brown, an offensive lineman who played for 10 years with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, died at the age of 40 on Sept. 23. (Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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Armen Gilliam - Popular former UNLV star Armen Gilliam, 47, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, died July 5 while playing basketball in a suburban Pittsburgh gym. He had a 13-year NBA career with six different teams..(Photo: Brian Bahr/Allsport/Getty Images)

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Armen Gilliam - Popular former UNLV star Armen Gilliam, 47, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, died July 5 while playing basketball in a suburban Pittsburgh gym. He had a 13-year NBA career with six different teams..(Photo: Brian Bahr/Allsport/Getty Images)

Mike Mitchell - Former NBA All-Star Mike Mitchell died at 55 on June 9 following a two-year battle with cancer. The high-scoring forward spent 10 seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, and then played another decade in Europe. (Photo: Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

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Mike Mitchell - Former NBA All-Star Mike Mitchell died at 55 on June 9 following a two-year battle with cancer. The high-scoring forward spent 10 seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, and then played another decade in Europe. (Photo: Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

Dave Duerson - In February 2011, two-time Super Bowl champion Dave Duerson, 50, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Florida. Duerson had at least 10 concussions in his NFL career, according to his family, and lost consciousness during some. He left notes for his family asking that his brain be donated to science, and researchers at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University's School of Medicine concluded he had "moderately advanced" brain damage related to blows to the head.(Photo: George Rose/Getty Images)

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Dave Duerson - Four-time NFL All-Pro safety Dave Duerson died Feb. 17 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Duerson, who won two Super Bowl rings—with the Chicago Bears in 1985 and the New York Giants in 1990—went on to a successful business career before the apparent effects of cumulative brain damage ruined his life. He was 50. (Photo: George Rose/Getty Images)

Ollie Matson - Olympic track medalist and pro football Hall-of-Famer Ollie Matson died Feb. 19 at age 80. A versatile running back, receiver and kick returner, he starred for several teams during his 14 years in the NFL.  (Photo: SN Archive/Getty Images)

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Ollie Matson - Olympic track medalist and pro football Hall-of-Famer Ollie Matson died Feb. 19 at age 80. A versatile running back, receiver and kick returner, he starred for several teams during his 14 years in the NFL. (Photo: SN Archive/Getty Images)

Sammy Wanjiru - Samuel Wanjiru, who became the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, died at 24 on May 15. He jumped, or fell, from a second-story balcony following a domestic dispute involving his wife and another woman.(Photo: Jim Prisching/Getty Images)

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Sammy Wanjiru - Samuel Wanjiru, who became the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, died at 24 on May 15. He jumped, or fell, from a second-story balcony following a domestic dispute involving his wife and another woman.(Photo: Jim Prisching/Getty Images)

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Chester Carlton “Cookie” Gilchrist - Former Buffalo Bills fullback Cookie Gilchrist, 75, MVP of the American Football League in 1962, died on Jan. 10. In 1964, he helped lead a boycott threat by Black players over discriminatory treatment they had received in New Orleans when they arrived there for the AFL All-Star Game; the game was moved to Houston.(Photo: Robert L. Smith/NFL)

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Chester Carlton “Cookie” Gilchrist - Former Buffalo Bills fullback Cookie Gilchrist, 75, MVP of the American Football League in 1962, died on Jan. 10. In 1964, he helped lead a boycott threat by Black players over discriminatory treatment they had received in New Orleans when they arrived there for the AFL All-Star Game; the game was moved to Houston.(Photo: Robert L. Smith/NFL)

Joe Perry - Joe Perry, 84, who became the San Francisco ‘49ers first Black player in 1948 and went on to a 16-year pro career, died on April 25.(Photo: Frank Rippon/Getty Images)

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Joe Perry - Joe Perry, 84, who became the San Francisco ‘49ers first Black player in 1948 and went on to a 16-year pro career, died on April 25.(Photo: Frank Rippon/Getty Images)

Lorenzo Charles - Lorenzo Charles, 47, whose dramatic dunk sealed a last-second victory for North Carolina State in the 1983 NCAA championship game, died when the bus he was driving crashed on I-40 in North Carolina on June 27.  (Photo: AP Photo/File)

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Lorenzo Charles - Lorenzo Charles, 47, whose dramatic dunk sealed a last-second victory for North Carolina State in the 1983 NCAA championship game, died when the bus he was driving crashed on I-40 in North Carolina on June 27.  (Photo: AP Photo/File)