2008 Remembered !

[bennythedip2]

Sheffield football legend Derek Dooley and Celtic great Tommy Burns led the list of famous sports stars who passed away in 2008.

Dooley, who died at the age of 78 after a long illness, was one of few men who breached the traditional football divide in his home city and was loved by fans of both Wednesday and United.

Dooley scored 63 goals in as many games for Wednesday before a collision with Preston goalkeeper George Thompson in 1953 led to his leg being amputated. Dooley would later become a key member of United's commercial team.

News of his death sparked tributes from across the world including one from Pele, whom he met in Sheffield in 2007 as part of Sheffield FC's 150th anniversary celebrations. ''He was a lovely man,'' Pele said.

Burns made his Celtic debut in 1974 and made 352 league appearances for the Hoops, scoring 52 goals. He won eight Scotland caps and later returned to Parkhead to manage the club.

Burns, who also served as national team assistant coach alongside Berti Vogts and Walter Smith, died in May at the age of 52 following a two-year battle with skin cancer.

Rangers boss Walter Smith said: ''Tommy was a wonderful and thoroughly decent friend. If I have one regret about him it's that I didn't know him for longer.''

Former Scotland manager Ian McColl, who recorded 16 wins in 27 matches in charge of his country, passed away at the age of 81, and George Niven, a five-time Scottish League winner with Rangers, died aged 79.

Jimmy Sirrel, who led Notts County into the top flight in 1981 and helped keep them there in two successive campaigns, died aged 86, with Sir Alex Ferguson one of his many admirers and friends within football.

Welsh football lost former internationals Brian Harris, a league title-winner with Everton in 1963, along with Cardiff greats Ron Stitfall, Derek Tapscott and George Edwards.

Former Yorkshire cricket captain Vic Wilson died at the age of 87 and the sport also lost England Test player Butch White, former Somerset wicketkeeper Harold Stephenson, and Australian 'Invincible' Bill Brown, aged 95.

In rugby league, it was a year touched by sadness for Wakefield.

Don Fox, best remembered for missing a simple conversion which would have won the 1968 Challenge Cup final for the club, died at the age of 73 and Wakefield also lost another stalwart in ex-England international David Topliss. In October current Wildcats first-teamer Adam Watene died aged 31 having collapsed after training.

Lennart Bergelin, the Swedish coach widely credited with creating the sporting phenomenon Bjorn Borg, whom he would help to 11 Grand Slam victories over a 12-year period, died in Stockholm at the age of 83.

In boxing, former British and European middleweight champion Kevin Finnegan died at the age of 60. The sport also lost former world champions American Joey Giardello and Croatian Mate Parlov.

Former US Open golf champions Tommy Bolt and Orville Moody passed away and America's only Formula One world champion, Phil Hill, died at the age of 81. Controversial chess champion Bobby Fischer died aged 64.

Some top stars were cut down in their prime. Olympic bronze medallist and promising professional boxer Rhoshii Wells was shot dead in Las Vegas at the age of 31.

Canadian ice hockey player Luc Bourdon, 21, and Belgian international footballer Francois Sterchele, 26, were killed in motor accidents. Two-time NBA All-Star Kevin Duckworth died of heart failure in Portland.

update ..by bennythedip2