Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

   Time to pay our tributes to people of note that have recently passed away.

Goodbye to Eder Jofre at the age of 86.

Arguably the greatest bantamweight of all time, a member of the boxing Hall of Fame, and certainly the greatest Brazilian boxer ever, Jofre would lose only twice in his eighty-four fight career, both to another Hall of Famer in Fighting Harada of Japan.

Jofre won the bantamweight title in 1960 and defended the championship nine times before losing a split decision to Harada in 1965 to drop the title.

Harada would win the rematch via unanimous decision and Jofre would retire for three years before returning as a featherweight in 1969 and winning fourteen fights in a row before defeating Jose Legra to win the WBC featherweight title by majority decision in 1973.

Jofre's victory at 37 is a still-active record for the oldest fighter to win the featherweight title

Jofre would defend the title via fourth-round knockout of former bantamweight champion Vincente Saldivar but would be stripped for not fighting number one contender Alfredo Marcano.

Jofre would return against lesser lights in 1975 and 76 winning all seven but in an unimpressive manner.

Goodbye to Bruce Sutter at the age of 69.

A member of the baseball hall of fame and one of the elite closers of the 70s and 80s, Sutter was an undistinguished minor-league reliever in the spring of 1973 when he was shown a grip and taught one pitch- the split-fingered fastball that turned a low-level minor leaguer with little hope into an eventual  Cooperstown inductee.

Sutter would save between 21 and 45 games for the Cubs and Cardinals from 1978-84, leading the National League five times, winning the Cy Young award in 1979, and winning a World Series with the 1982 Cardinals before signing a huge contract with the Atlanta Braves in 1985.

Sutter injured his arm after joining the Braves and struggled through three dismal seasons before retiring in 1989.

Goodbye to Charley Trippi at the age of 100.

A member of both the college and pro football hall of fame, Trippi was the oldest living member of both halls at his passing.

Trippi, at various times in his career, played quarterback, running back, receiver, defensive back, punter, and returned kicks as the most versatile player of his era.

Trippi led the then-Chicago Cardinals to their most recent NFL title in 1947 and had the highest number of total offensive yards when he retired in 1955.

Trippi remains the only player in the pro football hall to notch over 1,000 career yards in rushing, receiving, and passing.

Goodbye to Alvin Maxson at the age of 70.

Maxson finished second in the 1974 Rookie of the year voting after rushing for 714 yards with the New Orleans Saints after being selected by the Saints in the eighth round from SMU.

Maxson never repeated his success and in the remaining four years of his career, Maxson would rush for a combined 556 yards with the Saints and four other teams.

Goodbye to Vince Dooley at the age of 90.

Dooley, the legendary coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964-1988, won 201 games in Athens against only 77 losses (and ten ties) during his era, during almost all was during the Alabama tenure of Bear Bryant.

Dooley won six SEC titles and took his Bulldog teams to twenty bowl appearances with the 1980 National Championship-winning Dawgs as his coaching peak.

After winning the 1980 title, Dooley was offered the job at conference rival and alma mater Auburn but turned the offer down to stay with UGA.

Dooley would step down as coach after the 1988 season to concentrate on his role as athletic director after serving in double duty since 1979 and would stay as AD until 2004.

Goodbye to Ray Guy at the age of 72.

Guy is the only punter to ever be picked in the first round of the NFL Draft (1973 Raiders), the only punter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is the namesake of the award for the best punter in college football.

Guy was named to the All-Pro team on eight occasions, the Pro Bowl seven times, and was the punter on the three Super Bowl champions in Raider franchise history.

Known for the hang time on his punts that allowed his punt coverage unit to force fair catches, Houston coach Bum Phillips once accused the Raiders of using helium to pump the footballs that Guy used because "they hang so high and no one else can reach those heights".

Guy also punted a ball into the gondola (hanging scoreboard) during a Pro Bowl in the days when the Louisiana Superdome hosted the after-season all-star game. 

Guy was a good enough pitcher at Southern Mississippi that he was drafted four times by various teams in the MLB draft.