- Jan 1 Bruno Söderström, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver pole vault & bronze javelin 1906; bronze pole vault 1908; popularized bowling in Sweden), dies at 87
- Jan 3 Buzz Borries, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Navy 1932–34), dies at 57
- Jan 4 Julian Myrick, American tennis promoter (West Side Tennis Club & Forest Hills Stadium), dies at 88
- Jan 8 Albert Hill, British athlete (b. 1889)
- Jan 13 Fred Price, cricket wicket-keep (England, v Aust Headingley 1938), dies
- Jan 24 Tom Zachary, baseball pitcher (Washington Senators), dies at 72
- Feb 2 Giovanni Martinelli, opera singer (NY Met), dies at 83
- Feb 9 Manuel Plaza Reyes, Chilean marathoner (Olympic gold 1928), dies at 68
- Feb 21 Jose de Capriles, Mexican-born US Olympic fencer, dies
- Mar 3 Fred Alexander, American tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1908, 5-time US Indoor winner), dies at 88
- Mar 25 Norman Gallichan, cricketer (one Test for NZ, 30 & 2, 3-113), dies
- Mar 30 Lucien Bianchi, Italian-Belgian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1968), dies during Le Mans testing accident at 34
- May 14 Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (b. 1888)
Joe Malone
May 15 Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey center (Quebec Bulldogs), dies at 79
Joe Malone
- May 26 Paul Hawkins, Australian racing driver (b. 1937)
- Jun 1 Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (Olympic gold 5,000m 1928; 500m, 5,000m 10,000m 1936), dies at 65
- Jun 4 Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1963), dies in an airline crash at 30
- Jun 21 Maureen Connolly, American tennis player who won the 1st women's Grand Slam in 1953, dies of ovarian cancer at 34
- Jun 23 Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete (Olympic gold 3,000m steeplechase 1936), dies at 62
- Jun 23 Charles Hollis "Chuck" Taylor, American basketball player and shoe salesman, dies of a heart attack at 67
- Jul 2 Michael DiBiase, wrestler (b. 1923)
- Jul 22 Hammy Love, cricketer (NSW wicket-keeper, played for Australia), dies
- Aug 9 George Preston Marshall, American businessman and NFL team owner (Washington Redskins), dies at 72
Rocky Marciano
Aug 31 Rocky Marciano, American boxer (undefeated world heavyweight champion 1952-56), dies in a plane crash at 45
Rocky Marciano
- Sep 2 Willy Mairesse, Belgian auto racer (13 F1 GP; Nürburgring 1000km 1963; GT Spa GP 1965; Targa Florio 1966), dies from suicide at 40
- Sep 3 John Lester, American cricketer, dies at 98
- Sep 6 Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian football player, dies at 77
- Sep 9 Cecil Dixon, South African cricket off-spinner (1913-14, dismissed Hobbs twice), dies at 78
- Oct 4 Vibart Wight, West Indian cricket batsman (2 Tests; v/c WI first touring team v England 1928), dies at 67
Walter Hagen
Oct 6 Walter Hagen, American golfer (11 major titles, US Open 1914, 19), dies of throat cancer at 76
Walter Hagen
- Oct 7 Léon Scieur, Belgian cyclist (b. 1888)
- Oct 12 Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater (Olympic gold 1928, 32, 36), actress (My Lucky Star), dies from leukemia at 57
- Oct 14 Arnie Herber, American NFL quarterback (Green Bay Packers, NY Giants), dies at 59
- Oct 22 Giovanni Martinelli, Italian opera singer (NY Met), dies on 84th birthday
- Oct 29 Vic Richardson, cricketer (Aussie capt 1935-36), dies
- Nov 3 Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish soccer striker (16 caps; Fenerbahçe), dies at 71
- Dec 7 Lefty O'Doul, American baseball player (b. 1897)