From Dick Butkus and Jim Brown to Bobby Hull, Brooks Robinson and Willis Reed, the sports world and collecting hobby lost some true sports legends in 2023.
Butkus, the hard-hitting linebacker for the Chicago Bears, was one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the NFL. Brown, meanwhile, retired as the league’s leading rusher. Both are in the conversation as the greatest players of all time.
Baseball lost the greatest defensive third baseman of all time in Robinson, the Orioles legend, AL MVP and World Series hero.
Hull, meanwhile, was one of the greatest players in NHL history. “The Golden Jet” was a two-time MVP, three-time leading scorer and led the Original Six Chicago Blackhawks to the 1961 Stanley Cup.
Reed was a six-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion and two-time league MVP. But he was best known for one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history, limping onto the court with an injury in Game 7
