Over the past week three athletes from my childhood past away. One of these athletes might not be considered an athlete but an entertainer. The three athletes that I am speaking of is Giorgio Chinaglia of the New York Cosmos, Ron Stewart of the NY Rangers and Chief Jay Strongbow of the WWWF.
The odd thing about the death of Chief Jay Strongbow was the fact that my cousin and me were talking about him the day after my birthday and then lo and behold, he's gone. We were talking about wrestling from back in the day and how Chief Jay Strongbow had his famous "Sleeper" hold. Little did I know that I would be taught how to use the "Sleeper" hold later in my life. The only difference was that I wouldn't do the obligatory Chief Jay Strongbow war dance right before applying the hold.
Then there was Giorgio Chinaglia who passed away from a heart attack. Chinaglia was one of the members of the NY Cosmos. This was the team that introduced me to the game of soccer. Back in the seventies I watched Chinaglia, Pele, Beckenbauer and a plethora of stars playing for our local team. Thanks to him, I am a soccer fan.
Ron Stewart who passed away the other day was a center on the first NY Rangers team that I followed back in 1973. His claim to fame was a fight that he got into with his teammate and Hall of Famer, Terry Sawchuk back in 1970. The fight left Sawchuk with a bruised gall bladder that needed surgery. A month after the surgery, Sawchuk died of a bloodclot.
Rest in peace to all these three athletes that I enjoyed watching back in the 70s.
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