Not To Be Forgotten

Dom DiMaggio, 92

Looking more like the chemical engineer he once wanted to be than the centerfielder he became, the Little Professor spent his accomplished 11-year career in the shadows cast by two of the greatest hitters ever: his older brother Joe and Ted Williams, who played alongside Dom in the Red Sox' outfield. A converted shortstop (early in his career managers feared a bad infield hop might shatter his pop-bottle glasses), DiMaggio covered ground in center with ease, and his arm was one of the strongest in the game. While he was no match for Joe at the plate, Dom, a seven-time All-Star, hardly disgraced the family name: His 34-game hitting streak in 1949 remains a Boston record, and he batted .298 for his career. "He made things look easy," former teammate Bobby Doerr said. "He was like his brother that way."

Red Kerr, 76

"Us players come and go," Michael Jordan said, "but the one constant thing about the Chicago Bulls is Johnny (Red) Kerr." The Chicago native was with the Bulls from the beginning, serving as their first coach (he led them to a playoff berth in their inaugural season and was named 1967 NBA Coach of the Year) then, for three decades, as their color man. The 6'9" Kerr was a three-time All-Star during his 12-year playing career.

Lou Creekmur, 82

"My philosophy was that it was always better to give than to receive," Creekmur once said, and he wasn't talking about charity. The Lions' tackle was one of the NFL's hardest hitters in the 1950s, making eight Pro Bowls. Creekmur didn't miss a game in his first nine seasons, playing in 165 straight—often while working a day job at a shipping company to make ends meet. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Nick Adenhart, 22

A projected top 10 pick in 2004, he hurt his right elbow in his final high school start and fell to the 14th round. But Adenhart persevered, and entering the 2009 season Baseball America named him the Angels' top prospect. On April 8 he made his fourth—and best—major league start, tossing six scoreless innings against the A's. After the game an allegedly drunk driver struck the car he was in, killing Adenhart and two friends.

Vernon Forrest, 38

The rarest of creatures—the boxer without a nickname, shtick or entourage—Forrest was unheralded until 2002, when he twice beat middleweight champ Shane Mosley, then considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Forrest remained humble and true to his roots, running a business that cared for mentally disabled men in his hometown of Atlanta. He was killed in a robbery in July.