When news broke late Monday that popular actor and comedian Robin Williams had died at age 63, millions around the world were taken aback, including those involved in sports.
Williams had many connections to the sports world both on and off screen. He competed in track and field in high school and was a lifelong sports fan. He also worked with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization that aims to ensure people with physical challenges can enjoy participating in sports.
While he’ll be remembered for his roles in blockbusters Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin and Hook, among others, plus his innate ability to make people laugh, his energetic perspective on sports was something his fans also enjoyed.
Williams won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a therapist in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. One of his most memorable scenes featured him recounting a story about the infamous Game 6 of the 1975 World Series that his character, a huge Boston Red Sox fan, missed to “go see about a girl.”
How many Oscar winners can say they also served as a Denver Broncos cheerleader?
During a 1984 appearance on Saturday Night Live, Williams and Joe Piscopo starred in a parody commercial about hockey players and beer.
Williams starred in the 1986 football movie The Best of Times.
Some of his most famous standup bits (that unfortunately we can’t post here because of the colourful language he used) were about sports. Whether it was a story about Dock Ellis throwing a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1970 while allegedly on LSD, or how his classic take of how the game of golf was invented, Williams never shied away from talking about sports in his act.
Many other members of the sports community sent condolences on social media when they heard the news.
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