Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the names of the 2,977 people killed that day continue to be remembered by families, communities, workplaces, colleges and sporting institutions across the United States. For the sports world, that remembrance carries its own stories: former professionals, college stars, coaches, scouts and athletes whose lives stretched far beyond the playing fields where they made their names.There were no active major professional athletes among those killed, but several people with deep ties to sport were caught up in the attacks. Some were travelling for work, others were at their desks in the World Trade Center, while one was beginning what she hoped would be a new chapter as a gymnastics coach. One of them would become known around the world as the “Man in the Red Bandanna” after repeatedly risking his own life to help strangers escape.Behind every sporting achievement was also a person: a teammate, captain, father, friend, coach or colleague. On this memorial day, their stories remain part of the history of the sports communities they left behind
The sports figures whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001
1. Garnet “Ace” Bailey
Los Angeles Kings scout – United Airlines Flight 175The hockey world lost one of its most respected figures when Garnet “Ace” Bailey was killed aboard United Airlines Flight 175. Bailey, 53, was the Los Angeles Kings’ Director of Pro Scouting and a beloved figure across the NHL.His sporting career had already covered several decades. Bailey won the Stanley Cup twice with the Boston Bruins, in 1970 and 1972, and spent 11 seasons as a player before moving into scouting and coaching. By 2001, he had become an established and highly regarded member of the Kings’ organisation.His sporting career had already covered several decades. Bailey won the Stanley Cup twice with the Boston Bruins, in 1970 and 1972, and spent 11 seasons as a player before moving into scouting and coaching. By 2001, he had become an established and highly regarded member of the Kings’ organisation.Bailey had been in Manchester, New Hampshire, visiting the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Monarchs, alongside fellow Kings scout Mark Bavis. The pair were travelling back to Los Angeles for the start of training camp when their flight was hijacked.At 9:03 a.m., Flight 175 was deliberately flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.The Kings continue to honour Bailey every year. His name remains together with Bavis’ at the 9/11 Memorial among the victims of Flight 175. In 2012, the organisation brought the Stanley Cup to the Memorial, allowing Bailey’s and Bavis’ families to share a private moment with the trophy.
2. Mark Bavis
Los Angeles Kings scout – United Airlines Flight 175Mark Bavis, 31, was the younger of the two Los Angeles Kings scouts lost aboard Flight 175.A former Boston University standout, Bavis had moved into scouting and was regarded as a rising amateur scout for the Kings. His playing career had established his connection to hockey, and he was building a career within the sport when his life was cut short.Bavis had been in Manchester with Bailey to visit the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Monarchs. The two scouts were then making their way back to Los Angeles ahead of the organisation’s training camp when the aircraft was hijacked.Their deaths struck the hockey community directly. Bailey and Bavis remain linked in the Kings’ annual remembrance, while their names stand together at the National September 11 Memorial with the other victims of Flight 175.The organisation’s decision to bring the Stanley Cup to the Memorial in 2012 also gave their families an opportunity to privately remember the two men through the sport they loved.
3. Nezam Hafiz
International cricketer – North TowerNezam Hafiz was a prominent international cricketer whose sporting career took him from Guyana to the United States.Born in Guyana, Hafiz was a talented batsman and off-spinner who represented the Guyana national cricket team in first-class cricket before immigrating to America. He continued playing after moving to the United States and eventually became a star player for the US national cricket team.His international career was still developing when he died. Just months before the attacks, Hafiz had toured England with the US squad.The 32-year-old worked as an assistant manager for Marsh & McLennan Companies, a financial firm, to support his passion for sport. On the morning of September 11, he was in his office on the 101st floor of the North Tower when the plane struck the building.Hafiz’s name is now permanently inscribed on Panel N-6 at the National September 11 Memorial
4. Welles Crowther
Boston College lacrosse – “The Man in the Red Bandanna”, South TowerWelles Remy Crowther was only 24, but his final actions made him one of the most enduring figures associated with September 11.Crowther graduated from Boston College in 1999, where he played lacrosse, and was working as an equities trader on the 104th floor of the South Tower.After United Flight 175 struck the building, Crowther began helping people escape. Survivors later remembered a man wearing a red bandanna over his nose and mouth. His father had given him the bandanna as a child, and Crowther carried it with him everywhere.Using the only open stairwell, Crowther led groups of people towards safety. He is credited with saving at least a dozen people, with some reports putting the number as high as 18. At one point, he carried a woman on his back while directing other survivors to safety.Crowther then went back upstairs to help more people. He was killed when the South Tower collapsed.His identity became known after survivors began searching for the mysterious “man in the red bandanna”, turning his story into a lasting symbol of courage.Boston College honours Crowther every year with the Red Bandanna Game. Players wear red bandanna-patterned helmets, gloves and cleats, while the annual Welles Remy Crowther 5K Red Bandana Run also keeps his memory alive. In 2018, he received the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award, given to a lacrosse figure who nobly reflects the finest virtues of the game.
5. Mari-Rae Sopper
Gymnast, attorney and coach – American Airlines Flight 77/PentagonMari-Rae Sopper was a 35-year-old athlete, attorney and coach whose life was moving towards a new chapter when she was killed on September 11.A standout gymnast in Illinois, Sopper went on to compete as an All-American for Iowa State University. She later earned her law degree and served as a lawyer in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps.But gymnastics remained her true calling.In August 2001, just weeks before the attacks, Sopper walked away from a lucrative legal career to accept her dream job as head women’s gymnastics coach at UC Santa Barbara. The programme was struggling, and she was determined to help rebuild it.On September 11, Sopper boarded American Airlines Flight 77 at Dulles International Airport with her pet cat, Luther. She was flying to California to begin her new life when hijackers took control of the aircraft and deliberately crashed it into the Pentagon, killing everyone aboard.Her legacy continues through university memorials and a dedicated conference room inside the Pentagon named in her honour.
6. Joe Eacobacci
Georgetown football captain – World Trade CenterJoseph Eacobacci was a standout linebacker and captain for Georgetown University’s football team during the late 1980s.He was known for his leadership and toughness at a time when the Hoyas football programme was rebuilding its identity. His role as captain made him an important figure within the team, and those qualities continued to define the way he was remembered after his playing days.Following graduation, Eacobacci moved into finance and worked for Carr Futures inside the World Trade Center.He was at work in the South Tower on the morning of September 11. Eacobacci was 29.Georgetown football continues to honour him as an example of the “Hoya Saxa” ideal — the idea of leadership that extends beyond the playing field.
7. Peter Ortale
Duke lacrosse – South TowerPeter Ortale was a Duke University lacrosse star from the Class of 1990 and played defence during the period when the Blue Devils were developing into a national power.After leaving Duke, Ortale built a successful career as a bonds trader at Euro Brokers, whose offices were in the South Tower.He was 37 when he died.His connection to Duke lacrosse remains part of the programme’s annual remembrance. The school honours all of its alumni lost on September 11 before its home opener each year.
8. Brent Woodall
Cal Berkeley football – South TowerBrent Woodall was a former football star at the University of California, Berkeley, where he played defensive back in the early 1990s under coach Bruce Snyder.Woodall was known for his speed and work ethic during his playing days. After graduating, he earned a degree from the Haas School of Business and moved into finance.He was working as a trader for Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a financial services firm whose offices occupied the 88th and 89th floors of the South Tower.Woodall was 31 when the attacks claimed his life.The scale of the loss at his workplace was devastating. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lost 67 of its 172 New York employees that day, with Woodall among those who never made it out of the tower.
9. Eamon McEneaney
Cornell lacrosse legend – Cantor Fitzgerald, North TowerEamon McEneaney was one of the defining figures in college lacrosse and a Cornell legend.A Cornell Class of 1977 All-American, McEneaney led the Big Red to consecutive NCAA Championships in 1976 and 1977. He was named the Most Outstanding Player in 1977 and went on to win gold with the United States at the 1978 World Lacrosse Championship.Cornell knew him by the nickname “Wild Irish Rose”. His standing in the sport was reflected by his induction into the Cornell Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992. Cornell later retired his No. 10 posthumously in 2002.Away from lacrosse, McEneaney was a poet, a father of four and a Senior Vice President at Cantor Fitzgerald, whose offices occupied the upper floors of the North Tower. He was 46 when he was killed.Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees on September 11, more than any other company. McEneaney’s story carried an especially painful connection to the World Trade Center: during the 1993 bombing, he had helped 63 people reach safety, an earlier act of courage that foreshadowed the bravery for which his life would later be remembered.
10. Dan Trant
Clark University basketball and Boston Celtics – North TowerDan Trant was one of the greatest basketball players in Clark University history.A 6-foot-2 point guard, Trant remains among the school’s all-time scoring leaders and captained Clark to the NCAA Division III Final Four. His basketball career also briefly took him to the NBA, where he appeared in games for the Boston Celtics in 1984 during the Larry Bird era.After basketball, Trant moved into finance and became a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower.He was 40 years old when he was killed on September 11, leaving behind his wife and three children.
