NCAA Major-College All-Americans Passing Away Prior to Their 30th Birthday
Brandon Clarke, a San Jose State transfer before becoming an All-American in his lone season with Gonzaga in 2018-19, died from a possible drug overdose at the young age of 29. At first glance, the passing away of NCAA leader in blocked shots and field-goal shooting as a junior before declaring early for the NBA draft was deprived of a full life. It doesn't seem possible, but Clarke lived longer than eight All-American brethren.
The Big Ten Conference has had five All-Americans from as many different members (Michigan's Bill Buntin, Michigan State's Terry Furlow, Indiana's Bill Menke, Illinois' Don Sunderlage and Purdue's Caleb Swanigan) die prior to their 32nd birthday. Almost 50 major-college A-As died before their 51st birthday. Following is a list of 10 major-college All-Americans perishing before their 30st birthday:
| Player, Pos. | Age at Death (Cause of Demise) | DI College | All-American Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Estes, F | 21 years/10 months (instantly electrocuted when dangling live high-voltage wire brushed against his forehead while inspecting scene of someone else's car hitting utility pole) | Utah State | 1964 (C2, NABC3) and 1965 (AP1, C1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2) |
| Len Bias, F | 22 years/7 months (cocaine overdose in dormitory room while celebrating selection as #1 draft choice of Boston Celtics) | Maryland | 1985 (AP2, USBWA2, NABC3) and 1986 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) |
| Eric "Hank" Gathers Jr., C | 23 years/21 days (heart muscle disorder causing him to collapse during West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal game on his homecourt) | Loyola Marymount | 1989 (USBWA2, AP3, UPI3) and 1990 (NABC2, USBWA2, AP3) |
| Atwell Milton "Milky" Phelps, F-C | 23 years (aviation training accident) | San Diego State* | 1940 (C3) |
| Caleb Swanigan, F | 25 years/2 months (natural causes in hospital after ballooning to nearly 400 pounds following uninspiring three-year NBA career) | Purdue | 2017 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1) |
| Terry Furlow, F | 25 years/7 months (car accident crashing into pole on interstate at 120 mph - autopsy revealed traces of cocaine and Valium in his bloodstream) | Michigan State | 1976 (C2, AP3, UPI3) |
| Bill Buntin, C | 26 years/4 days (fatal heart attack following a pickup game) | Michigan | 1964 (C2, AP3, NABC3, UPI3) and 1965 (AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2) |
| Bill Menke, C | 26 years/2 months (plane crash during WWII) | Indiana | 1940 (C3) |
| Brandon Clarke, C | 29 years/7 months/22 days (possible drug overdose) | Gonzaga | 2019 (AP3) |
| Jim Krebs, C | 29 years/7 months/30 days (struck in head by falling limb while trying to remove tree from neighbor's yard) | Southern Methodist | 1957 (C1, NABC1, USBWA1, AP2, UP2) |
*San Diego State was classified at the NAIA level at the time.
All-American Recognition Key: Associated Press (AP), Converse (C), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), United Press International (UPI) and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).