A History of Athletes with HIV/AIDS

Today is World AIDS Day. Held every year on Dec. 1 since 1988, the day is meant to acknowledge and support those currently living with the disease while remembering the individuals who have passed on. It's an epidemic that knows no race, religion or sexual orientation. According to 2012 U.S. Government statistics, there are 33.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS. But maybe there's an effective cure on the way.

In observation of World AIDS Day, we take a look at the athletes who have contracted the disease while remembering the contributions they made to their respective sport and the world. From Magic Johnson to Arthur Ashe, here's A History of Athletes with HIV/AIDS.

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Greg Louganis

Sport: Diving

It's impossible to talk about diving without bringing up the name Greg Louganis. His accomplishments on the board range from five World Championships from either the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform, as well as four gold medals and one silver from three different Summer Olympic Games (1976, 1984, 1988).

Of course, as much as Louganis is praised for what he accomplished, you cannot go too long without talking about the time he smashed his head against the springboard at the 1988 Olympics. Even with a concussion and a small gash on his head, Louganis still managed to come away from the competition with the gold.

That same year, Louganis discovered he was HIV positive. However, he didn't come forth with the findings until 1995 when he confessed the news on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Alan Wiggins

Sport: Baseball

After spending one year at Pasadena City College, Alan Wiggins was selected by the California Angels with the eighth overall pick in the 1977 MLB Draft. While he didn't find success with the Dodgers, Wiggins was able to finish second in the league with 106 runs scored and set a franchise record for stolen bases (70) as a member of the San Diego Padres in 1984. One season later, Wiggins was suspended just two weeks into the season when he relapsed from his dependency to cocaine following a 1981 arrest for cocaine possession which resulted in a trip to rehab.

In 1991, Wiggins died on Jan. 6 at a hospital in Los Angeles from complications with AIDS. It is believed Wiggins contracted the disease from his years of drug intravenous use. Wiggins is the first known baseball player to die from AIDS.

Tim Richmond

Sport: Racing

In July 1980, Tim Richmond made his debut at the Coca-Cola 500 in Pocono. After a tough rookie season where he finished 41st, Richmond came into his own and finished in the top 15 of the Winston Cup Series from 1983-1986. After Richmond missed the start of the 1987 season because of what was initially called double pneumonia, but eventually word got out that he had contracted the AIDS virus.

Midway through the 1987 season, Richmond returned to the sport at the Miller High Life 500 where he finished in first place. And just when it looked like things were looking up for Richmond, NASCAR suspended him in 1988 for the use of banned substances which were identified as Sudafed and Advil. Richmond filed a lawsuit against NASCAR and the matter was eventually settled out of court.

On Aug. 13, 1989, Richmond died at the young age of 34.

Michael Westphal

Sport: Tennis

In 1983, Michael Westphal turned pro at the age of 18. One year later, Westphal represented his country of Germany in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif. where he made it as far as the quarterfinals. Sadly, after only eight years in the sport, Westphal died at the age of 26 on June 20, 1991 from AIDS complications.

Robert Wagenhoffer

Sport: Figure Skating

At the age of 22, Robert Wagenhoffer turned pro after capturing a bronze and silver medal, respectively, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. While the U.S. born skater did dabble in pairs with Vicki Heasley, he wasn't able to find the same amount of success as his days as a singles competitor. On Dec. 13, 1999, a 39-year-old Wagenhoffer was pronounced dead from complications related to AIDS.

Tom Waddell

Sport: Track and Field

While attending Springfield College in Mass. on a track scholarship, Tom Waddell majored in physical education before switching to pre-med after the death of his best friend. Waddell went on to med school at New Jersey College of Medicine which eventually led to Waddell becoming the team physician for the Saudi Arabian Olympic team for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

In 1972, Waddell joined a gay bowling league, which inspired him to create an Olympic-esque Gay Games of his own. Ten years later, the Gay Olympics started in San Francisco, Calif., but was soon met with some adversity by the United States Olympic Committee, or USOC, for the event's use of the word "Olympic." In response, the name was changed to the Gay Games and currently takes place every four years.

Three years after realizing his dream of creating the Gay Games, Waddell was diagnosed with AIDS. On July 11, 1987, Waddell uttered the phrase, "Well, this should be interesting" before passing at the age of 49.

Jerry Smith

Sport: Football

After getting selected by the Washington Redskins in the now non-existent ninth round, Jerry Smith played his entire 12-year career with the 'Skins. In that span, Smith amassed two Pro Bowl selections, an appearance in Super Bowl Vii and a then-record for touchdowns by a tight end (60). Twelve years after playing his last snap in the NFL, Smith died from AIDS on Oct. 15, 1986. Former teammate David Kopay, who came out in 1975, revealed in his 1977 biography that he had a brief relationship with Smith, confirming Jerry's sexual orientation.

Roy Simmons

Sport: Football

Roy Simmons didn't have much of an NFL career, playing only five years (1979-1983) with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. In 1992, Simmons decided to come out of the closet on The Phil Donahue Show. Five years after his revelation, Simmons admitted that he was HIV positive. Till this day, the former guard continues his fight against the deadly disease.

Ondrej Nepela

Sport: Figure Skating

Ondrej Nepela was a prodigy in the sport of figure skating. At the age of 13, Nepela competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics. While he ended up coming in 22nd place, it can't be overlooked that the guy was barely a teenager when he took part in his first Olympic Games. Following his disappointing finish in '64, the skater hailing from Czechoslovakia went on to win eight Czechoslovakian Championships, five European Championships, three World Championships and one gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

In 1989, Nepela died of AIDS-related complications at the age of 38.

Robert McCall

Sport: Figure Skating

Whether it was Marie McNeil or Tracy Wilson, Robert McCall made a name for himself by skating with partners. After a couple lackluster years with Marie, McCall joined Tracy and reached the pinnacle of his career during the 1987-88 season with two first-place finishes in the Skate Canada International and Canada Championships, third place at the World Championships and a bronze medal at the '88 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

On March 1980, McCall became severely ill with what was believed to be pneumonia. After undergoing tests in Portland, Ore., McCall was diagnosed with AIDS. He attempted to keep the disease hidden as much as possible in an effort to continue skating professionally in the U.S.

At 33 years old, McCall died on November 15, 1991 of brain cancer brought on by the disease.

Ji Wallace

Sport: Gymnastics

In addition to winning a gold medal in the Men's Double Mini Trampoline and a silver in the Double Mini Trampoline Team at the 1996 Trampoline World Championships in Vancouver, Ji Wallace also managed to win a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Five years after the Olympics, "Jumping Ji" revealed that he was gay.

After a failed attempt at making it to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wallace moved onto working for Cirque Du Soleil's ZAIA show in Macau, China. However, that career choice ended when he severely injured his right ankle, resulting in 21 months of rehabilitation.

In August 2012, the Australian Olympian became so inspired by an interview by Piers Morgan with Greg Louganis that he felt compelled to finally admit in a letter to the Sydney Star Observer that he was HIV positive.

Job Komol

Sport: Soccer

As Job Komol attempted to move up the ranks of the Vitesse Youth Academy in the Netherlands, he discovered that he had AIDS in 2000. The news caused a ripple effect through the league as the 19-year-old became the first Dutch player with HIV. As a result, opposing teams started testing their players, questioning whether or not they could get infected with the disease during a match.

While Komol still plays soccer, he has bounced from club to club since returning to the sport. Currently, he plays on VV Dieren.

Glenn Burke

Sport: Baseball

Following a below average four-year career with the the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics where he was incapable of making waves on the field, Glenn Burke made headlines after becoming the first MLB player to acknowledge their homosexuality during their playing days. "They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it," Burke said. In 1995, Burke died of AIDS-related complications.

Magic Johnson

Sport: Basketball

After undergoing a physical examination for a life insurance policy taken out by Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Magic Johnson discovered that he was HIV positive. A couple days later, Magic made arguably the most shocking moment in sports history over the last quarter of a decade on Nov. 11, 1991 when he announced his HIV diagnosis. Since that day, Johnson has continued to successfully fight the disease for 22 years while establishing a net worth of $400 million since his retirement.

Bill Goldsworthy

Sport: Hockey

Following three terrible seasons with the Boston Bruins from 1964-1967, Bill Goldsworthy was placed in the '67 expansion draft where he was taken by the Minnesota North Stars. While Goldsworthy never put up incredible numbers, he was still a fan favorite, thanks to his "Goldy Shuffle" which he broke out after scoring a goal.

Towards the end of his career, Goldsworthy struggled with alcoholism and his skills (and marriage) suffered because of his vices. In a stirring story from The Deseret News, Goldsworthy admits that he was dying from AIDS because the coupling of his drinking binges and being an athlete made him feel invicible and led to unprotected sex with strangers.

One year after that article was published, the first hockey player known to have AIDS died at the age of 51 in 1996.

Rudy Galindo

Sport: Figure Skating

When Rudy Galindo was an up-and-coming figure skater at the age of 20, his coach Jim Hulick, the man responsible for pairing him with Kristi Yamaguchi, died of an AIDS-related cancer. After winning a handful of championships between the years of 1988-90, the partners decided to split with Yamaguchi focusing on her singles career in 1990.

Four years later, another person close to Galindo died because of AIDS. This time, it was his brother George in '94 and his other coach, Rick Inglesi, in 1995. Still, Galindo managed to strive through the adversity and become the oldest male to win the U.S. Championships in 70 years in January 1996.

In 2000, Galindo was diagnosed with HIV. Till this day, Rudy continues to his fight.

Esteban De Jesus

Sport: Boxing

In 11 years, Esteban De Jesus competed in 63 bouts, going 58-5 with 32 wins coming by way of knockout. An impressive record to say the least, but on the weekend following Thanksgiving 1981, De Jesus was involved in the fight of his life when he murdered a 17-year-old kid in a traffic dispute.

At the age of 32, De Jesus attempted to turn his life around by becoming a born-again Christian and a preacher in 1984. Five years later, Puerto Rico governor Rafael Hernández Colon pardoned De Jesus when it was discovered that the former boxer was battling AIDS.

One month after being pardoned, De Jesus died. He was 37 years old.

John Curry

Sport: Figure Skating

At the age of 7, John Curry developed a love for dance. But when his father denied him the opportunity to fulfill his original dream of being a dancer, Curry moved onto learning figure skating. Soon enough, the choice seemed like a good one. In his early 20s, Curry went to Britain to train with Arnold Gerschwiler, which led to a whirlwind of success, including a gold medal in the men's singles of the 1976 Winter Olympics.

That same year, German tabloid newspaper, Bild-Zeitung, claimed that Curry was gay. The news made the rounds but it wasn't enough to distract him from obtaining the men's singles gold medal in the 1976 World Championship. In 1987, Curry announced that he was HIV positive. Four years later, the disease transitioned into full blown AIDS. On April 15, 1994, Curry was pronounced dead. In the final moments before his death, Curry was held in the arms of actor Alan Bates, whom he reportedly had a two-year affair with.

Mike Beuttler

Sport: Racing

After spending a couple years working his way up, Mike Beuttle finally made it to Formula One in 1971. In his two years with F1, Beuttle's best performance consisted of a seventh place finish in the 1973 Grand Prix. However, Beuttle did end up in first once...as in, the first homosexual in F1 history. In 1974, Buettler retired from the sport and 14 years later, he died from complications related to AIDS.

Arthur Ashe

Sport: Tennis

Arthur Ashe was a fighter through and through. In the sport of tennis, Ashe battled opponents, winning the singles title and making him the only African American male to win at the U.S. Open (1968), the Australian Open (1970), and Wimbledon (1975). Outside of tennis, Ashe dedicated his life to fighting the injustices around the world, including the apartheid in South Africa and helping stage political rallies where he was arrested twice (once in front of the White House and the other in South Africa). In 1979, he also battled a heart attack and underwent heart surgery that same year.

However, in the early 1980s, Ashe found himself in a losing battle with AIDS after contracting the disease from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery. After announcing that he contracted AIDS in April 1992, Ashe continued working towards helping others while educating them about HIV and AIDS.

On Feb. 6, 1993, Ashe died from AIDS-related pneumonia. He was 49 years old.

Tommy Morrison

Sport: Boxing

One year after making his boxing debut in 1988, Tommy Morrison held a record of 19-0-0 and caught the eye of Sylvester Stallone, who cast the budding boxer in Rocky V as Rocky Balboa's protege. Morrison's continued on it's upward trajectory until Oct. 18, 1991 when he lost to Ray Mercer by TKO in a bout for the WBO Heavyweight championship.

Morrison did eventually capture the WBO title in 1993 after a unanimous decision victory over George Foreman. However, that same year, he lost the belt again to Michael Bentt.

Prior to his 1996 fight against Arthur Weathers, the Nevada Athletic Commission discovered that Morrison was HIV positive. Initially, Morrison acknowledged the disease, stating that it was the result of a "permissive, fast and reckless lifestyle" and promised that he would never fight again. That all changed, however, when Morrison attempted to make a comeback, claiming the results were false positives in 2006. He took tests for HIV that came back negative, but there was always a belief that he was faking these tests.

On Sept. 1, 2013, Morrison died at the age of 44. While his death certificate doesn't specifically state the cause of death being HIV/AIDS, that is believed to be the culprit of his untimely passing.