Jack Roush Plane Crash: Famous Sports Figures and Plane Crashes

In sports there's a saying that goes "it's better to be lucky than good."

Well no one exemplifies that better than NASCAR team owner Jack Roush, who recently survived his second plane crash in less than a decade.

Roush a co-owner of Roush Racing (with Red Sox principle owner John Henry) seems to have two passions in life: his race cars and flying planes.

Yesterday in Wisconsin, Roush cracked his fuselage while trying to land his plane on the way to an airshow. He survived but was taken to the hospital and is said to be in stable condition.

Compared to eight years ago, yesterday was nothing.

In 2002 Roush crashed his WWII fighter plane in a lake and had to be pulled out while still unconscious.

Roush joins a long list of sports figures who have had incidents in planes, most of them, unfortunately, ended tragically.

Cory Lidle: Yankees Pitcher

Cory Lidle was a nine year vet who was famous for speaking his mind.

In a scene way too reminiscent of the 9/11 tragedies, Lidle and his flying instructor crashed into an Upper East side condo in New York City.

He and his instructor died.

Lidle had earned his pilot license earlier that year and was said to be an avid flight pilot.

Oklahoma State Basketball Players

On Jan. 27, 2001,after playing a game at the University of Colorado, 10 members of the Oklahoma State Basketball program died after their plane crashed during a storm near the town of Strasburg, Colorado.

Included in the 10 who unfortunately perished were Nate Fleming, a redshirt freshman guard; Dan Lawson, a junior guard and several staffers.

A banner listing the names of all 10 men, the date of the crash and the phrase "We Remember" hangs from the rafters inside the OSU arena.

Payne Stewart: Pro Golfer

Just a few months after winning his third Grand Slam title, (1999 US Open) and weeks after being part of the US Ryder Cup team that rallied to win, Payne Stewart was killed on a Lear jet on its way to Dallas, Texas.

Steward was a considered an old school golfer because of the outfits he would play in, including his ivy caps and 1920's styled Knickerbocker pants.

He was also a fan favorite on the tour.

Both pilots and all four passengers were killed in the crash.

Brooks Berringer: Nebraska Quarterback

Just two days before the NFL draft, Brooks Berringer died in a plane crash.

Though he backed up Tommy Frazier, for most of his career, Berringer was expected to be drafted in the 1996 draft.

Berringer scored the final touchdown in the Cornhuskers Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida in the National Championship Game of 1996.

Davey Allison: NASCAR Legend

On July 12, 1993, Davey Allison boarded a helicopter to go watch a race at the Talladega Superspeedway when the chopper crashed as he tried to land it.

Allison is best known for winning the 1987 Rookie of the Year as well as winning the 1992 Daytona 500.

He was named as one of NASCAR'S 50 Greatest Drivers.

Thurman Munson: Yankees Legend

Thurman Munson was an all-time Yankee great, captain of the team, and a seven time all star when he died August 2, 1979. He was 32 years old at the time.

Though he was piloting the plane and had two passengers aboard, the other two men survived the crash.

The Yankees retired Munson's No. 15 jersey.

Munson is the only Yankee ever to win the Rookie of the Year award and The MVP.

1970 Marshall Football Team

After losing a close game to East Carolina football team on November 14, 1970, the football teams chartered flight crashed, killing all 75 people on board.

The new head coach rebuilt the team from mostly freshman who didn't go on the trip and players who were ineligible at the time.

The rebuilding story was so inspiring that in 2006 Warner Bros. released the film "We Are Marshall" dramatizing how it occurred.

An inscribed memorial was placed at the site crash to memorialize all those who died.

Rocky Marciano: Heavyweight Champion

Rocky Marciano is still, to this day considered one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all-time.

When he retired he became the only heavyweight champion to end his career with an undefeated record.

Ring Magazine has consistently ranked him in their top ten heavyweights of all time and ESPN ranks him as #14 on the 50 Greatest Boxers of All time.

On August 31 of 1969 Marciano died on a small Cesna headed to Iowa. It was the night before his 46th birthday and the night of a surprise party that awaited him.

Roberto Clemente: Baseball Legend and Humanitarian

Roberto Clemente was a named to the All-star team fifteen times, won the MVP award and also won twelve gold gloves. He led the Pirates to two World Series titles and was considered one of the greatest to ever play the game.

But he might be just as famous for his charitable works.

When Nicaruaga was hit with an earthquake in 1972, Clemente set up relief efforts to help the victims.

Unfortunately he died accompanying one of the relief flights while on a chartered plane leaving Puerto Rico.

Clemente was so beloved, that Major League Baseball decided to immediately elect him into the Hall of Fame.

He was awarded several prestigious medals posthumously and MLB gives the Roberto Clemente Award every year to the player who best represents Clemente's example with humanitarian work.

Knute Rockne: Legendary Notre Dame Coach

Knute Rockne is best known for his years coaching Notre Dame and is pretty much considered one of the greatest coaches in college football history.

As the coach of the Irish he won close to 90 percent of his games, which is still a record today.

He won five national titles and is famous for coaching the "four horseman" as well as George 'Gipper' Gipp, (the guy Ronald Reagan played in 1940 film "Knute Rockne: All American").

Rockne died in a plane crash in Kansas on March 31, 1931, while on his way to making of the film "The Spirit of Notre Dame".

A memorial dedicated to the eight victims of the crash stands at the spot where the plane went down.