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| Harry With Ted (Getty Images) |
Harry Agganis—
"The Golden Greek"—was one of the greatest athletes ever to come out of Massachusetts. His tragic death at the young age of 26 shook the Boston community back in 1955. Even today, there are controversies swirling around the circumstances that led to his death. Agganis starred for his hometown football team in Lynn, Massachusetts and then went on to serve as quarterback at Boston University.
Agganis Arena graces the Commonwealth Avenue campus today—with a statue of Harry out front. His dream came true when he got to play first base for his hometown Boston Red Sox. He only played in 157 games for
The Carmine Hose, but he quickly became a local hero. After being hospitalized for chest pains, he developed pneumonia. Shortly thereafter, he succumbed to a pulmonary embolism. His tragic death stunned the sports world and left a scar on the local community that has taken decades to heal. Had he lived, Harry would have been 89 years old today. We can only speculate as to how great a Red Sox career he would have had.
