Don Massengale, 69; won two tournaments in a decade on PGA Tour

Don Massengale, 69, a professional golfer whose career highlight was beating Arnold Palmer by one shot in the 1966 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, died Tuesday of a heart attack in Conroe, Texas, the PGA Tour said.

Massengale played on the tour from 1960 to 1970 and had his best year in 1966, when he also won the Canadian Open and finished a career-best 27th on the money list. A year later, he lost an 18-hole playoff to Don January in the PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club in Colorado.

From 1970 to 1987 Massengale was a club pro, then he joined the senior Champions Tour. He won twice on that circuit, his last victory coming in 1992 at the Royal Caribbean Classic. After retiring from the senior tour, he taught golf in the Houston area.

A native of Jacksboro, Texas, Massengale attended Texas Christian University on a basketball scholarship but turned to golf after he injured a knee during his freshman year. After winning the Southwest Conference championship and graduating with a degree in physical education, he joined the pro tour.

Sam Suplizio, 74; helped bring a Major League Baseball team to Denver

Sam Suplizio, 74, a onetime New York Yankees prospect who as a businessman and civic leader helped bring a Major League Baseball team to Denver and also coached several teams, including the Angels, died Dec. 29 of heart failure in DeBordieu, S.C.

A longtime resident of Grand Junction, Colo., Suplizio helped bring the Junior College World Series to the city in 1959 and served as chairman of the tournament for more than 30 years.

A native of Dubois, Pa., Suplizio played baseball, football and basketball at the University of New Mexico and was the school’s first baseball All-American.

Suplizio was a minor-league outfielder for the Yankees when he suffered a compound fracture to his right wrist while trying to break up a double play during a game in 1956. It never completely healed, ending his pro baseball career.

But he went on to serve briefly as a manager for the Dodgers’ minor league affiliate in Thomasville, Ga., then as a coach for several teams, including the Yankees, Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and most recently the Seattle Mariners.

In 1989, when Major League Baseball was considering expansion, Suplizio was appointed co-chairman of a state commission that led a drive to gather taxpayer backing for a stadium in Denver.

The move had widespread public support, resulting in the construction of Coors Field and the addition of the Colorado Rockies.

With the Angels in the 1990s, Suplizio worked as a volunteer coach with the outfielders and attended about 50 games a year.