Tony Hulman - Death

Death

The 1977 "500" would be memorable for many for two reasons. A.J. Foyt won his fourth "500" that day, and Foyt asked Tony Hulman to accompany him in the pace car for the victory lap. The pair were photographed smiling and waving to the fans. It was the first time Hulman had ever taken a victory lap with the winner, and he would not live to do so again.

At 76 years old, Tony appeared to be in good health; he was always busy maintaining his business interests in Indianapolis and Terre Haute. In mid-October 1977, he hosted the annual Speedway press dinner and, by all accounts, he seemed to be fine. A few days later, though, he and his close friend, Hoosier sportscaster Chris Schenkel, were the grand marshals for the Fall Festival parade in nearby Martinsville, Indiana, where Tony refused Schenkel's offer of his coat in the cool autumn weather. On the night of October 27, 1977, Hulman died of heart failure caused by a ruptured aortic aneurysm on the operating table in St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis.

The general reaction to Hulman's sudden passing was, at first, shock. No one was certain what would occur, particularly the citizens of Terre Haute, due to the amount of land he owned, along with his business. Hulman's funeral remains today perhaps the largest in the history of Terre Haute. Many mourners came to pay their respects to Tony. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery today, along with other members of his family.