[quote=SoleAccord]
Goku in Saiyan Saga did sacrifice himself for the good of everyone else with Raditz. Didn't die fighting Nappa or Vegeta. Cell Saga you have there, but he was making up for his son's mistake in not killing Cell sooner. Only failed once.
[/quote]

Then I added in the Freiza Saga with the Saiyan Saga. I was referencing when he blew up Namek. In the Cell Saga, I felt it was more to motivate his son. Either way, he still failed to kill Cell while he was alive. 

But he does still embody this idea even in the Saiyam saga. He didn't really "die" but was rendered paralyzed for the last part of the fight due to his spirit bomb. He couldn't do it himself thus had to give it to Krillian. After which, he was able to coordinate the final moments of the Saiyan saga telepathically. He didn't sacrifice himself that time, but his role as the "sole savior" if you will. He probably could have pushed himself, as it would be within his character, but he chose not to.