Athletes and Sports Stars Born in 1953

Paul Allen (1953-2018)

Jan 21 American business magnate (co-founder Microsoft, owner Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Seahawks), born in Seattle, Washington

Jan 22 Karen Moe, American swimmer (Olympic gold 200m butterfly 1972), born in Del Monte, Philippines
Jan 23 Pat Haden, American NFL quarterback (LA Rams), born in Westbury, New York
Feb 1 Andy Mill, American alpine skier (non-placed Olympics, World C'ships; ex-husband of tennis player Chris Evert), born in Fort Collins, Colorado
Feb 2 Penny Pulz, Australian golfer (Dinah Shore runner-up 1978; 2 x LPGA Tour titles), born in Melbourne, Australia
Feb 5 John Beilein, American basketball head coach (Cleveland Cavaliers 2019; University of Michigan 2007-19), born in Burt, New York
Feb 6 Susie Hutchison, American equestrian show jumper (Olymp-96), born in Flintridge, California

Dan Quisenberry (1953-1998)

Feb 7 American MLB player (5-time AL saves leader), born in Santa Monica, California,

Feb 7 Robert Brazile "Dr. Doom", NFL player (Houston Oilers), born in Mobile, Alabama
Feb 9 André Sevard, Canadian NHL player, born in Témiscaming, Quebec
Feb 11 Yitzhak "Vicky" Peretz, Israeli soccer striker (40 caps; Maccabi Tel Aviv, Strasbourg, Rennes), born in Kfar Saba, Israel (d. 2021)
Feb 13 Suleiman Nyambui, Tanzanian runner (world record 5k indoor), born in Tanzania
Feb 16 André St. Laurent, Canadian NHL hockey forward, 1973-90 (New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, and 2 other teams), born in Rouyn, Quebec
Feb 16 George Martin, NFL defensive end, 1975-88 (NY Giants), born in Greenville, South Carolina
Feb 23 Satoru Nakajima, Japanese racing driver
Feb 27 Oleg Moliboga, Ukrainian volleyball player (Olympic gold USSR 1980, silver 1976; World C'ship gold 1978, 82), born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine (d. 2022)
Feb 28 Ingo Hoffmann, Brazilian race car driver, born in São Paulo, Brazil
Mar 1 Bandula Warnapura, Sri Lankan cricket batsman (4 Tests; first SL Test captain; 12 ODIs; Bloomfield CC), born in Rambukkana, Sri Lanka (d. 2021)
Mar 1 Carlos Queiroz, Portuguese soccer coach (Portugal, UAE, RSA, Iran, Colombia; Real Madrid), born in Nampula, Portuguese Mozambique
Mar 1 Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, American football linebacker (NFL Pro Bowl 1978; Super Bowl 1977; Dallas Cowboys), born in Austin, Texas
Mar 3 Zico, Brazilian footballer
Mar 4 Paweł Janas, Polish soccer defender (53 caps; Widzew Łódź, Legia Warsaw, Auxerre) and manager (Poland, Legia Warsaw, Widzew Łódź), born in Pabianice, Poland
Mar 4 Ray Price, Australian rugby league lock (22 Tests; Parramatta RLFC 259 games; Dally M Medal, Rothmans Medal) and rugby union flanker (7 Tests; Parramatta RUFC), born in Sydney, Australia
Mar 8 Don Werner, American MLB baseball catcher, 1975-82 (Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers), and minor/major league coach, born in Appleton, Wisconsin
Mar 8 Jim Rice, American Baseball Hall of Fame left fielder (AL MVP 1978; 8 x MLB All Star; AL HR leader 1977, 78, 83; Boston Red Sox), born in Anderson, South Carolina
Mar 13 Andy Bean, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1980, 89 runner-up; British Open 1983 runner-up; 11 x PGA Tour titles), born in LaFayette, Georgia (d. 2023)
Mar 14 Tim McKee, American 400m medley swimmer (Olympic silver 1972)
Mar 15 Colin Croft, West Indian cricket fast bowler (27 Tests, 125 wickets; Guyana, Demerara, Lancashire CCC) and broadcaster (BBC, Sky Sports), born in Lancaster Village, Demerara, British Guiana
Mar 17 Chuck Muncie, American football running back, (d. 2013)
Mar 18 Nicholas Wisdom, cricketer (son of comic Norman, 2 games Sussex 1974)
Mar 19 Hans Rinn, German DR, 2 man lugist (Olympic gold 1976, 80)
Mar 21 Emilio Correa, Cuban boxer (Olympic gold welterweight 1972; World C'ship gold 1974), born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (d. 2024)
Mar 23 Bo Diaz, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1990)
Mar 25 Haroon Rashid, Pakistani cricket batsman (23 Tests, 3 x 100s; 12 ODIs; Karachi, Sind, UBIL, UBP), born in Karachi, Pakistan
Mar 31 Rene Portland, American college basketball coach (Penn State 1980-2007), born in Broomall, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)
Apr 1 Aftab Baloch, Pakistan cricket batsman (2 Tests; 7th player to pass the 400 first class run milestone, 428 for Sind 1974), born in Karachi, Pakistan
Apr 1 Alberto Zaccheroni, Italian soccer manager (AC Milan, Lazio, Internazionale, Torino, Juventus, UAE, Japan), born in Meldola, Italy
Apr 1 Pavol Biroš, Slovak soccer defender (9 caps, Czechoslovakia; Slavia Prague), born in Prešov, Slovakia (d. 2020)
Apr 3 Mehdi Cerbah, Algerian soccer goalkeeper (57 caps; JS Kabylie), born in Algiers, Algeria (d. 2021)
Apr 3 Russ Francis, American football tight end (New England Patriots; Super Bowl XIX San Francisco 49ers; Pro Bowl 1977, 78, 79), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2023)
Apr 5 John Buchanan, Australian cricketer (Qld batsman 78-79, Shield coach 1995), born in Ipswich, Queensland
Apr 6 Janet Lynn, ice skater (Olympic bronze 1972)
Apr 7 Everard Endt, American sailor (Olympic gold 1952)
Apr 10 David Moorcroft, British athlete (5,000m world record holder 1982-85), born in Coventry, England
Apr 19 Sara Simeoni, Italian high jumper (Olympic gold 1980), born in Rivoli Veronese, Italy
Apr 21 Ed Fiori, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles), born in Lynwood, California
Apr 25 Gary Cosier, Australian cricketer (Australian batsman 1975-78, 109 on debut v WI), born in Richmond, Victoria, Australia
May 1 Elquemedo Willett, West Indian cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 11 wickets), born in Charlestown, Nevis
May 2 Jamaal Wilkes, American NBA forward (Golden State-Rookie of Yr 1975), born in Berkeley, California
May 6 Graeme Souness, Scottish soccer midfielder (54 caps; Middlesbrough FC, Liverpool FC 247 games) and manager (FA Cup: 1991–92 Liverpool; 3 x SPD Rangers), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
May 9 Ron Jackson, baseball player

George Brett (70 years old)

May 15 American Baseball Hall of Fame 3rd baseman (13 x MLB All Star; World Series 1985; AL MVP 1980; KC Royals), born in Glen Dale, West Virginia

May 16 Rick Rhoden, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star (1976, 86; Silver Slugger Award 1984–86; LA Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, NY Yankees), born in Boynton Beach, Florida
May 19 Shavarsh Karapetyan, Soviet Armenian finswimmer, born in Kirovakan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
May 22 Cha Bum-Kun, South Korean footballer and manager, born in Hwaseong, South Korea
May 22 Paul Mariner, English soccer striker (35 caps; Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Portsmouth) and coach (Plymouth Argyle, Toronto FC), born in Farnworth, England (d. 2021)
May 25 D. A. Weibring Jr., American golfer (Senior Players Championship 2008), born in Quincy, Illinois
May 25 Daniel Passarella, Argentine footballer, born in Chacabuco, Argentina
May 25 Gaetano Scirea, Italian soccer defender (78 caps, FIFA World Cup 1982; Juventus 377 games), born in Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy (d. 1989)
May 26 Dan Roundfield, American basketball forward (3-time NBA All Star), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2012)
May 29 Ranjy Nanan, West Indian cricket spin bowler (WI 1 Test; Trinidad & Tobago), born in Preysal, Trinidad
May 30 Peter Townend, Australian surfer (first IPS/ASP World Champion 1976; International Surfing HOF), born in Coolangatta, Australia
Jun 2 Craig Stadler, American golfer (US Masters 1982), born in San Diego, California
Jun 20 Raúl Ramírez, Mexican tennis player (French Open mixed doubles 1975, 77; Wimbledon 1976; World #1 doubles 1976), born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Jun 21 Charlie Moore Jr., American baseball player, born in Birmingham, Alabama
Jun 22 Bruce McAvaney, Australian sports broadcaster
Jun 23 Filbert Bayi, Karatu Tanzania, 3k steeplechase (Olympic silver 1980)
Jun 25 Ian Davis, Australian cricket batsman (15 Tests, 1 x 100; NSW CA), born in Sydney, Australia
Jun 26 Tara VanDerveer, American women's collegiate basketball coach (3 x NCAA National Championships - Stanford University; Olympic gold, 1996), born in Melrose, Massachusetts
Jun 27 Kent Bostick, American pursuit cyclist (Olympics-84, 96), born in Lowell, Massachusetts
Jul 1 Mike Haynes, American NFL cornerback, College/Pro Football Halls of Fame, 9X Pro Bowl (New England Patriots; Los Angeles Raiders), born in Denison, Texas
Jul 1 Pat Donovan, American NFL offensive lineman (4-time Pro Bowl, Dallas Cowboys), born in Helena, Montana
Jul 2 Tony Armas, baseball player
Jul 3 Frank Tanana, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1976–78; AL ERA leader 1977; MLB strikeout leader 1975; California Angels), born in Detroit, Michigan

Leon Spinks (1953-2021)

Jul 11 American boxer (WBC, WBA heavyweight champion 1978; Olympic gold light heavyweight 1976), born in St. Louis, Missouri

Jul 13 Larry Gomes, dependable West Indian cricket left-handed batsman (1976-87)
Jul 20 Dan Shaughnessy, American sports writer
Jul 21 Brian Talbot, British soccer midfielder (6 caps; Ipswich, Arsenal) and manager (WBA, Hibernian, Rushden & Diamonds, Oldham), born in Ipswich, England

Graham Gooch (70 years old)

Jul 23 English cricketer, captain of England, opening batsman and prolific run scorer, born in London

Jul 24 Steve Grogan, American NFL quarterback, 1975-90 (New England Patriots), born in San Antonio, Texas
Jul 29 Ken Burns [Kenneth Lauren], American director and documentary film producer (The Civil War, Baseball), born in Brooklyn, New York
Jul 31 Jimmy Cook, South African cricket opening batsman (3 Tests), born in Johannesburg, Transvaal
Aug 6 Iqbal Qasim, cricketer (Pakistani slow lefty in the 80's)
Aug 8 Louis Dunbar, American basketball player (Harlem Globetrotters), born in Minden, Louisiana

Nigel Mansell (70 years old)

Aug 8 British auto racer (World F1 champion 1992, Indy Car 1993), born in Upton-upon-Severn, England

Hulk Hogan (70 years old)

Aug 11 WWF heavyweight champion (1984-89), born in Augusta, Georgia

Aug 16 Nick Leyva, baseball manager (Phillies 1988-91)
Aug 17 Kevin Rowlands, British rock vocalist (Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen"), born in Wednesfield, England

Robert Parish (70 years old)

Aug 30 American College/Basketball HOF center (9 x NBA All-Star; NBA C'ship 1981, 84, 86 Boston Celtics; 97 Chicago Bulls), born in Shreveport, Louisiana

Sep 2 Gordon Kennett, English motorcycle speedway rider (World Pairs C'ship [Malcolm Simmons] 1978; World Championship 1978 runner-up), born in Bromley, England (d. 2023)
Sep 6 Mohamed Kedir, Ethiopian 10k runner (Olympic bronze 1980), born in Ethiopia
Sep 12 John Williams, American archer (Olympic gold individual 1972; World C'ship gold 1971), born in Cranesville, Pennsylvania
Sep 14 Judy Playfair, Australian swimmer, born in Sydney, Australia
Sep 16 Jerry Pate, American golfer (US Open 1976; 8 PGA Tour titles), born in Macon, Georgia
Sep 22 Tomasz Wójtowicz, Polish volleyball player (Olympic gold 1976; World C'ship gold 1974; Legia Warsaw, Santal Parma) and broadcaster, born in Lublin, Poland (d. 2022)
Sep 27 Benjamin Gene Brown, 4X400 runner (Olympic gold 1976), born in San Francisco, California
Sep 27 Claudio Gentile, Italian footballer
Sep 29 Warren Cromartie, American baseball player (Montreal Expos), born in Miami Beach, Florida

Grete Waitz (1953-2011)

Oct 1 Norwegian long distance athlete (9 x NYC Marathon titles; World C'ship gold 1983; 5 x gold World Cross Country; WR x 4), born in Oslo, Norway

Oct 9 Hank Pfister, American tennis star, born in Bakersfield, California
Oct 10 Gus Williams, American NBA guard (Golden State, Seattle, Washington), born in Mount Vernon, New York

Pat Day (70 years old)

Oct 13 American thoroughbred jockey (9 x winner of the American Triple Crown; 6 x US Champion in wins; 2 x US Champion in earnings; $298m career purses), born in Brush, Colorado

Oct 14 Roland Butcher, English cricket batsman (3 Tests; 1st cricketer of Caribbean descent to play for England; Middlesex CCC, Barbados, Tasmania, Suffolk CCC), born in Saint Philip Parish, Barbados
Oct 15 Joe Klecko, American Pro Football HOF defensive lineman (NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1981; First-team All-Pro 1981, 85; 4 × Pro Bowl; New York Jets), born in Chester, Pennsylvania
Oct 16 Paulo Roberto Falcão, Brazilian footballer
Oct 16 Susan Pedersen, American 4 X 100m medley swimmer (Olympic gold 1968)

Keith Hernandez (70 years old)

Oct 20 American MLB 1st baseman (St Louis Cardinals, NY Mets), born in San Francisco, California

Oct 24 James di Donato, open water swimmer, one of the Tiger Twins (world record for swimming the butterfly in 40.6 miles)
Oct 24 Jonathan di Donato, open water swimmer, one of the Tiger Twins (world record for swimming the butterfly in 40.6 miles)
Oct 25 Mark McNulty, Irish-Zimbabwean golfer (The Tradition 2007; 16 European Tour titles), born in Bindura, Zimbabwe
Oct 25 Muffin Spencer-Devlin, American golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles), born in Piqua, Ohio
Oct 28 Mark James, British golfer (Senior Players Championship 2004), born in Manchester, England
Oct 28 Phil Dwyer, Welsh soccer defender (10 caps; Cardiff City 471 games), born in Cardiff, Wales (d. 2021)

Denis Potvin (70 years old)

Oct 29 Canadian born NHL defenseman (NY Islanders - Norris trophy), born in Vanier, Ontario

Oct 31 John Lucas, NBA guard (Houston, Golden State, Milwaukee), born in Durham, North Carolina
Nov 2 Rick Meagher, Canadian ice hockey center (NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy 1990; St. Louis Blues captain), born in Belleville, Ontario
Nov 4 Jacques Villeneuve (elder), Canadian auto racer (North American Formula Atlantic Champion 1980–81; Can-Am Champion 1983), born in Berthierville, Quebec
Nov 7 Lucinda Green, English equestrian (Olympic silver 1984), born in Andover, Hampshire, England
Nov 9 Gaétan Hart, Canadian boxer
Nov 13 Bob Brett, Australian tennis coach (Boris Becker, Goran Ivanišević, Marin Čilić), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2021)
Nov 17 Vítor Oliveira, Portuguese soccer midfielder (Braga, Portimonense) and manager (won 11 promotions to Primeira Liga, 6 as champion), born in Matosinhos, Portugal (d. 2020)
Nov 20 Greg Gibson, American Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic silver 1984), born in Stafford, Virginia
Nov 22 Wayne Larkins, cricketer (England opening batsman of 80's)
Nov 23 Martin Kent, Australian cricketer (Queensland batsman, Australia)
Nov 26 Harry Carson, American football player (New York Giants), born in Florence, South Carolina
Nov 28 Nadezhda Olizarenko, USSR, 800m/1500m runner (Olympic gold 1980)
Nov 28 Sixto Lezcano, MLB baseball outfielder, 1974-85 (Milwaukee Brewers and 4 other teams), born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Dec 2 Jay Haas, American golfer (Senior PGA C'ship 2006, 08; Senior Players C'ship 2009; 9 PGA Tour titles), born in St Louis, Missouri
Dec 3 Franz Klammer, Austrian alpine skier (Olympic gold downhill 1976; World C'ships gold combined 1974, downhill 1976), born in Mooswald, Carinthia, Austria
Dec 4 Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian soccer goalkeeper (64 caps; Beveren, Bayern Munich), born in Lebbeke, Belgium
Dec 4 Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Canada Cup gold 1984; NHL All-Star Game 1981-82, 84; Boston Bruins), born in Toronto, Ontario
Dec 6 Gary Ward, American baseball player, born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 8 Roy Firestone, American sportscaster (Life's Most Embarrassing Moments), born in Miami, Florida
Dec 9 World B. Free [Lloyd Bernard Free], American NBA guard (Philadelphia 76ers; Cleveland Cavaliers; Golden State Warriors), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 13 Bill Castro, Dominican baseball player, born in Santiago, Dominican Republic
Dec 13 Bob Gainey, Canadian NHL player and hockey bureaucrat, born in Peterborough, Canada
Dec 13 Zoltán Magyar, Hungarian side horse gymnast (Olympic gold 1976, 80), born in Budapest, Hungary
Dec 14 Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player and actor (Octopussy), born in Chennai, India
Dec 21 Arie Luyendyk, Dutch auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1990, 97; Formula Super Vee 1984), born in Sommelsdijk, Netherlands
Dec 26 Matthew Harding, English businessman and soccer administrator (Chelsea Football Club), born in Haywards Heath, England
Dec 27 Kevin Wright, cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1979)
Dec 29 Kate Schmidt, American javelin thrower (Olympic bronze 1972, 76; WR 69.32m 1977), born in Long Beach, California
Dec 29 Thomas Bach, German lawyer (9th President International Olympic Committee 2013-present), born in Würzburg, West Germany