Athletes and Sports Stars Born in 1954

Kim Hughes (70 years old)

Jan 26 Australian cricket batsman and captain (70 Tests, 9 x 100, HS 213; 97 ODIs, 17 x 50; Western Australia CA, Natal), born in Margaret River, Australia

Jan 29 Doug Risebrough, Canadian ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 1976-79 Montreal Canadiens) and coach (Stanley Cup 1989 Calgary Flames), born in Guelph, Ontario
Jan 31 Faoud Bacchus, West Indies cricketer (West Indian bat late 70's), born in Georgetown, Guyana
Feb 2 Jayantha Amerasinghe, Sri Lankan cricketer (2 Tests for Sri Lanka v NZ 1983)
Feb 2 Johann "Hansi" Hinterseer, Austrian pop and schlager singer ("Hände Zum Himmel"), actor, and competitive alpine skier (World Championship silver, 1974), born in Kitzbühel, Austria
Feb 3 Tiger Williams, Canadian ice hockey player
Feb 10 Larry McWilliams, American major baseball pitcher, 1978-90, born in Wichita, Kansas
Feb 13 Donnie Moore, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1985 California Angels), born in Lubbock, Texas (d. 1989)
Feb 14 Paul Rendall, English rugby union prop (28 caps; London Wasps RUFC), born in London, England (d. 2023)
Feb 15 Pamela Theresa Jiles, American 4X400m relayer (Olympic silver 1976), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Feb 16 Michael Holding, West Indian cricket fast bowler (60 Tests, 249 wickets, BB 8/92; Jamaica, Derbyshire CCC, Lancashire CCC) and broadcaster (Sky Sports), born in Kingston, Jamaica
Feb 19 Sócrates [Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Sousa Vieira de Oliveira], Brazilian soccer midfielder (60 caps, 22 goals Brazil; Corinthians), born in Belém, Brazil (d. 2011)
Feb 21 Ivo van Damme, Belgian 800/1500m dash (Olympic silver 1976)
Feb 25 Steve Rixon, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (1977-85)
Feb 28 Brian Billick, American football coach
Mar 1 Minervino Pietra, Portuguese soccer right-back (28 caps; Belenenses, Benfica) and manager (Alverca, Juventude Évora, Estoril, Barreirense), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 2024)
Mar 2 John Sciarra, American College Football Hall of Fame safety (UCLA; NFL: Philadelphia Eagles), born in Los Angeles, California
Mar 2 Pete Johnson, American football running back (Pro Bowl, 2nd Team All Pro 1981; Cincinnati Bengals; Ohio State University), born in Fort Valley, Georgia
Mar 3 Keith Fergus, American golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), born in Temple, Texas
Mar 4 Peter Jacobsen, American golfer (US Senior Open 2004, Senior Players C'ship 2005; 7 PGA Tour titles), born in Portland, Oregon
Mar 4 Willie Thorne, English snooker player (1985 Classic), born in Leicester, England (d. 2020)
Mar 8 David Wilkie MBE, Scottish swimmer (Olympic gold 200m breaststroke 1976; World C 'ship gold 200m breaststroke 1973, 75, 100m 1975), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Mar 8 Karl Schnabl, 90m ski jumper (Olympic gold 1976)
Mar 16 Dav Whatmore, Australian cricket batsman (7 Tests, 2 x 50s; Victoria) and coach (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Mar 16 Hollis Stacy, American golfer (US Open, 1977-78, 84), born in Savannah, Georgia
Mar 20 Charlie Simmer, Ontario, NHL left winger (LA Kings)
Mar 22 Ross Browner, American College Football HOF defensive end (Notre Dame; Maxwell Award 1977; Cincinnati Bengals), born in Warren, Ohio (d. 2022)
Mar 23 Geno Auriemma, Italian-born American basketball coach (Connecticut Huskies), born in Montella, Italy
Mar 25 Thom Loverro, American sportswriter
Apr 1 Giancarlo Antognoni, Italian soccer midfielder (73 caps; Fiorentina 341 games), born in Marsciano, Italy
Apr 7 Clark Gillies, Canadian Hockey HOF left wing (Stanley Cup 1980, 81, 82, 83 New York Islanders; Buffalo Sabres), born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (d. 2022)
Apr 7 Donna White, American golfer (US Open runner-up 1982), born in Kinston, North Carolina
Apr 7 Tony Dorsett, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back (Heisman Trophy 1976, U of Pittsburgh; Super Bowl 1977; Pro Bowl 1978, 81–83; Dallas Cowboys), born in Rochester, Pennsylvania

Gary Carter (1954-2012)

Apr 8 American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (11 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1986; Gold Glove Award 1980–82; Montreal Expos, NY Mets), born in Culver City, California

Apr 12 Marvin Johnson, American boxer (WBC Light heavyweight title 1978; WBA Light heavyweight title 1979-80, 86-87), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Apr 13 Roberto Dinamite, Brazilian soccer forward (38 caps; CR Vasco da Gama 753 games, 475 goals), born in Duque de Caxias, Brazil (d. 2023)
Apr 16 John Bowe, Australian racing driver, born in Devonport, Tasmania
Apr 17 Riccardo Patrese, Italian racing driver (Grand Prix), born in Padua, Italy
Apr 19 Trevor Francis, British soccer forward (52 caps; Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Sampdoria, Sheffield Wednesday) and manager (QPR, Sheffield Wed, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace), born in Plymouth, England (d. 2023)
Apr 20 Gilles Lupien, French Canadian ice hockey player, born in Lachute, Canada
Apr 20 Peter Toohey, Australian cricket batsman (15 Tests, 1 x 100, 7 x 50, HS 122; NSW CA), born in Blayney, Australia
Apr 21 Dale Eggeling, American golfer (3 LPGA titles), born in Statesboro, Georgia
Apr 24 Vince Ferragamo, American football quarterback (LA Rams, Montreal Alouettes), born in Torrance, California
Apr 29 Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder (founder Burton Snowboards; one of the inventors of modern day snowboard), born in New York City (d. 2019)
Apr 30 Gunther Tiersch, German DR, 8 man cox (Olympic gold 1968)
May 1 Randy Dorton, American race car engine builder (Director of Engine Operations Hendrick Motorsports; 9 x NASCAR C'ships), born in Concord, North Carolina (d. 2004)
May 1 Taslim Arif, Pakistan cricket wicket-keeper (6 Tests; top score 210no v Aust 1980), born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (d. 2008)
May 9 Balazs Taroczy, Hungarian tennis star
May 10 Anatoly Chukanov, Russian cyclist (Olympic gold Soviet Union team time trial 1976; UCI Road World C'ships gold 1977), born in Novospasovka, Rostov, Russia (d. 2021)
May 11 John Gregory, English football manager
May 17 Michael Roberts, South African jockey (British flat racing champion 1992), born in Cape Town, South Africa
May 19 Rick Cerone, catcher (Yankees/Red Sox/Mets/Expos), born in Newark, New Jersey
May 20 Robert Van de Walle, Belgian judoka
May 27 Cathy Carr, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m breaststroke [WR 1:13.58], 4×100m medley 1972), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
May 27 Jackie Slater, American Pro Football HOF offensive tackle (7 x Pro Bowl; LA / St. Louis Rams 1976–95), born in Jackson, Mississippi
May 29 Randy Walker, American football fullback (Miami University) and coach (Miami University 1990-98, Northwestern University 1999-2005), born in Troy, Ohio (d. 2006)
May 31 Thomas Mavros, Greek soccer striker (36 caps; Panionios FC, AEK Athens), born in Athens, Greece
Jun 5 Phil Neale, English cricket coach (England 1999-2020; Northamptonshire CCC, Warwickshire CCC), born in Scunthorpe
Jun 7 Lui Passaglia, Canadian CFL playerr (BC Lions), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
Jun 11 Gary Fencik, American football safety (Super Bowl 1985; First-team All-Pro 1981; Pro Bowl 1980, 81; Chicago Bears), born in Chicago, Illinois
Jun 11 John Dyson, Australian cricket batsman (30 Tests, 2 x 100, HS 127no; NSW), born in Sydney, Australia
Jun 13 Daniel Seemiller, American table tennis player, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jun 15 Beverley Whitfield, Australian swimmer (Olympic Gold 1972), born in Wollongong, Australia (d. 1996)
Jun 18 Viktor Mazin, Russian weightlifter (Olympic gold USSR 60kg [5 x WR] 1980), born in Chernovskiye Kopi, Russia (d. 2022)
Jun 20 Alan Lamb, South African cricket batsman (79 Tests England, 14 x 100, HS 142; Western Province; Northamptonshire CCC, Orange Free State), born in Langebaanweg, Cape Province, South Africa
Jun 21 Jeremy Coney, New Zealand cricketer (NZ captain turned them into world-beaters), born in Wellington, New Zealand
Jun 25 John C. Kimmel, American horse trainer, born in East Orange, New Jersey
Jun 29 Rick Honeycutt, American baseball pitcher (St Louis Cardinals), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Jul 1 Khalid Hasan, Pakistani cricket leg-spin bowler (1 Test; 16 years, 352 days, then youngest Test player), born in Peshawar, Pakistan (d. 2013)
Jul 1 Mike Reid, American golfer (Senior PGA C'ship 2005, The Tradition 2009), born in Bainbridge, Maryland
Jul 4 Jim Beattie, American baseball pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Hampton, Virginia
Jul 5 John Wright, New Zealand cricketer (opening batsman 1978-92), born in Darfield, New Zealand

Willie Randolph (69 years old)

Jul 6 MLB second baseman and manager (NY Mets), born in Holly Hill, South Carolina

Andre Dawson (69 years old)

Jul 10 American Baseball HOF outfielder (8 × MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1987 Chicago Cubs; NL Rookie of the Year 1977 Montreal Expos; 8 × Gold Glove Award), born in Miami, Florida

Jul 10 José González, Peruvian soccer goalkeeper (20 caps; Alianza Lima), born in Lima, Peru (d. 1987)
Jul 12 Wolfgang Dremmler, German soccer defensive midfielder (27 caps West Germany; Eintracht Braunschweig, FC Bayern Munich), born in Salzgitter, Germany
Jul 13 David Thompson, American NBA guard, 1975-84, 4X All-Star (Denver Nuggets, Seattle Supersonics), born in Shelby, North Carolina
Jul 13 Ray "Candles" Bright, Australian cricket slow-left armer (1977-86)
Jul 13 Rick Chartraw, American NHL ice hockey defenseman, 1974-84 (Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and 2 other teams), born in Caracas, Venezuela
Jul 15 Boris Polak, Israeli sports shooter (1994 World Champion), born in Moldova

Eduardo Romero (1954-2022)

Jul 17 Argentine golfer (Tradition 2006, US Senior Open 2008), born in Córdoba, Argentina

Jul 18 Imtiaz Ali, West Indian cricketer (brother of Inshan One Test WI v India 1976), born in Maraval, Trinidad
Jul 18 Robert Cameron, CFL punter (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
Jul 23 Saúl Lorenzo Rivero, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (9 caps; Liverpool de Montevideo, Atlético Español México), born in Montevideo, Uruguay (d. 2022)
Jul 24 Philippe Alliot, French Formula One race driver, born in Voves, France
Jul 24 Vasile Dîba, Romanian sprint canoeist (Olympic gold K-1 500m 1976; ICF World C'ships 5 x gold), born in Jurilovca, Romania (d. 2024)

Walter Payton (1954-1999)

Jul 25 American Pro Football HOF running back (NFL MVP 1977; 9 x Pro Bowl; 5 x First Team All Pro; Chicago Bears), born in Columbia, Mississippi

Vitas Gerulaitis (1954-1994)

Jul 26 Lithuanian-American tennis player (Australian Open 1977; Wimbledon doubles 1975), born in Brooklyn, New York

Jul 28 Mikey Sheehy, Irish Gaelic football right corner-forward (11 x Munster titles, 8 x All-Ireland, 3 x NFL, 7 x All Star; Kerry), born in Tralee, Ireland

Trevor Berbick (1954-2006)

Aug 1 Jamaican boxer (WBC heavyweight champion 1986), born in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica

Aug 2 Sammy McIlroy, Irish soccer star (Manchester United), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Aug 3 Gary Peters, English footballer, born in Carshalton, London
Aug 6 Paul Steigerwald, American sports announcer
Aug 10 Cameron Connor, Canadian WHA and NHL ice hockey forward, 1974-83 (Phoenix Roadrunners, Edmonton Oilers, and 3 other teams), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Aug 11 M V Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer (leg-spin all-rounder 1978-79), born in Secunderabad, India
Aug 11 Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricket batsman (37 Tests; 2 x 100s; 42 ODIs), born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India (d. 2021)
Aug 14 Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers) nicknamed "The Bird", born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 2009)
Aug 20 Quinn Buckner, American College Basketball Hall of Fame point guard (Indiana Uni; Olympic gold 1976; Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers) and coach (Dallas Mavericks), born in Phoenix, Illinois
Aug 21 Archie Griffin, American College Football Hall of Fame running back (Heisman Trophy 1974-75, Ohio State; NFL: Cincinnati Bengals), born in Columbus, Ohio
Aug 24 Alain Daigle, French Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 1974-80 (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Aug 25 Gilbert "Gibus" Duclos-Lassalle, French cyclist, born in Lembeye, France
Aug 27 Derek Warwick, British auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1992, World Sportscar C'ship 1992; 4 x podium F1 GP), born in New Alresford, England
Aug 27 John Lloyd, England, tennis star (former husband of Chris Everet)
Aug 28 Alexander Skvortsov, Russian ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1984; World C'ship gold 1979, 81, 83), born in Gorky, Russia (d. 2020)
Aug 31 Claudell Washington, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1975, 84; World Series 1974; Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2020)
Sep 5 Hans-Jorgen Gerhardt, German bobsleder (Olympic gold 1980), born in Altenburg, Thuringia
Sep 6 Jon Erikson, American swimmer 1st to triple cross English Channel (1981) (d. 2014)
Sep 9 Walter Davis, American basketball shooting guard (6 x NBA All-Star; NBA Rookie of the Year 1978; Olympic gold 1976; Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets), born in Pineville, North Carolina (d. 2023)
Sep 10 Martha Nause, American golfer (du Maurier Classic 1994), born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sep 12 Neal Brendel, American rugby union prop (6 Tests; Pittsburgh RC) and executive (Chairman USA Rugby 2002-05), born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania (d. 2021)
Sep 18 Tommy Tuberville, American football coach and politician (Senator-R-Alabama 2021-), born in Camden, Arkansas
Sep 20 Henry Samueli, American NHL team owner (Anaheim Ducks), born in Buffalo, New York
Sep 20 Silvio Leonard, Cuban 100m runner (Olympic silver 1980), born in Cienfuegos, Cuba
Sep 22 Randy Lanier, American auto racer (IMSA Camel GT 1984; convicted drug trafficker 1988), born in Lynchburg, Virginia
Sep 25 Juande Ramos, Spanish football manager (Sevilla), born in Pedro Muñoz, Spain
Sep 25 Sylvester Croom, American college football coach, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Sep 28 Steve Largent, American politician (US Rep-R-Oklahoma 1994-2002) and NFL player (Seattle Seahawks), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 30 John Drew, American basketball small forward (NBA All-Star 1976, 80; Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz), born in Vredenburgh, Alabama (d. 2022)
Oct 1 Martin Strel, Slovenian long distance swimmer (Danube, Mississippi, Yangtze, Amazon River records), born in Mokronog, Slovenia
Oct 3 Branko Cikatić, Croatian kickboxer (first K-1 World Grand Prix Heavyweight C'ship 1993), born in Split, Croatia (d. 2020)
Oct 3 Dennis Eckersley, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (6 x MLB All Star; AL Cy Young Award 1992; AL MVP 1992; Oakland A's), born in Oakland, California
Oct 8 Ben Amonette, American free pistol shooting athlete (Olympics 1992, 96), born in Radford, Virginia
Oct 12 Ian Trent, Australian water polo coach (World C'ship gold women 1986; FINA World Cup gold 1984) and broadcaster (2WS, 2GB, 2KY, Fox Sports), born in Sydney, Australia
Oct 19 Joe Bryant, American basketball player
Oct 19 Sam Allardyce, English football manager
Oct 20 Lee Roy Selmon, American College-Pro Football HOF defensive end (NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1979; First-team All-Pro 1979, 80, 82; 6× Pro Bowl; TB Buccaneers), born in Eufaula, Oklahoma (d. 2011)

Mike Eruzione (69 years old)

Oct 25 American ice hockey player (Olympic gold Medal 1980), born in Winthrop, Massachusetts

Oct 26 Vassilis Hatzipanagis, Greek footballer, born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Oct 27 Chris Tavaré, English cricket batsman (31 Tests, 2 x 100, 12 x 50, HS 149; Kent CCC, Somerset CCC), born in Orpington, England
Oct 28 Sammy Stewart, American MLB pitcher (World Series 1983; AL ERA leader 1981; Cleveland Indians), born in Asheville, North Carolina (d. 2018)
Oct 29 Herman Ronald Frazier, American 400m/4x400m runner (Olympic gold 1976), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 30 JoAnne Russell, American tennis player (Wimbledon doubles 1977), born in Miami, Florida
Nov 2 Pat Croce, American entrepreneur, sports team executive and owner, TV personality (Philadelphia 76ers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 4 Aleksandr Aksinin, Russian athlete (Olympic gold, 4×100m relay 1980; bronze 1976), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 2020)
Nov 5 Alejandro Sabella, Argentine soccer midfielder (8 caps; River Plate, Sheffield United, Estudiantes) and manager (Argentina 2011-14), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2020)
Nov 5 Alvin Gentry, American basketball head coach (New Orleans Pelicans 2015-19; Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns), born in Shelby, North Carolina
Nov 10 Hartwig Gauder, German race walker (Olympic gold men's 50k walk 1980), born in Vaihingen an der Enz, Germany (d. 2020)
Nov 10 Juanito, Spanish soccer forward (34 caps; Real Madrid 284 games, 85 goals), born in Fuengirola, Spain (d. 1992)
Nov 11 Gail Marquis, American basketball WBL forward (NY Stars, Olympic silver 1976)
Nov 12 Paul McNamee, Australian tennis player (World #1 doubles 1981; Australian Open doubles 1979, 83, Wimbledon 1980, 82) and administrator (Hopman Cup), born in Melbourne, Australia

Bernard Hinault (69 years old)

Nov 14 French cyclist and 5-time Tour de France winner, born in Yffiniac, France

Nov 14 Willie Hernández, Puerto Rican baseball relief pitcher (World Series, AL MVP, AL Cy Young Award 1984 Detroit Tigers; MLB All-Star 1984, 85, 86), born in Aguada, Puerto Rico (d. 2023)
Nov 16 Bruce Edwards, American golf caddie (mainly for 5 x British Open champion Tom Watson), born in Wethersfield, Connecticut (d. 2004)
Nov 17 Jeremy Lloyds, English cricket umpire (5 Tests, 18 ODIs, 1 T20I) and all-rounder (Somerset CCC, Orange Free State, Gloucestershire CCC), born in Penang, Malaya (d. 2022)
Nov 17 Jorge Hernández, Cuban boxer Olympic gold light flyweight 1976; World C'ship gold 1974, 78), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2019)
Nov 18 Evan Gray, New Zealand cricketer
Nov 20 Steve Rogers, Australian rugby league centre (24 Tests; NSW; Cronulla-Sutherland), born in Gold Coast, Australia (d. 2006)
Nov 23 Glenn Brummer, American baseball player, born in Olney, Illinois
Nov 23 Ken Schrom, American MLB player, born in Grangeville, Idaho
Dec 1 François Van der Elst, Belgian soccer winger (44 caps; Anderlecht, West Ham Utd), born in Opwijk, Belgium (d. 2017)
Dec 11 Brad Bryant, American golfer (US Senior Open 2007), born in Amarillo, Texas
Dec 11 Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 42 wickets), born in Christ Church, Barbados (d. 1999)
Dec 14 Alan Kulwicki, American auto racer and owner (NASCAR Winston Cup drivers' and owners' champion 1992), born in Greenfield, Wisconsin (d. 1993)
Dec 16 Joslyn Y Hoyte-Smith, Barbados, 4X400m hurdler (Olympic bronze 1980)

Chris Evert (69 years old)

Dec 21 American tennis player (18 Gram Slam singles titles), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Dec 22 Derick Parry, cricketer (WI off-spinner early 80's), born in Cotton Ground, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Dec 22 Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese racing driver, born in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan
Dec 23 Brian Teacher, American tennis player (Australian Open 1980), born in San Diego, California
Dec 26 David Armstrong, English soccer midfielder (3 caps; Middlesbrough 359 games, Southampton 222 games), born in Durham, England (d. 2022)

Dec 26 American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (15 x MLB All-Star; 13 x Gold Glove Award; World Series 1982; NL Silver Slugger Award 1987; NLCS MVP 1985; SD Padres, St Louis Cardinals), born in Mobile, Alabama

Dec 26 Susan Butcher, American dog musher and 4 x winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2006)
Dec 26 Ullrich Diessner, German DR, 4 man cox (Olympic gold 1976)
Dec 26 Walter Diessner, German DR, 4 man cox (Olympic gold 1976)
Dec 29 Glenn Myernick, American soccer player and coach (Olympic gold 1996), born in Trenton, New Jersey