Athletes Born in 1956

Birthdays 1 - 200 of 209

• Jan 1 Mike Mitchell, American basketball small forward (NBA All-Star 1981; Italian League top scorer 1998), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2011)
• Jan 1 Sergio Victor Palma, Argentine boxer (WBA Super Bantamweight champion 1980-82), born in La Tigra, Argentina (d. 2021)
• Jan 3 Willy T. Ribbs, American auto racer (first African-American to drive in Indianapolis 500), born in San Jose, California

• Jan 7 Rosalyn Bryant, American 4x400m runner (Olympic silver 1976), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Jan 9 David Smith, English cricketer (England lefty batsman in 2 Tests v WI 1986), born in Balham, London
• Jan 15 Paul Parker, English cricketer (one Test England v Australia 1981), born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
• Jan 15 Vera Sosulya, Soviet tobogganist (Olympic gold 1980)
• Jan 16 Martin Jol, Dutch football manager, born in The Hague, Netherlands
• Jan 16 Wayne Daniel, West Indies cricketer (WI fast bowler 1976-84), born in Saint Philip, Barbados
• Jan 17 Faouzi Mansouri, Algerian soccer defender (13 caps; Montpellier, FC Mulhouse), born in Djerba, Tunisia (d. 2022)
• Jan 20 John Naber, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m/200m backstroke, 4×200m freestyle relay, 4×100m medley; silver 200m freestyle 1976), born in Evanston, Illinois
• Jan 30 Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese racing driver, born in Tomi, Japan
• Feb 1 Mike Kitchen, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (NJ Devils) and coach (St. Louis Blues 2003-07), born in Newmarket, Canada
• Feb 3 John Jefferson, American football wide receiver (First-team All-Pro 1979, 80 SD Chargers; 4 × Pro Bowl; NFL receiving yards leader 1980; NFL receiving TD leader 1978, 80; GB Packers), born in Dallas, Texas
• Feb 5 Hector Rebaque, Mexican racing driver, born in Mexico City
• Feb 9 Philip Jackson Ford Jr, NC, basketball player (Olympic gold 1976)

• Feb 13 Liam Brady, Irish footballer, born in Dublin, Ireland
• Feb 13 Yiannis Kouros, Greek-Australian runner, born in Tripoli, Greece
• Feb 14 Howard Davis Jr., American boxer (Olympic gold lightweight 1976), born in Glen Cove, New York (d. 2015)
• Feb 15 Desmond Haynes, West Indian cricket batsman and administrator (116 Tests; 7,487 runs @ 42.29; 238 ODIs; Director WI Cricket Board), born in Saint James, Barbados
• Feb 15 Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (d. 1992)
• Feb 19 Steve Randell, Tasmanian cricket Test umpire (international panel)

• Feb 25 Davie Cooper, Scottish soccer winger (22 caps; Clydebank, Rangers 376 games, Motherwell), Hamilton, Scotland (d. 1995)
• Feb 28 Jimmy Nicholl, Irish soccer defender (73 caps Northern Ireland; Manchester United 197 games) and manager (Millwall, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath), born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Mar 1 Mark Todd, New Zealand equestrian rider (Olympic gold individual eventing 1984, 88), born in Cambridge, New Zealand
• Mar 2 Eusebio Pedroza, Panamanian boxer (WBA featherweight champion 1978-85), born in Panama City, Panama (d. 2019)
• Mar 2 Gary Pearce, English rugby union prop (36 caps; Northampton Saints), born in Dinton, England
• Mar 3 John F Reid, New Zealand cricket batsman (19 Tests, 1296 runs @ 46.28, 6 x 100s), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2020)
• Mar 3 Zbigniew Boniek, Polish footballer
• Mar 6 Peter Roebuck, English cricketer and journalist, born in Oddington, Oxfordshire, England (d. 2011)
• Mar 8 Laurie Cunningham, English soccer left winger (6 caps; Orient, West Bromwich Albion, Real Madrid, Marseille, Rayo Vallecano), born in London, England (d. 1989)
• Mar 9 Mark Dantonio, American football coach for Michigan State University, born in El Paso, Texas
• Mar 10 Janet Alex-Anderson, American golfer (US Open 1982), born in West Sunbury, Pennsylvania

• Mar 14 Colin Ayre, British football player (Newcastle United), born in Ashington, Northumberland
• Mar 14 Tessa Sanderson, British javelin thrower (Olympic gold. 1984), born in Kingston, Jamaica
• Mar 15 Clay Matthews, NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons)
• Mar 16 Ozzie Newsome, NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns)
• Mar 17 Frank McGarvey, Scottish soccer forward (7 caps; Celtic, St Mirren) and manager (Queen of the South FC), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2023)
• Mar 18 Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish alpine skier (2 Olympic gold 1980), born in Joesjö, Sweden
• Mar 18 Juan Meza, Mexican boxer (WBC Super Bantamweight champion 1984-85), born in Mexicali, Mexico (d. 2023)
• Mar 21 André Malherbe, Belgian motocross racer (FIM 500cc Motocross World Champion 1980, 81, 84), born in Huy, Belgium (d. 2022)

• Mar 24 Ijaz Faqih, cricketer (Pakistan off-spin all-rounder in 5 Tests 80-88)
• Mar 25 Sonia M Lannaman, England, 4X100m relayer (Olympic bronze 1980)
• Mar 26 Tatyana Kochergina, Ukrainian handball player who won Olympic gold 1976, 80 USSR, born in Ovidiopol, Ukraine
• Mar 27 Brian Kelly, American CFL wide receiver (Edmonton Eskimos), born in Arcadia, California
• Mar 27 Thomas Wassberg, Swedish cross country skier (4 Olympic gold 1980, 84, 88), born in Lennartsfors, Värmland, Sweden
• Mar 28 Asoka De Silva, Sri Lankan cricket leg-spinner (Sri Lanka in 10 Tests 1985-91), born in Kalutara, Sri Lanka
• Mar 28 Evelin Jahl, German discus thrower (Olympic-2 gold-1976), born in Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany
• Mar 28 T A Sekar, Indian cricket pace-bowler (2 Tests 1982-83 little impact), born in Chennai, India
• Mar 29 Kurt Thomas, American gymnast (first American male to win gold medal at World Championships, floor 1978; floor, horizontal bars 1979), and actor (Gymkata), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2020)
• Apr 4 Tom Herr, American baseball player, born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• Apr 6 Dilip Vengsarkar, cricketer (prolific Indian batsman 1976-92)
• Apr 6 Mudassar Nazar, Pakistan cricket all-rounder (76 Tests, 10 x 100s, HS 231, 66 wickets; Lahore CA, UBL), born in Lahore, Pakistan
• Apr 9 Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentine footballer, born in Lanús Partido, Argentina
• Apr 13 Michael Nikolay, German gymnast (Olympics silver 1980), born in Berlin, Germany
• Apr 13 Peter "Possum" Bourne, New Zealand race car driver, born in New Zealand (d. 2003)
• Apr 15 Michael Cooper, American NBA star (LA Lakers), born in Los Angeles, California
• Apr 18 David Edwards, American golfer (US Masters 1984 3rd; 4 PGA Tour titles), born in Neosho, Missouri
• Apr 19 Sue Barker, British tennis player (French Open 1976), born in Paignton, England
• Apr 21 Rick DeMont, American 400m swimmer, drug disqualification (1972 Olympics)
• Apr 29 Ron Verlin, American power-pop bassist (Shooting Star), born in Kansas City, Missouri
• May 1 Wan Chi Keung, Hong Kong soccer striker (32 caps; South China AA, Seiko SA) and actor, born in British Hong Kong (d. 2010)
• May 3 Gillian Rolton, Australian equestrian (Summer Olympics 1992, 1996- gold), born in Adelaide, South Australia (d. 2017)
• May 4 Ulrike Meyfarth, German athlete (Olympic gold high jump 1972 WR 1.92m, 1984; WR 2.02m 1982), born in Frankfurt, Germany
• May 6 Tim Simpson, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles, born in Atlanta, Georgia
• May 12 Bernie Federko, Canadian NHL ice hockey HOF forward, 1976-90 (St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings), born in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan
• May 15 Alice Miller, American golfer (Nabisco Dinah Shore 1985), born in Marysville, CA
• May 15 Dan Patrick, American sportscaster

• May 18 Naomichi 'Joe' Ozaki, Japanese golfer (32 Japan Tour titles), born in Tekushima, Japan
• May 20 Andrew Hilditch, cricketer (Australian opening bat 1979-85)
• May 20 Tomas Smid, Czech, tennis star
• May 23 Buck Showalter, American baseball manager (AL Manager of the Year 1994, 2004, 14; NY Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles) and analyst (ESPN, YES network), born in DeFuniak Springs, Florida
• May 23 Mark Shaw, New Zealand rugby union flanker (30 caps; Manawatu, Hawke's Bay), born in Palmerston North, New Zealand
• May 27 Nick Lowery, NFL kicker (NY Jets)
• May 28 Jeff Dujon, cricket wicket-keeper (WI 1981-91, their most successful)
• May 28 Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1980)
• May 30 Allison Roe, New Zealand athlete (NYC Marathon, Boston 1981; Seoul 1982), born in Auckland, New Zealand
• Jun 3 George Burley, Scottish football player and manager
• Jun 3 Suren Nalbandyan, Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold 1976), born in Geghard, Armenia, Soviet Union
• Jun 4 John Treacy, Irish marathoner (Olympic silver 1984), born in Villierstown, County Waterford
• Jun 4 Martin Adams, English darts player (BDO World Champion 2007, 10-11), born in Sutton, Surrey, England
• Jun 4 Terry Kennedy, American baseball player, born in Euclid, Ohio
• Jun 6 Andy Pycroft, cricketer (Zimbabwe Test batsman)

• Jun 7 Robert Dover, American equestrian dressage (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Chicago, Illinois

• Jun 12 Terry Alderman, Australian cricketer (prolific Australian medium-pacer 1981-91), born in Subiaco, Perth, Australia

• Jun 15 Lance Parrish 'Big Wheel', American baseball catcher (MLB All Star x 8; World Series 1984 Detroit Tigers; 3 × Gold Glove), born in Clairton, Pennsylvania
• Jun 17 Nick Cook, English cricketer (left arm slow bowler in 15 Tests 1983-89), born in Leicester
• Jun 20 Peter Reid, English soccer midfielder (13 caps; Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Manchester City) and manager (Manchester City, Sunderland, England U21, Leeds United), born in Huyton, England
• Jun 21 Mikhail Burtsev, Soviet sabre fencer (Olympic gold 1976, 1980), born in Moscow (d. 2015)
• Jun 21 Rick Sutcliffe, American baseball pitcher (LA Dodgers, Chicago Cubs), born in Independence, Missouri
• Jun 22 Alfons De Wolf, Belgian cyclist
• Jun 23 Tony Hill, American football player
• Jun 27 Brad Childress, American football coach, born in Aurora, Illinois
• Jun 27 Jeff Odintz, American horse trainer, born in Brooklyn, New York
• Jun 29 Pedro Guerrero, Dominican MLB player (LA Dodgers), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
• Jul 1 Brian Sabean, American MLB executive (San Francisco Giants World Series 2010, 2012, 2014), born in Concord, New Hampshire
• Jul 3 Eddie Edwards, South African tennis player (4 x ATP titles), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Jul 5 James Lofton, American NFL wide receiver (Bills, Packers, Raiders), born in Fort Ord, California
• Jul 6 Matt Bahr, American NFL placekicker (NE Patriots, NY Giants), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jul 8 Millard Hampton, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1976), born in Fresno, California
• Jul 12 Mario Soto, Dominican baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1982, 83, 84 Cincinnati Reds), born in Baní, Dominican Republic
• Jul 13 Bill Caudill, American MLB reliever (All Star 1984), born in Santa Monica, California
• Jul 13 Michael Spinks, American boxer (undisputed world light heavyweight title 1983-85; lineal world heavyweight title 1985-88; Olympic gold middleweight 1976), born in St. Louis, Missouri
• Jul 15 Kathy Kreiner, Canadian giant slalom (Olympic gold 1976)
• Jul 15 Toshihiko Seko, Japanese runner (world record 25/30 km)

• Jul 18 Razor Shines, American baseball player (Montreal Expos), born in Durham, North Carolina
• Jul 20 Charlie Magri, Tunisian British world champ flyweight boxer (1983), born in Tunis, Tunisia

• Jul 29 Teddy Atlas, American boxing trainer and commentator
• Jul 31 Bill Callahan, American college football and NFL coach (Nebraska; Oakland Raiders), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Aug 3 Balwinder Sandhu, Indian cricket all-rounder (8 Tests; 22 ODIs), born in Mumbai, India
• Aug 3 Todd Christensen, American football tight end (Super Bowl XV, XVIII; First-team All-Pro 1983, 85, 86; 5 × Pro Bowl; Oakland/LA Raiders) and sportscaster (NBC Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports Network), born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
• Aug 4 Gerry Cooney, American boxer (5 x World Heavyweight title loser), born in Manhattan, New York
• Aug 10 Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat, Australian tennis player (1977 Australian Open doubles winner and single finalist), born in Albury, New South Wales
• Aug 11 June Daugherty, American women's college basketball coach (Boise State Uni, Uni of Washington, Washington State University), born in Columbus, Ohio (d. 2021)
• Aug 12 Sidath Wettimuny, Sri Lanka cricket batsman (23 Tests, 2 x 100, HS 190; Sri Lanka's first Test century [157] 1982), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Aug 14 Rusty Wallace, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup 1989; NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year 1984) and broadcaster (ESPN, ABC), born in Arnold, Missouri
• Aug 16 Colleen Walker, American golfer (du Maurier Classic 1997), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2012)
• Aug 16 Daniel Willems, Belgian cyclist
• Aug 16 Dominic Erban, French rugby international player
• Aug 17 Álvaro Pino, Spanish cyclist, born in Ponteareas, Spain
• Aug 18 Sandeep Patil, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman Great 174 v Adelaide 1981), born in Mumbai, India
• Aug 19 Cindy Nelson, American skier (Olympic bronze 1976)
• Aug 20 Alvin Greenidge, West Indian cricketer (WI opener, no relation to Gordon or Geoff), born in Bath Village, Christ Church, Barbados
• Aug 22 Jeffrey Lloyd, South African jockey based in Australia, born in Durban, South Africa

• Aug 22 Peter Taylor, Australian cricketer (Australian off-spinner 1987-92), born in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Aug 25 Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally driver (3 x World Rally C'ship round wins for Talbot, Opel, Porsche, Lancia), born in Jyväskylä, Finland (d. 1986)
• Aug 26 Mark Mangino, American football coach, born in New Castle, Pennsylvania
• Aug 28 Beverley Goddard-Callender, English track and field athlete (Olympic bronze 1980, 84), born in Barbados
• Sep 2 Mario Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Montreal Canadiens 852 games) and coach (Montreal Canadiens 1985-87), born in Alma, Quebec
• Sep 3 Hans-Georg Beyer, East German team handball player (Olympic gold 1980), born in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany
• Sep 5 Steve Denton, American tennis player (world's fastest tennis serve-138 mph), born in Kingsville, Texas
• Sep 7 Byron Stevenson, British footballer (Leeds United), born in Llanelli, Wales (d. 2007)
• Sep 8 Maurice Cheeks, American NBA guard (NY Knicks, Philadelphia '76ers), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Sep 12 Chip Beck, American golfer (US Open 1986, 89, Masters 1993 runner-up; shot 59 in 1991), born in Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Sep 12 Ricky Rudd, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year 1977; IROC Champion 1992; Brickyard 400 1997, born in Norfolk County, Virginia
• Sep 14 Ray Wilkins, English soccer midfielder (84 caps; Chelsea, Manchester Utd, AC Milan, Rangers, QPR) and manager (QPR, Fulham, Jordan), born in Hillingdon, England (d. 2018)
• Sep 16 Anatoly Beloglazov, Russian 52 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1980), born in Kaliningrad, Russia
• Sep 16 Marcelo Campo, Argentine rugby union winger (20 Tests Argentina, 6 South America; Pueyrredón SC), born in Quilmes, Argentina (d. 2021)
• Sep 16 Sergei Beloglazov, Russian 57 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1980, 88), born in Kaliningrad, Russia
• Sep 17 Thad Bosley. American major league baseball player, born in Oceanside, California

• Sep 19 Juan Manuel Fangio II, Argentine racing driver, born in Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Sep 21 Jack Givens, American basketball player
• Sep 23 Paolo Rossi, Italian soccer striker (48 caps; FIFA World Cup 1982 [Golden Boot, Golden Ball]; L.R. Vicenza, Juventus), born in Prato, Italy (d. 2020)
• Sep 24 Ilona Slupianek, German shot-putter (Olympic gold 1980), born in Demmin, East Germany
• Sep 26 Steve Butler, American auto racer (USAC Silver Crown Champion 1988, 92; USAC Sprint Car Champion 1986, 87, 88, 90), born in Amarillo, Texas
• Sep 28 Bob Miller, American ice hockey center (47 games USA; Boston Bruins, Colorado Rockies, LA Kings), born in Medford, Massachusetts (d. 2020)

• Oct 1 Buddy Teevens, American college football coach (Dartmouth College 1987-91, 2005-23; Uni of Maine, Tulane Uni, Stanford University), born in Pembroke, Massachusetts (d. 2023)
• Oct 1 Leslie Burr-Howard, American equestrian rider (Olympic gold show jumping, team 1984), born in Union, New Jersey
• Oct 4 Hans van Breukelen, Dutch soccer goalkeeper (73 caps; PSV Eindhoven; technical director KNVB), born in Utrecht, Netherlands

• Oct 7 Brian Sutter, Canadian NHL left wing, 1976-88 (St. Louis Blues), and coach, 1988-2004 (St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, and 2 other teams), born in Viking, Alberta
• Oct 13 Anura Ranasinghe, Sri Lankan cricketer (Sri Lankan batsman in 3 Tests 1982), born in Kalatura, Sri Lanka

• Oct 16 Johnny Chavis, American football coach
• Oct 16 Melissa Belote, American 100m/200m swimmer (Olympics 3 gold-1972), born in Washington, D.C.
• Oct 16 Roger Phegley, American NBA basketball player, 1977-84 (Washington Bullets, San Antonio Spurs, and 3 other teams), born in East Peoria, Illinois

• Oct 19 Bruce Weber, American Basketball Coach, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Oct 19 Didier Theys, Belgian racing driver
• Oct 23 Betsy Nagelsen, American tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1978, 80; Australian Open singles 1978 runner-up), born in St Petersburg, Florida
• Oct 23 Darrell Pace, American archer (Olympic gold individual 1976, 84; silver team 1988), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

• Oct 29 Wilfredo Gómez, Puerto Rican boxer, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Nov 3 Bob Welch, American baseball pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A's; World Series 1981, 89, 2001), born in Seal Beach, California (d. 2014)
• Nov 6 Graeme Wood, Australian cricket batsman (59 Tests, 9 x 100, HS 172; 83 ODIs, 3 x 100; WA CA), born in East Fremantle, Australia
• Nov 13 Bill Scanlon, American tennis player (World #9 1984; 6 x ATP titles), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2021)
• Nov 14 Keith Alexander, British soccer forward (3 caps St Lucia; Grimsby Town FC, Lincoln City FC) and manager (Lincoln, Peterborough, Macclesfield), born in Nottingham, England (d. 2010)
• Nov 15 Zlatko Kranjčar, Croatian soccer striker (2 caps; Dinamo Zagreb, Rapid Wien) and manager (Croatia, Montenegro, Dinamo Zagreb), born in Zagreb, Croatia (d. 2021)
• Nov 16 Terry Labonte, American NASCAR driver
• Nov 18 Noel Brotherston, Irish soccer winger (27 caps Northern Ireland; Blackburn Rovers 317 games), born in Dundonald, Northern Ireland (d. 1995)
• Nov 18 Tony Franklin, American football kicker (Pro Bowl, NFL scoring leader 1986; New England Patriots), born in Big Spring, Texas
• Nov 18 Warren Moon, NFL quarterback (Houston Oilers, Seahawks, Vikings)
• Nov 20 Mark Gastineau, American NFL end (NY Jets, Pro Bowl 1981-85), born in Ardmore, Oklahoma
• Nov 21 Mariana Simionescu, Romanian tennis player (1st wife of Björn Borg), born in Tirgu Neamt, Romania
• Nov 23 Bruce Edgar, New Zealand cricketer (NZ opener through the 80's), born in Wellington, New Zealand

• Nov 25 Liana Vicens, Puerto Rico, 100m breaststroke (Olympics 1968)

• Nov 26 Marty Smith, American motocross racer (AMA 125cc 1974, 75; AMA 500cc 1977), born in San Diego, California (d. 2020)
• Nov 29 Eric Laakso, American NFL player (Miami Dolphins), born in New York City
• Dec 4 Bernard King, American Basketball Hall of Fame small forward (NBA All-Star 1982, 84-85, 91; NY Knicks, Washington Bullets), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Dec 4 Blagoi Blagoyev, Bulgarian weightlifter (World C'ship gold - 90kg 1991, 92, 93; Olympic silver - 82.5kg 1976), born in Veliki Preslav, Bulgaria
• Dec 4 Costantino Rocca, Italian golfer (British Open 1995 runner-up; hole in one 1995 Ryder Cup), born in Bergamo, Italy
• Dec 5 Klaus Allofs, German soccer striker (56 caps West Germany; Fortuna Düsseldorf, 1. FC Köln, Marseille, Bordeaux, Werder Bremen) and manager (Fortuna Düsseldorf; GM Werder Bremen 1999-2012),), born in Düsseldorf, Germany

• Dec 12 Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist (won Young Rider Classification of Tour de France 1980), born in Rijbergen, Netherlands

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