Break out the cake and the balloons because December 30th could be one of the best days for athlete birthdays.
In 1975, Tiger Woods was born in Cypress, California. Nine years later, in Akron, Ohio, LeBron James was born. That’s total athletic dominance and mega-stardom for one day of the year.
There are two other dates that feature the birthdays of several all-time sports figures. But does the presence of the Tiger and King James make December 30 the goat’s birthday? Let’s blow out the candles and look at some big dates and compare.
Date: December 30
Sports GOAT(s) were born today: Tiger Woods and LeBron James Woods holds the record for most PGA Tour wins (82) and second-most wins (15). James has four NBA titles with three different teams and will be the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2023. Tiger and LeBron are among the few athletes whose net worth exceeds $1 billion, according to Forbes.
What another day he gave us.
The brilliance of Sandy KoufaxHe has accomplished many things in 12 years of work. Koufax won four World Series with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the World Series MVP in two of those series. He also won Cy Young three times by unanimous decision.
The punk poet laureate met the bossAmerican singer, songwriter, punk music icon and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith was born on this day in 1946. Having made 11 albums and written 27 books, Smith’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Because It’s Night” remains her. The most famous song. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1978.
anything else?: “The Jungle Book” (Rudyard Kipling, born 1865); Roman Pierce from “The Fast and the Furious” Francis (Tireese Gibson, born 1978); A Roman emperor (Titus, born 39 AD)
Date: February 17
Sport goat was born today: Michael Jordan
In 1963, his air arrived. We know the rest. An NCAA title, two Olympic gold medals, six NBA titles, five league MVPs, iconic shoes, “Space Jam,” “The Last Dance” and countless memories — Jordan is a sports and pop culture icon whose influence continues nearly 20 years after his career ended. Later.
What another day he gave us.
Probably the best race everAt one point, Jim Brown, born on this day in 1936, held every important NFL rushing record. He did it in nine seasons (1957-65) with the Cleveland Browns. Brown holds the records for rushing yards in a game, season and career. He was the league’s all-time leader in rushing yards and total touchdowns at the time.
He retired to become an actor and was immediately excellent in “The Dirty Dozen”.
Hard rock iconsIn 1972, 1,700 miles away, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters arrived. Here’s Hawkins’ song from the band, “Times Like These.”
anything else?Oscar winner (Brenda Fricker, born 1945); Defense of 46 (Buddy Ryan, born 1931).
Date: June 11
Sports GOAT born today: Diana Taurasi
ESPN named Tauras the greatest player of the WNBA’s first 25 years. Longevity and consistency have set her apart, and she’s also amazingly compact — so much so that Kobe Bryant nicknamed her the “White Mamba.” She is also an incredible winner. Taurasi has an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal, a FIBA World Cup and a WNBA title.
What another day he gave us.
More from Yukon DynastyTaurasi won three NCAA titles with the UConn Huskies, the last in 2004. The Huskies didn’t win a title until 2009, with Maya Moore, who was born on June 11. Moore won two collegiate titles. And four WNBA crowns before retiring from basketball for charity. June 11 gave us a total of five NCAA titles, seven WNBA titles and seven Olympic golds.
More winners, NFL Edition.: One has his name on the Super Bowl trophy. Another has won that trophy four times. Vince Lombardi (born 1913) is considered one of the NFL’s greatest coaches. He turned the Green Bay Packers into a dynasty and never had a losing season.
Joe Montana (born 1956) became a Hall of Famer in the 1980s, leading the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowls. If we’re keeping score, June 11 is responsible for 11 NFL championships.
anything else?The original Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder, born 1933); Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage, born 1969); Toyota (company founder Kiichiro Toyoda, born 1894).
Date: September 26
Sports goat born today: Serena Williams
She is the greatest tennis player of all time, having won 23 Grand Slam titles. Williams has been ranked No. 1 in the Women’s Tennis Association for 319 weeks in her career. She is the only player to win three consecutive Grand Slams — dubbed the “Serena Slam.” She did it twice. She is also a fashion icon and a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins.
What another day he gave us.
The continuation of the Bas dynastyLos Angeles Lakers controlling owner Jenny Buss (born 1961) is one of the most powerful people in sports. She is continuing the family business of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, making the Lakers a winning franchise and recognized throughout the world. In the year In 2020, Bass became the first female Superintendent to win an NBA title.
Speed of light: Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity was “born” on September 26, 1905 when he published a scientific paper on the subject. Stephen Hawking defines the theory in “A Brief History of Time” that “the laws of science (including the speed of light) must be the same regardless of the motion of all observers, in the absence of gravitational phenomena.” ” Einstein’s theory led to his work on mass and energy and the world’s most famous equation: E=mc².
anything else?: NASCAR (founder Bill French, born 1909); Hockey Power Twins (Daniel and Henrik Sedin, born 1980); “Physical” (singer Olivia Newton-John, born 1948).
Date: January 26
Sports GOAT born today: Wayne Gretzky
He literally is “The Greatest.” Gretzky holds the records for scoring in a season, a season, and a career. He holds or shares six assists records and goes along with four Stanley Cups.
What another day he gave us.
Dwarf GodVince Carter (born 1977) is probably the best dunker of all time. Who should explain? Just look at it.
Reggie Dunlop and “Fast” Eddie FelsonPaul Newman (born 1925) was one of America’s greatest actors, with memorable performances in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Hood” and more. However, his filmography contains three great sports films. Let’s just say he encouraged some dirty play in “Slap Shot”, he was a hockey player/coach. Newman played pool shark Eddie Felson in “The Hustler” and “The Color of Money,” the latter of which won him his only acting Academy Award.
anything else?Five Star General (Douglas MacArthur, born 1880); One half of Road Warriors (Michael Hegstrand aka Road Warrior Hawk, born 1957); Former SmackDown Women’s Champion (Sasha Banks, born 1992); The sole maker of this guitar (Eddie Van Halen, born 1955).
