Famous Alabamians: Athletes

Famous Alabamians: Athletes

Born in 1934, Henry Louis Aaron began to play semi-pro ball when he was 15. He left Mobile to play shortstop for two seasons with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues, before the Milwaukee Braves paid $7,500 for him in May 1952. He spent the next three seasons in the minor and winter leagues before joining the Braves in 1954.

Later known as "Hammerin Hank", Aaron enjoyed a 23-year major league career, altering the game's record book for power hitters. He finished his career with the all-time home run record (755), an average of 33 per season. He was also tops in RBIs (2,297), driving in more than 100 runs 11 times. His unique defensive style won three Gold Gloves as a right fielder. He was an All-Star in each of the 23 seasons he played, and he won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1957. Aaron also became the first player to amass both 3,000 career hits and 500 career home runs.

Considered a reserved man, Aaron began to speak out on the treatment of blacks in baseball. He believed that blacks were not being allowed entry into administrative and management positions, and that more opportunities needed to be offered to blacks.

Aaron remained resilient, and despite the hate mail, death threats and media hype, he continued the chase. On April 8, 1974 in Atlanta, Aaron broke Ruth's record with his 715th career home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing.

Soon after the 1974 season, the Braves traded him to Milwaukee, where he played his final two seasons for the Brewers. On August 1, 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Aaron now serves as corporate vice president of community relations for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) and a member of the TBS Board of Directors. As senior vice president and assistant to the president of the TBS-owned Atlanta Braves, he has helped develop the talent of many outstanding young players from the team's farm system.



Bobby Allison
Auto racing, Hueytown

Talladega may be home to Alabama racing, but Hueytown was home to Alabama's racing family, the Allisons. Bobby Allison was born in Miami, Florida in 1938 and has lived and worked in Hueytown his whole life. One of the first drivers in NASCAR, Allison raced during its formative years in the 1960s and remained a powerhouse until his career ended in 1988.

Allison's racing prowess left him tied for third place on the all-time NASCAR win list with Darrell Waltrip at 84 (the list is topped by Richard Petty). Allison won NASCAR's "Modified Special Crown" in 1962 and 1963, and the Modified Crown in 1964. Bobby won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982 and 1988, where he narrowly beat his son Davey in a close finish. He won the Winston Cup championship in 1983.

Allison once led a formidable group of Alabama drivers that included his brother Donnie, his son Davey and Neil Bonnett, also known as "The Alabama Gang".

Allison nearly died in a crash at the Pocono International Raceway on June 19, 1988. Emergency neurosurgery saved his life, but he was left brain-damaged and disabled.

Bobby continued to work with his sons, but tragedy struck again. He worked with Clifford in the Busch Grand National circuit until 1992, when Clifford died in a crash at Michigan Speedway. Adding to his suffering, Davey died in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1993.

On a brighter note, Bobby was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame that same year.

The Official Bobby Allison Site
The Allison Legacy Site



Davey Allison
Auto racing, Hueytown

Born on the eve of the 1961 Daytona 500 in Miami, Florida, the year his father made his first start in the historic race, Davey Allison was destined to follow in the family business. Davey finished fifth in his first start, a race at the state fairgrounds in Birmingham, and never looked back. He won his first race in a car he borrowed from his uncle Donnie, another NASCAR driver. Successes followed, and by February of 1988 Davey was considered one of the best young drivers in NASCAR.

Competitive and ambitious from an early age, Davey insisted that he would have become a race car driver regardless of his father's profession. Davey did every type of job in his father's race shop and became known as a professional on and off the track. With 19 Winston Cup wins between 1987 and 1993, Davey became one of the most successful and popular of NASCAR's drivers.

Davey and his father finished the 1988 Daytona 500 neck and neck; Bobby pulled ahead in the last moments to beat his son. Davey finally won his only Daytona victory in 1992, dedicating the victory to his father.

A promising career was cut short on July 12, 1993, when Davey's helicopter crashed at Talladega Superspeedway's parking lot. He died two days later at the age of 32.

Davey is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

To visit the "Official Authorized WWW Site dedicated to Davey Allison" ... click here

Charles Barkley

In his three-year college career at Auburn University, Charles Barkley earned the nickname "the Round Mound of Rebound" as he averaged 9.6 rebounds per game despite his hefty frame. Barkley was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1984 and entered the 1984 NBA Draft as a junior.

Barkley was selected in the first round (fifth overall pick) by the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played until June of 1992, when he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Four years later, in August of 1996, Barkley was traded to the Houston Rockets.

During his 14-year NBA career, Barkley has secured numerous records and awards. In 1996 he became only the 4th player in NBA history to total at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 3,500 assists. Named to the 1984-85 NBA All-Rookie Team, Barkley went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1993, and was selected in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history. He was chosen for the All-NBA First Team five times (1988 to 1991, 1993), the All-NBA Second Team five times (1986, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1995) and the All-NBA Third Team in 1996. Barkley earned his 11th consecutive All-Star selection in 1997.

A member of the original men's basketball "Dream Team" that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, he returned to the Dream Team in 1996 to win gold in Atlanta.

Barkley's on-court achievements have often been overshadowed by his off-court antics. With a tendency to be outspoken and outrageous, Barkley has earned several suspensions and fines from the NBA in his career. From fighting with referees to throwing bar patrons through windows, Barkley's behaviors have made him both popular and unpopular with the public.

Barkley is philosophical about never winning a championship and focuses instead on the great progress he has made in his life. Barkley wants to help others succeed the way he did - coming up from a small, poor Alabama town to land in the NBA. He plans to become involved in politics, and has said he will run for Governor of Alabama in 2002.



Bobby Bowden
Football, Birmingham

Robert C. (Bobby) Bowden was an all-star quarterback at Woodlawn High School. He enrolled at Alabama, but after one year, he left to return to Birmingham and marry his wife Ann. He transferred to Howard College (now Samford University) and made the Little All-American team as a quarterback there in 1951.

In 1953, Bobby joined the Howard coaching staff after graduation. After two years, he took the head coaching job at South Georgia Junior College. He returnred to Howard as head coach in 1959. From there, he came to FSU as an assistant coach and then went to West Virginia. After three years as an assistant coach at WVU, he was promoted to head coaching.

Bowden then moved on to Florida State University, where he has been head coach of the Seminoles for 22 years and has made them into a perennial national championship contender. Bowden has the NCAA record for most bowl victories (16 through the 1997-98 season) and is the only coach in the history of Division I-A football to compile 10 consecutive 10-win seasons. Bowden is fifth all-time in coaching victories with 281. FSU won the national championship in 1993.

Kevin Darwin Greene spent his college career at Auburn and now calls Alabama home. Greene played defensive end at Auburn as a walk-on, and his 69 career tackles at defensive end were topped off by 11 sacks his senior year.

Selected by the Birmingham Stallions in the 1985 USFL territorial draft, Greene was the 113th pick overall in the same year's NFL draft. He played linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams for eight seasons. Greene was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 and became a dominating force, getting 12 1/2 sacks in 1993 and leading the NFL with 14 sacks in 1994. He played for the Carolina Panthers in 1996 and is currently with the San Francisco 49ers.

Greene has one Super Bowl appearance (XXX, 1996) and four Pro Bowl appearances. A captain in the Army Reserve, Greene holds a degree in criminal justice. He lives in Anniston and owns several Gold's Gyms in Alabama.

Born in 1963, Grissom started working on cars when his dad sponsored local Alabama drivers. Grissom captained the 1981 Gadsden High football team and played on the basketball team. After graduation, he began racing on Alabama short tracks around Gadsden, often driving cars owned by his father, Wayne.

Grissom raced in the Winston All-Pro Series before moving to the Busch Grand National circuit in 1987. His early successes brought him a nomination for Alabama Pro Athlete of the Year in 1986. Grissom's consistency as a driver helped him to win the 1993 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Championship. He has 11 NASCAR Busch series wins in 185 career starts.

Grissom made his Winston Cup debut in Atlanta in 1990. In 1994 he posted three top 10 finishes to land 28th in Winston Cup points for the year and finished second to Jeff Burton for 1994 Rookie of the Year. Grissom finished 27th in Winston Cup points in 1995, with four top-10 finishes. Grissom started just 13 races in 1996, but still managed to finish 39th in the standings. His greatest Winston Cup feat to date was winning the outside pole for the 1997 Daytona 500.

Mia Hamm was born in Selma in 1972. Because Hamm's father was an Air Force pilot, the family lived in several different locations before eventually settling in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was there that her soccer career began. At 15, Hamm was the youngest female ever to play for a senior US team.

Hamm attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and helped take the Tar Heels to four consecutive NCAA women's championships. She was also an All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.

Hamm was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 17 years. In 1991, that team won the FIFA Women's World Cup. They won their second FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999.

She won her first gold medal in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics, and a silver in Sydney in 2000. In 2001 and 2002, Hamm was named FIFA's World Player of the Year. She retired in late 2004 after winning a second gold medal at the Athens Olympics.

Condredge Holloway

Condredge Holloway played quartback for Lee High School in Huntsville. He attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned All-SEC honors in 1974.

Following college, Holloway played in the Canadian Football league for 13 years. He started with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1975, where he was part of a Grey Cup championship. He was traded to the Toronto Argonauts in 1981, and had his best season in 1982, passing for 4,661 yards and being named the league's most outstanding player. Holloway helped an Argonaut franchise that went 2-14 in 1981, but landed the Grey Cup the following year. He finished his 13-year CFL career with the British Columbia Lions in 1987.

After retirement from the CFL, Holloway stayed in the Vancouver area doing various promotion-related jobs. He returned to Tennessee in 1990 to become a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater. While coaching he finished his degree in urban studies. Currently, he is general manager of the Central Hockey League's Huntsville Channel Cats.

Born on November 30, 1962 in Bessemer, Alabama, Vincent "Bo" Jackson attended high school at McAdory High School, in McCalla, Alabama. He excelled in track, football and baseball, winning recognition across the state and country. A two-time state high school decathlon champion, Jackson set state records in the 60-yard hurdles, the 120-yard hurdles, and the long jump. As a senior, Jackson gained 1,173 yards on 108 carries and scored 17 touchdowns, earned a spot as an All-State selection, and won the Birmingham Touchdown Club's Back-of-the-Year for Jefferson County.

In his junior year, Jackson pitched his high school team to a 9-1 record, while batting .450. He set the national record for homers in a season with 20 as a senior and hit .447 that same year. His career record of 90 base steals in 91 attempts complimented his hitting and pitching success. Jackson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1982 draft, but turned down a multi-year contract to attend Auburn.

Jackson's football career at Auburn can only be described as spectacular. In 1982, 1983 and 1985 he was selected All Southeastern Conference; he was named a Kodak All-American in 1983 and 1985, and received the Sugar Bowl and Liberty Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in 1984. Playing tailback for the Tigers, Jackson took home the 1985 Heisman Trophy

In 1985, Jackson was the first pick in the first round of the National Football League draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the fourth round selection in the Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. Bo chose baseball despite his No. 1 football draft pick status and signed with the Royals. His presence on the minor league circuit drew crowds to Southern League ballparks. Jackson spent four years with the Royals, and was named the MVP of the 1989 All-Star Game.

In 1987, Jackson began to pursue his second professional sports career - this time in football. He signed with the Los Angeles Raiders and played with them from 1987 to 1990.

A seemingly harmless tackle resulted in a crushed hip in 1990 ended his football career. His baseball career suffered as well, as he was released by the Royals in 1991. Soon after, Jackson signed with the White Sox and spent time in the minors rehabilitating. He was able to return to the majors on Sept. 2, 1991, and in 1992 won the Jim Thorpe Legacy Award. That same year Jackson underwent hip replacement surgery, came back to the majors in 1993, and spent one more season in Chicago. He signed with the California Angels, where he spent much of his time as a designated hitter. He retired from baseball in 1995 with 141 home runs and 415 runs batted in.



Jimmy Key
Baseball, Huntsville

A native of Huntsville, where he was born on April 22, 1961, James Edward Key took the long road to the major leagues. Drafted right out of Butler High School in Huntsville by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round of the 1979 free agent draft, Key choose not to sign, but instead went to Clemson. There he earned All-ACC honors as a pitcher and DH in 1982, compiling a 9-3 record and 2.79 ERA on the mound and hitting .300 with 21 doubles.

Key was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round of the 1982 free-agent draft. Key spent his first 11 seasons with the Blue Jays, where he appeared in 4 league championship (1985, 1989, 1991, 1992) and the 1992 World Series. He went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA to lead the Blue Jays past the Atlanta Braves.

After signing with the Yankees as a free agent in December 1992, Key had two of his best seasons. In 1993 he was 18-6, and in 1994 he led the major leagues with 17 victories and a career-high 11-game winning streak. Rotator cuff surgery in July 1995 slowed him down, and Key sat out most of the season on the disabled list. He came back in July 1996, however, to pitch 20 consecutive scoreless innings and win five games. Key prevailed in game 3 of the American League Championship Series against Baltimore, and went on to take the clincher in game 6 of the World Series against Atlanta.

Key was the only pitcher in the major leagues to record at least 12 victories per season from 1985-94. He finished second in Cy Young Award voting in 1987 and 1994 and finished fourth in 1993. He received the 1994 Players Choice Award as the outstanding AL pitcher and was named American League Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News in 1987 and 1994. Key is a four-time All-Star Game participant (1985, 1991, 1993, 1994) and a 3-time member of The Sporting News' AL All-Star Team (1987, 1993, 1994).

Key currently pitches for the Baltimore Orioles.

The eighth child of Munn and Lilly Barrow, Joseph Louis Barrow was born May 13, 1914 in Lafayette, Alabama. Louis made his boxing debut as an amateur in Detroit, winning the 1934 National Amateur Athletic Union light-heavyweight title. He turned pro later that year, winning his first 27 bouts, 23 by knockout, beating the likes of former heavyweight champions Primo Carnera and Max Baer. Louis, also known as the "Brown Bomber," earned a shot at champion James Braddock in 1937, and won the heavyweight title with a stunning performance in which he pummeled Braddock and knocked him unconscious in the eighth round.

Louis began piling up defenses, meeting challengers at a rate of once a month. His opponents were said to make up "The Bum of the Month Club." Later, he would put his career on hold to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Louis successfully defended his title 25 times with 20 knockouts, while posting a career record of 68-3 with 54 knockouts. Louis held the world heavyweight boxing championship longer than any other man in history. His last title defense was against Jersey Jo Walcott in New York on June 25, 1948. He retired in March of 1949 and later failed in two separate comeback attempts in 1950 and 1951.

Louis is buried in Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C.



Willie Mays
Baseball, Westfield

A third generation ballplayer, Willie Mays, the "Say Hey Kid" was born on May 6, 1931 into a tradition of athletics. His father and grandfather played on the all-black baseball teams of the segregated south, and his mother was a championship sprinter. Mays joined his father on a company ball team at the age of 14, and began his professional career at 16 with the Birmingham Barons in the Negro Southern League. Mays was restricted in his first season to playing home games; his parents insisted that baseball not interfere with finishing high school.

Mays was signed by the New York Giants immediately from high school. Mays quickly moved up the minors to play with the Giants in 1951 and helped the Giants win the National League pennant that year, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

After missing two seasons to serve in the U.S. Army, Mays returned to the Giants and led them to the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. An amazing over-the-shoulder catch by Mays in the first game of the series remains one of the most famous plays in baseball history. The Giants swept the Indians in four straight games, and Mays won the Hickok Belt as Pro Athlete of the Year.

Mays moved with the Giants from New York to San Francisco in 1958, and in 1966 signed a new contract that made him the highest-paid player in the game. In 1972, Mays left the Giants to play for the Mets in New York, where he retired in 1973. After a brief time with the Mets front office, Mays became a public relations executive.

Mays' outstanding career included 7,095 putouts, the all-time record for an outfielder, and a batting average of .302. He drove in more than 100 runs a year for eight years in a row, and his 660 home runs puts him in third place on the all-time home run list, behind Hank Aaron (another Alabama native) and Babe Ruth. He won the Gold Glove Award 12 times, and was voted Most Valuable Player in the National League in both 1954 and 1965. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, Mays is still considered one of the all-time greats in baseball history. In 1986, Mays returned to the San Francisco Giants, where he has a lifetime appointment as special assistant to the president of the club.

Willie McCovey

Born in 1938, Willie Lee McCovey played first base and outfield in the major leagues from 1959-80. Signed by the San Francisco Giants in 1955, McCovey was sent to the Georgia State League and then the Pacific Coast League, and joined the Giants by mid-season.

McCovey was an instant hit with fans, and finished the year with a .354 batting average and 13 home runs in only 52 games. He won the National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1959.

McCovey continued in the outfield until Orlando Cepeda was forced to give up the first base spot due to injury. From 1965 to 1974, "Stretch" played first base for the Giants. McCovey won the National League MVP award in 1969, a season in which he hit 45 homers, drove in 126 runs and posted a .656 slugging percentage. He won the National League batting title in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and lead the league in home runs in 1963 (44), 1968 (36) and 1969 (45) and RBIs in 1968 and 1969. McCovey appeared in six All-Star games, and was the All-Star Game MVP in 1969.

McCovey was traded to the San Diego Padres in 1974, had two good seasons with them, and was then traded to the Oakland Athletics. He was released at the end of the 1976 season and returned to the Giants. His 1977 season included 28 home runs, 86 RBIs, and the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. McCovey retired during the 1980 season. His career accomplishments include: a 10th-place tie with Ted Williams on the all-time home run list (521); the top home run hitting record among NL first basemen (439); a second place ranking (behind Lou Gehrig) in career grand slams (18); and a major league record for most seasons (22) as a first baseman. In 1986, he was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

McCovey now serves as a special assistant to the president and general manager, doing public and community relations work for the San Francisco Giants.

Donald Ray Mincher was born in Huntsville in 1938, and was a star for the Butler Rebels.

Mincher played 1,400 major league games from 1960-72 as a first baseman for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Oakland Athletics and Washington Senators/Texas Rangers. He hit 200 career home runs and appeared in 10 World Series Games, hitting a home run in his first World Series at-bat with the Twins in 1965.

Mincher was twice an All-Star. With the Angels in 1967, he hit 25 home runs, tied for fifth in the American League. In 1969 with the expansion Pilots, he had 25 home runs and a career-high 78 RBI. His career high in homers was 27 with the A's in 1970.

Mincher is currently the president and general manager of the Huntsville Stars, the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's.



Larry Nelson
Golf, Ft. Payne

Larry Nelson, born in 1947, is the only Alabamian to win three major tournaments on the PGA Tour, winning the PGA Championship twice (1981 and 1987) and the U.S. Open (1983).

Nelson attended Kennesaw Junior College and turned professional in 1971. He did not take up golf until after the end of his military service in Vietnam, His first tournament victory came in 1979 in the Jackie Gleason-Inverray Classic. He got his second win that same year in the Western Open.

Nelson amassed 10 PGA Tour victories and four international victories, the last being the 1991 Dunlop Phoenix in Japan. He has been selected for three U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1979, 1981 and 1987). In the 1983 U.S. Open, Nelson set a record for the final two rounds with a 10-under-par 132.

Nelson is currently on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. He currently resides in Marietta, Ga. and is active in golf course design and management in the Atlanta area. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.



Ozzie Newsome
Football, Sheffield

Ozzie Newsome was born in 1956 in Sheffield. At the University of Alabama (1974-77), he started in 48 consecutive games and led them to a 42-6

Newsome was drafted by the National Football League's Cleveland Browns and played in but six games from 1978-90. He is the all-time leading receiver in Cleveland history and the all-time receiver among tight ends in the NFL. Newsome is ninth among receivers in NFL history with 662 catches. He earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and was named to the All-NFL Teams of the '80s.

Newsome is currently the vice president for player personnel with the Baltimore Ravens.



Jesse Owens
Track, Danville

James C. Owens was born in 1913. As a high schooler in Cleveland, Ohio, Jesse Owens set world records of 9.4 seconds in the 100 yard dash, 20.7 secords in the 200 yard dash and a 24' 11 3/4" broad jump. In 1935, at the Big 10 championships representing Ohio State, he set three new world records in the 220 yard low hurdles, the broad jump, and tied the 100 yard dash world record.

In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Owens set records in the 200 meter, the broad jump, as part of the 400 meter relay team, and tied the record in the 100 meter. He became the fourth American to win three or more gold medals in an Olympic meet.

In 1976, he was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1979, he received the Living Legends Award. He died in 1980.

Leroy Robert Paige (1906-1982) was a pitcher known for his charisma and colorful antics on the mound. He is also known for his career longevity -- he played professional baseball from 1924 to 1965. He was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1971.

Paige's career took him through Birmingham with the Black Barons in 1927. By the time he signed with the Nashville Elite Giants in 1931, Paige was already regarded as the premier pitcher of Negro baseball. In 1932, he played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords, where he won a league championship. In 1937, he left to play in the Dominican Republic.

At the age of 42, Paige signed with the Cleveland Indians to become the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball. He pitched to a 6-1 record and helped the Indians win an American League pennant. Paige joined the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and won 12 games in 1952 at the age of 46, becoming the oldest player ever selected to an All-Star team.

In his fifties, Paige played for the Miami Marlins of the International League, walking only 54 batters in 340 innings. After a three-inning appearance with the Kansas City Athletics, Paige retired in 1965.



Ken Stabler
Football, Foley

Ken Michael Stabler was born Christmas Day in 1945 in Foley. Stabler, also known as "The Snake", was All-Arnerican at the University of Alabama from 1965-67. He quarterbacked the Tide to the 1965 national championship, an undefeated season in 1966 and a win in the 1967 Sugar Bowl.

Stabler entered the National Football League in 1970 with the Oakland Raiders and stayed with them through 1979, winning Super Bowl XI in 1977. He became the third Tide quarterback to win a Super Bowl and also won the Hickock Belt as the top professional athlete of the year. Stabler finished his NFL career with two years with the Houston Oilers and three years with the New Orleans Saints.

In 1986, Stabler was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

John Stallworth attended Alabama A&M University in Huntsville and became the Bulldogs' all-time leading receiver and the first Bulldog to go to the Senior Bowl.

Stallworth was taken in the fourth round of the 1974 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 14 seasons for the Steelers, twice named the team's Most Valuable Player and in 1982 named to the all-time Steelers' team. Stallworth played in eight conference championship games and four Super Bowls (IX (1975), X (1976), XIII (1979) and XIV (1980)), winning all four.

Stallworth was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He is currently a small business administrator in Huntsville.

Bryan Bartlett Starr was an All-American quarterback at Sidney Lanier High in Montgomery before a four-year college career at the University of Alabama (1952-55).

Starr was drafted in the 17th round by the Green Bay Packers in 1956. During his 15 years in Green Bay, Starr's precision passing helped the Packers win five NFL championships and two Super Bowl victories (I and II), both of which he won the Most Valuable Player award. A four-time player in the Pro Bowl, he was the league's MVP in 1966 and passing leader three years (1962, '64, '66). Starr finished with 24,718 career passing yards and 152 touchdowns.

After his playing career, Starr stayed with the Packers as quarterbacks coach in 1972 and head coach from 1975-83. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Hut Stricklin began his racing career on local tracks, inspired by his father Waymond Sr. and Bobby and Donnie Allison. He won Limited Sportsman Alabama State championships in 1978 and 1979, followed by division titles in 1982 and 1984.

Stricklin then joined the NASCAR ranks and took the 1986 NASCAR Goody's Dash Series championship with nine wins. He raced in three Winston Cup events in 1987 on his way to the top level. Competing in the Winston Cup series full-time in 1989, he won the Rookie of the Year title.

Through the 1997 season, Stricklin has 27 top ten finishes and eight top five finishes.

Pat Sullivan is a 1968 graduate of John Carroll High School in Birmingham, and from there he had an All-American career as quarterback for Auburn University.

Sullivan was a three-year starter for the Tigers, culminating with winning the Heisman Trophy in 1971. He was a two-year consensus All-American.

In the National Football League from 1972-77 , he played four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and one season with the Washington Redskins.

Sullivan was quarterbacks coach at Auburn for seven years before taking the head coaching job at Texas Christian University in 1992. He remained the Horned Frogs' coach until 1997.

In 1991, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Don Howard Sutton was born in Clio in Barbour County in 1945.

Sutton was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 1964 for $7,500. After two years in the minors, Sutton joined the Dodgers in 1966 and helped them to a National League pennant with 209 strikeouts as a rookie. In 1972, he had a career-high 18 complete games and led the NL with nine shutouts. The Dodgers won another NL title in 1974, and in 1976, Sutton posted his only 20-win season (21-10). In 1977, Sutton was the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, and the Dodgers won another National League title that year and the next. His 2.21 ERA in 1980 was the best in the league.

Sutton signed with the Houston Astros in 1981, winning 24 games over two seasons, but was traded to the pennant-contending Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. He helped the Brewers win the American League championship that season.

Sutton stayed with the Brewers until 1984, when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics and then to the California Angels the next year. In June 1986, he notched his 300th victory.

Sutton finished his career after the 1988 season with 324 victories (tied for 12th all-time with Nolan Ryan) and fifth on the all-time strikeout list with 3,574. He went to the All-Star game four times. Since his retirement, he has been a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. In 1998, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.