Legends of Sportsball

Richard Alexander Ankiel was born July 19th, 1979, in Fort Pierce, Florida to parents Richard Patrick Ankiel and Denise Turton. Growing up, Rick loved to play baseball, but his father was an over-bearing, “know it all” parent when it came to sports. He was worse at home, where he was a physically abusive drunk and dealt hard drugs. Baseball then became something Rick had to do, in order to get out...

Toni Kukoc was born on September 18th, 1968 in Split, Croatia to parents, Ante and Radojka Kukoc. His father had been an exceptional athlete, and passed the fervor for sports onto Toni at an early age. Toni would play soccer, but had displayed such good hand-eye coordination, that he would pick up ping pong, where as an adolescent, he would win multiple youth titles. Toni would continue to shoot u...

Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. was born May 16th, 1928, in Berkley, California to Al Martin Sr., and Jenny Sulvani. Al Jr. would get the nickname “Billy” from his grandmother, who never mastered the English language, and would often call him “bello”; both Spanish and Italian for “beautiful or handsome”. Billy’s parents would split early in his life, with his mother shouldering the parenting as Al Sr., w...

Gary Antonian Sheffield was November 18th, 1968 in Tampa, Florida. His mother Betty was the older sister of Dwight Gooden. Betty chose to raise Gary on her own, moving the the two of them to Belmont Heights, near the notorious Ponce de Leon projects with the Gooden’s. During his childhood, Gary and Dwight did everything together, with Dwight often hauling Gary out of bed, handing him a bat, and ma...

Gaylord Jackson Perry was born September 15th, 1938 in Williamstown, North Carolina to farmers Evan and Ruby Perry. Gaylord and his older brother, Jim, grew up plowing the fields of the family farm with a mule, yet Gaylord entertained dreams of being a cowboy or even a pro baseball player. Though their labor was needed, their father gave them as much free time as practical to learn and pursue thei...

Errick Lynne Williams Jr., and his twin sister, Cassandra, we born May 21st, 1977, in San Diego, California to Errick and Sandy Williams. Ricky grew up in a middle-class home, but his parents would divorce when he was five. His mother worked days and attended night school, while Ricky took care of his sister at home, tucking them in and even cooking. Williams led a distracted life early on and his...

Leon Joseph Roberts III, nicknamed “Bip”, was born on October 27th, 1963, in Berkley, California. Growing up in Oakland, drugs were prevalent in Bip’s immediate atmosphere. They were right there at home. Turning to drugs would have been all too easy, but at an early age, Bip turned to baseball instead. Bip knew by age five that he was going to play pro ball and by high school, others were starting...

Mario Melvin Soto was born July 12th, 1956, in Baní, Dominican Republic. Though very little is known about his upbringing, Mario was known for his fiery temper from an early age. The Cincinnati Reds would go on to sign Mario at the age of 16, citing that the youngster had a solid, hard fastball in the mid-to-low 90’s and a mind-baffling circle change-up. While developing in the minor leagues, Soto...

Mildred Ella Didrikson was born June 26th, 1911, in Port Arthur, Texas, the sixth of an eventual seven children. Her mother, Hannah, and father, Ole, were immigrants from Norway. Mildred preferred to go by the name “Babe”, a name which she claimed was given to her after hitting five home runs in a childhood game of baseball, though her mother would have told you she’d always called her that. Babe...

Edith Grace Houghton was born February 10th, 1912, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, and was the youngest of ten children. When Edith was six, her family moved to Diamond Street in Philly, where directly across the street, was a baseball diamond, and when it was free, the kids in the neighborhood would start a game. Edith’s father, William, who was a distributor for grocery stores, was also a skilled...

Grant Henry Hill was born October 5th, 1972, to Calvin and Janet Hill in Dallas, Texas. His mother was a successful attorney and consultant, and his father was a running back for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Football Team, and Cleveland Browns. As an only child, Grant grew up in Reston, Virginia, an upper-middle class neighborhood. Hill never wanted to stick out, and even though his driveway oft...

George Kenneth Griffey was born April 10, 1950 in Donora, Pennsylvania, one of five children to Ruth and Joseph “Buddy” Griffey. When Ken was two years old, Buddy moved to Ohio on a work transfer while Ruth refused to move with him. Ken would not see his father again for 16 years. Growing up, Griffey attended Donora High School where he was a 4-sport athlete in baseball, basketball, football, and...

Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born June 23, 1940 in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee, to Blanche Rudolph. Wilma was born prematurely at 4.5 pounds and was the 20th of 22 children from her father Ed’s two marriages. Wilma would grow up in Clarksville, Tennessee but would suffer from several early childhood illnesses including pneumonia, scarlet fever, and infantile paralysis caused by polio. Because there wa...

Edward Gay Robinson was born February 13, 1919 in Jackson, Louisiana; his father was a sharecropper and his mother was a domestic worker. By third grade, Eddie was infatuated with football “I liked to hang around the bench and see what the coach was doing” he’d once recalled. Eddie knew what he wanted to become. The dye was cast. He’d graduate in 1937 from McKinley High School in Baton Rouge, and...

Douglas Williams was born August 9th, 1955, in Zachary, Louisiana, to Laura Williams and Robert Williams, Sr. The sixth of eight children, he grew up in a poor but happy household and began playing baseball, football, and basketball at an early age. Doug began playing football seriously at Chaneyville High School, but did not appreciate being inserted at linebacker, where he disliked the rough nat...

Our first annual season finale awards show, The Sportys.  We award "Golden Peaches" to winners in five unique categories.

Stephon Xavier Marbury was born February 20, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York, to Mabel and Don Marbury, their sixth of an eventual seven children. The Marburys lived and grew up in the Coney Island Houses project at the end of four subway lines; a place where very few paths led out. Stephon’s older brothers can be credited for the youngster’s development early on, with a 9-year-old Stephon putting on...

Christian Emeka Okoye, was born on August 16, 1961 in Enugu, Nigeria, as a member of the Igbo ethnic group. Growing up, Okoye mainly played soccer, while also competing as a sprinter and thrower on his high school track and field team. When Christian arrived in the U.S. at the age of 21, he joined the track and field squad at California’s Azusa Pacific University.  Okoye excelled athletically, win...

LeGarrette Montez Blount was born December 5, 1986 in Madison, Florida to parents Gary and Barbara Blount. LeGarrette grew up with two siblings, a sister, Tareaka and a brother, Jontavian. Gary Blount had been a local high school football standout which led to LeGarrette’s pursuit of his own football dreams. At Terry County High School, LaGarrette was a two-sport athlete in football and track&...

Alexander George Karras was born July 15, 1935 in Gary, Indiana, to his parents Dr. George Karras, a Greek immigrant, and Emmeline Karras, a Canadian immigrant. Alex was the youngest of three boys; his brother Lou was 8 years older than he, and Ted was just a year older. Dr. Karras opened a medical practice in Gary, but would die suddenly when Alex was 13. Alex had learned to play football in a pa...

This episode features special guests Lee Kimbrell and Billy Devore ("The New Nasty Boys" podcast). José Antonio Rijo Abreu was born May 13th, 1965 in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. Rijo was raised in poverty but was able to pick up baseball at an early age, and soon aspired to play in the major leagues. By the time he was 12, José was playing organized baseball with real bats and bal...

Kordell Stewart was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 16th, 1972 to Robert and Florence Stewart. Kordell grew up in Marrero, a suburb of New Orleans, where his father was a barber, house-painter, and carpenter. Growing up was difficult for Stewart, who would lose his mother at age 11 to liver cancer. Kordell would spend his free time helping his father in his various endeavors, as well as...

Legends of Sportsball: Halloween Sportacular

John Daly was born April 28, 1966 in Carmichael, California to Jim and Lou Daly. The Daly family moved around small towns in the southern states for most of John’s early life, but he began loving and learning golf at the age of 5. When John was 10 his family moved to Orange County, Virginia where he would learn to play at a golf course in Locust Grove. When he was just 13, John won the Spring Club...

Cheryl Miller was born January 3rd, 1964 in Riverside, California; the third of five children to Saul and Carrie Miller. The Miller children grew up with a backyard basketball court and it was there that Cheryl would begin to hone her raw talent. With competitive brothers, who all were great athletes, Cheryl would come to stand out as one of the best athletes in the whole neighborhood. By freshmen...