41.8501° N, 87.6499° W

CHICAGO

Most Famous People Born in Chicago, USA

Notable people
7,467
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1940
Most distinctive
Baseball 5.2×

Big shoulders, broad bench. Chicago's notables are spread evenly across actors, politicians, and four major-league sports — the city is the dataset's largest baseball-and-basketball over-index outside the coasts — alongside a deep screenwriter and novelist tradition that gave the world Saul Bellow, David Mamet, and Ben Hecht. No single category dominates the way film does in Los Angeles or Wall Street does in New York, and the music economy alone runs from blues and house to first-wave hip-hop.

Standouts

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 850 notable births.

What Chicago Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Chicago's biggest profession — 11% of all notables (813).

Chicago over-indexes on baseball 5.2× the global rate.

Chicago under-produces politician — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Actor 813 2.0×
  2. Politician 469 0.5×
  3. Football 462 0.6×
  4. Baseball 441 5.2×
  5. Basket 398 4.2×
  6. Music 312 2.9×
  7. Writer 220 0.9×
  8. Singer 207 1.3×
  1. Baseball 441 5.2×
  2. Basket 398 4.2×
  3. Screenwriter 128 3.9×
  4. Novelist 96 3.3×
  5. Music 312 2.9×
  6. Actor 813 2.0×
  7. Film 168 1.8×
  1. Politician 469 0.5×
  2. Football 462 0.6×
  3. Painter 116 0.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Chicago's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
All7,467
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Showing 748 of 7,467 notable people

5734 PLAYER

Rick Rudeen

Born 1962

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5735 MUSIC

Girard Rhoden

Born 1961

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5736 FILM

Frank E. Jackson Jr.

Born 1965

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5738 ARTIST

Michelle Handelman

Born 1960

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5742 POLITICIAN

Gerron Levi

Born 1968

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5747 FOOTBALL

Andre Townsend

Born 1962

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5763 BUSINESS

Robert K. Watson

Born 1961

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5764 PLAYER

Dean Goldfine

Born 1965

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5785 ACTOR

Craig Hurley

Born 1968

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5796 FOOTBALL

Bill Johnson (defensive tackle)

Born 1968

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5837 ACTOR

Tab Baker

1960 - 2010

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5847 JOURNALIST

Dawn Stensland-Mendte

Born 1964

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5863 COLLECTOR

Sandy Kemper

Born 1965

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5874 BASEBALL

Tony Randazzo (umpire)

Born 1965

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5876 PAINTER

René Romero-Schuler

Born 1968

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5887 PHOTOGRAPHER

Annie Crawley

Born 1968

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5900 COMPOSER

Richard Scott Cohen

Born 1960

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5905 RADIO

Nick Digilio

Born 1965

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5914 THEATRICAL

Ari Roth

Born 1961

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5926 POLITICIAN

Annazette Collins

Born 1962

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5930 BASKET

Tracy Dildy

Born 1966

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5938 DERMATOLOGIST

Lidia Rudnicka

Born 1960

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5955 RESTAURATEUR

Michael Morton (restaurateur)

Born 1964

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5972 BASEBALL

Mike Heathcott

Born 1969

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5981 MUSIC

Steve Poindexter

Born 1965

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5983 MUSIC

Bruce Eisenbeil

Born 1963

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5991 POLITICAL

Fred Hampton Jr.

Born 1969

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6002 POLITICIAN

Deborah L. Graham

Born 1966

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6005 MILITAR

James Hickey (soldier)

Born 1960

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6006 POLITICIAN

Jim Lembke

Born 1961

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6010 MUSIC

Rod McGaha

Born 1961

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6011 GUITAR

Mike Wheeler (musician)

Born 1961

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6014 WRITER

Laura Frankel (chef)

Born 1961

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6019 MUSIC

Derek Frigo

1966 - 2004

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6028 POLITICIAN

Mark Baker (Mississippi politician)

Born 1962

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6032 ARTIST

Art Paul Schlosser

Born 1960

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6034 HANDBALL

Yaro Dachniwsky

Born 1963

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6044 FOOTBALL

Tim Tyrrell

Born 1961

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6048 ACTOR

Gerit Quealy

Born 1960

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6054 BASEBALL

Bill Risley

Born 1967

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6060 COACH

Marvin Sanders

Born 1967

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6074 COACH

George Barlow (American football)

Born 1967

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6080 BASEBALL

Steve Ellsworth

Born 1960

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6083 FOOTBALL

John Kropke

Born 1966

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6089 ACTOR

Carl Amari

Born 1963

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6093 POLITICIAN

Tami Wiencek

Born 1960

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6098 SCREENWRITER

Scott Lew

1968 - 2017

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6104 GOLF

Matt Peterson

Born 1967

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6106 BASKET

Anthony Watson (basketball)

Born 1964

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6111 BASEBALL

Jim Walewander

Born 1962

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6112 BASKET

Lowell Hamilton

Born 1966

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6114 PROSECUTOR

David H. Hoffman

Born 1967

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6117 EDUCATOR

Tim King

Born 1967

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6119 ARTIST

Dread Scott

Born 1965

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6153 DIPLOMAT

Mary Catherine Phee

Born 1963

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6186 CHEF

Charlie Ayers

Born 1966

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6196 PRESENTER

Genie Godula

Born 1967

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6202 BUSINESS

Jon Hirschtick

Born 1962

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6203 ATTORNEY

Dennis K. Burke

Born 1962

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6213 ACTOR

Christian Payton

Born 1965

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6219 MANAGEMENT

Andrew Velasquez

Born 1969

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6221 PRODUCER

Bill Appleberry

Born 1967

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6222 FOOTBALL

Paul McJulien

Born 1965

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6236 POLITICIAN

Chris Herrod

Born 1965

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6239 BASEBALL

Ben Shelton

Born 1969

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6242 FOOTBALL

Bohdan Nedilsky

Born 1967

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6249 POLITICIAN

Walter Burnett Jr.

Born 1963

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6256 POLITICIAN

Diane Evers (politician)

Born 1963

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6270 REPUBLICAN

Frank Hibbard

Born 1967

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6289 POLITICIAN

Angela Coleman

Born 1963

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6294 MUSIC

Pierre Kezdy

1964 - 2020

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6302 MISSING

Michael Sorrell

Born 1966

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6312 JOURNALIST

Pete Pistone

Born 1964

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6316 FILM

Frank Donner (film producer)

Born 1963

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6330 REPUBLICAN

Randy Stufflebeam

Born 1960

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6332 ACTOR

Amy Tolsky

Born 1961

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6333 HOCKEY

Manuel Guerra Jr.

Born 1967

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6368 MUSIC

Walter Daniels

Born 1963

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6378 FILM

James R. Rosenthal

1968 - 2011

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6416 POLITICIAN

Joe Wiegand

Born 1965

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6436 JOURNALIST

Phil Rosenthal

Born 1963

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6478 EXECUTIVE

Cappriccieo Scates

Born 1969

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6508 POLITICIAN

Brian K. Hopkins

Born 1961

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6544 DRIVER

Philip Collin

Born 1963

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6547 SINGER

Biscuit Miller

Born 1961

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6548 FOOTBALL

Ron Weissenhofer

Born 1964

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6555 POLITICIAN

Marlow H. Colvin

Born 1964

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6562 ARTIST

Christopher Csíkszentmihályi

Born 1968

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6564 POLITICIAN

Dave Sullivan (Illinois politician)

Born 1964

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6576 POLITICIAN

Antonio R. Riley

Born 1963

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6588 CALLIGRAPHER

Mickie Caspi

Born 1961

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6592 SONGWRITER

Darius Brooks

Born 1963

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6600 PRODUCER

Rodney Jackson

Born 1967

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6604 SKATER

Larry Holliday

Born 1964

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6607 FOOTBALL

Richard Buchanan (American football)

Born 1969

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6620 POLITICIAN

Jeff Fitzgerald

Born 1966

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6634 BASEBALL

Derek Lee (baseball)

Born 1966

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6642 COMPOSER

Bill Doerrfeld

Born 1964

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6655 LAWYER

Carlos G. Muñiz

Born 1969

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6658 POLITICIAN

David H. Moore

Born 1965

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6666 SPORT

John Baxter (American football)

Born 1963

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6669 ARCHITECT

Patricia Saldaña Natke

Born 1964

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6675 BUSINESS

Tim Hunter (CEO)

Born 1968

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6678 SPRINT

Albert Robinson (athlete)

Born 1964

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6695 SONGWRITER

Mark Hubbard

Born 1966

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6696 WRITER

ArLynn Leiber Presser

Born 1960

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6700 JOURNALIST

Marc Spiegler

Born 1968

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6711 BASEBALL

Scott Lusader

Born 1963

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6718 RUNNER

Daniel Lopez (athlete)

Born 1968

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6720 BOXER

Jerry Rosenberg (boxer)

Born 1960

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6746 FOOTBALL

Chet Winters

Born 1960

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6759 COMPOSER

Kenn Smith

Born 1962

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6775 FOOTBALL

John Foley (American football)

Born 1968

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6781 SONGWRITER

Shari Addison

Born 1962

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6787 AUTHOR

Victor Antonio González

Born 1963

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6802 POLITICIAN

Connie L. Johnson

Born 1969

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6805 BASKET

Darron Brittman

Born 1962

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6819 ROWER

Christine Campbell (rower)

Born 1964

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6821 SINGER

Cedric Ford

Born 1968

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6822 RADIO

Mark Wilson (radio broadcaster)

Born 1960

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6856 ACTOR

Jonathan Fraser

Born 1967

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6872 ENGINEER

Hugh Daniel

1962 - 2013

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6875 PSYCHOLOGIST

Marilynn Brewer

Born 1968

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6883 EMPLOYEE

Cheryle Robinson Jackson

Born 1965

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6889 HOCKEY

Patrick Byrne (sledge hockey)

Born 1965

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6910 BASKET

Mike New

Born 1968

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6927 ARCHITECT

Joseph Tanney

Born 1961

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6933 MARKETING

Tony Weisman

Born 1960

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7082 WRITER

Nathan Gelb

Born 1962

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7087 DESIGNER

Mike Nystul

Born 1966

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7144 BUSINESS

David A. Hirsch

Born 1960

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7169 MUSIC

Kyle Horch

Born 1964

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7182 DARTS PLAYER

Chuck Pankow

Born 1969

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7188 FOOTBALL

John McGarry (American football)

Born 1963

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7193 HOCKEY

Dan Henderson (sledge hockey)

Born 1965

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7204 SWIMMER

Mihály Richárd Bodor

Born 1962

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7220 FOOTBALL

Gregg Willin

Born 1964

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7224 ARTIST

Guadalupe Casasnovas

Born 1960

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7236 FOOTBALL

Paul Richardson Sr.

Born 1969

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7241 ARTIST

Kristine Aono

Born 1960

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7249 MUSIC

Deborah Weisz

Born 1962

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7291 LAWYER

Steven D. Ecker

Born 1961

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7312 BASEBALL

David White (baseball)

Born 1961

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7331 BASKET

Rondey Robinson

Born 1967

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7345 FIGHTER

Eugene Blackmon Jr.

1960 - 1998

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7364 TEACHER

Garrard McClendon

Born 1969

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7379 PUBLISHER

Steve Zeldin

Born 1963

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7440 FOOTBALL

Mitchell Brookins

1960 - 1993

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