Category: Hall Of Fame

Former MLB player Birthplace:Waukegan, IL You Know Him As:Former catcher for the Chicago Cubs Did You Know?:Bob O’Farrell (October 19, 1896 – February 20, 1988) was an American professional baseball player and manager.  He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 21 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and the New York Giants. He was considered as one of the greatest defensive catchers of his generation. O’Farrell was born in Waukegan, Illinois where he grew up a Chicago White Sox fan. He signed with the Cubs in 1915 after playing an exhibition game for his local semi-professional team. Source: wikipedia More

Former MLB player Birthplace:Racine, WI You Know Him From:Professional baseball pitcher in the 1980s. Shane William Rawley (born July 27, 1955, in Racine, Wisconsin) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from 1978 through 1989, for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Minnesota Twins. Rawley was selected to the National League All-Star team in 1986 as a member of the Phillies. The next year, he won a career high 17 games, leading the N.L. in games started with 36. In his major league career, Rawley’s record was 111-118, with 991 strikeouts and a 4.02 ERA. Source: wikipedia More

Current MLB broadcaster Birthplace: Racine, WI. You Know Him As: The voice of the San Francisco Giants Duane Eugene Kuiper (born June 19, 1950 in Racine) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, and is a five-time Emmy award-winning radio and television sportscaster for the San Francisco Giants. Along with former major league pitcher Mike Krukow, they now form the broadcast duo known as “Kruk and Kuip”. Kuiper was drafted by the New York Yankees out of Jerome I. Case High School in Racine, Wisconsin in the twelfth round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose instead to attend Indian Hills Community College. He was drafted by the Seattle Pilots, Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds while attending Indian Hills, but did not sign with any of these clubs. After a season at Southern Illinois University, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth... More

NBA basketball player Birthplace: Racine, WI You Know Him As: Forward for the Phoenix Suns (as of July 2013) Did you know?:Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980), is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. Butler was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, where he suffered through a rough childhood; he was a drug dealer at age 11 and arrested 15 times before the age of 15. Caron discovered his love for basketball while at the detention center. Butler played in AAU basketball in ’98 and ’99. After a brief career at Washington Park High School, he enrolled at Maine Central Institute where he was successful enough to receive a scholarship to play at University of Connecticut for coach Jim Calhoun for two years.   Butler was a lottery pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, selected with the 10th overall pick by the... More

UFC fighter Birthplace: Kenosha, WI You Know Him As: That guy who beats other people up. Did you know?  Ben Rothwell (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rothwell started fighting in 1999 at the age of 17, when he was learning self-defense. He began his training under Dave Strasser in Kenosha WI, He has trained under Pat Miletich and Duke Roufus. Rothwell cites his mother Victoria, a caterer, his wife, and his daughter as the most motivational people in his life, and his personal hero is George Washington. As of July, 2013, he sports a UFC record of 32-9-0 (winning 16 of his last 20), his strongest traits being his well-rounded abilities, speed, size, and strength. Sources: Wikipedia, ufc.com More

NFL player Birthplace: Racine, WI You Know Him As: Former lineman for the Green Bay Packers. Kevin Barry (born July 20, 1979 in Racine) is a retired American football offensive tackle. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Arizona. He is most famous for being the 6th offensive lineman in Green Bay’s U-71 formation, named for Barry’s uniform number (he played for the Packers from 2002 – 2006). Barry has also been a member of the Houston Texans and Florida Tuskers of the United Football League before suffering an arm injury which led to his retirement. Source: Wikipedia More

Former NFL player Birthplace: Racine, WI You Know Him As: Cornerback for the 49ers in the 50s and 60s. Did You Know?”Jerry Mertens (born January 5, 1936 in Racine, Wisconsin) is a former American football cornerback who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers. Mertens, a high-school standout at Racine Saint Catherine’s, was named to the NFL Pro Bowl in 1958, his rookie season. Mertens was officially a member of the 49ers during the 1966 season, although his career was over. Jerry ended his own career when he delivered a bone crushing hit to Jim Taylor for a six yard loss, which resulted in him breaking his neck. He was forced to sit on the sidelines for the reminder of the game. The doctors had failed in finding the fractured bones, until the next day when he had awoken from chronic pain in his... More