Top 10 March 29 Birthdays

Dishonorable Mention: March 29, 1790: John Tyler. Ordinarily, if a birthday is held by only one President of the United States, that President would be Number 1 on the list. But Tyler was not like other Presidents.

He served Virginia in both houses of Congress, and as Governor in between. In 1840, despite having been a member of the Democratic Party, he was nominated for Vice President by the Whig Party, along with William Henry Harrison, known as "Old Tippecanoe" for his victory at that Indiana battle. It was the 1st of many rhyming slogans in American Presidential campaigns: "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." They won, but when Harrison died on April 4, 1841, Tyler became the 1st Vice President to become President, the 10th President of the United States.

Having already upset the Democrats, he told the Cabinet that he, not they -- especially Secretary of State Daniel Webster, a longtime Senator who never tried to run for President -- would be running the country. This upset the Whigs. In 1844, he didn't run for a term of his own, realizing he was a man without a party.

In 1861, early in the American Civil War, he was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives. He accepted his election. This made him the 1st former President of the United States to betray the United States. He died before he could be sworn in.

Dishonorable Mention: March 29, 1899: Lavrentiy Beria. One of the worst officials in the Soviet Union in the Joseph Stalin era, and he came damn close to being Stalin's successor, and then the whole world might have been up the creek.

Somewhat Honorable Mention: March 29, 1916: Eugene McCarthy. The Minnesota Democrat was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1948, and the U.S. Senate in 1958. Not a fan of the Kennedy family -- he privately suggested that he, rather than Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, should be America's 1st Catholic President -- he gave a rousing speech suggesting a 3rd nomination for President for Adlai Stevenson at the 1960 Democratic Convention. It got a lot of cheers, but it was a last hurrah for Stevenson.

In 1967, McCarthy challenged incumbent Democratic President Lyndon Johnson over the Vietnam War. His antiwar stance and poetry-tinged speeches inspired thousands of American college students to cut their hair, put on suits, and campaign for him: It was called "Go clean for Gene." It led to McCarthy coming close to beating LBJ in the 1968 New Hampshire Primary. That led Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York to get into the race, and LBJ to get out. With RFK also opposing the war, McCarthy's main reason for running was gone, and he dropped out in favor of Vice President Hubert Humphrey, his fellow Minnesotan, after RFK was assassinated.

Except he refused to publicly endorse Humphrey until it was too late, perhaps costing him the election, presaging Bernie Sanders' actions in the 2016 election, and living up to what William Loeb, the archconservative publisher of New Hampshire's Union Leader newspaper, called him: "A skunk's skunk's skunk." McCarthy ran again in 1976, on a 3rd-party campaign, and nearly cost Jimmy Carter that election.

Dishonorable Mention: March 29, 1918: Sam Walton. The founder of Walmart led to the destruction of millions of small businesses and thousands of small American towns.

Dishonorable Mention: March 29, 1928: Vincent Gigante. "The Chin" was alleged to have shot Mob boss Frank Costello in 1957, and eventually risen to run the Genovese crime family starting in 1981. Other gangsters, even Gambino family had John Gotti, held him in such awe that they wouldn't speak his name aloud: They would just point to their chins.

He became known as "The Oddfather" for his method of avoiding prosecution: He had two guys walk him around Greenwich Village in his bathrobe, making it look like he was mentally ill, all the while really showing that he was more powerful even than Gotti. He was finally convicted in 1997.

Somewhat Honorable Mention: March 29, 1943: John Major. Prime Minister of Britain from 1990 to 1997, he wasn't as bad as his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher. But he wasn't especially good, either.

10. March 29, 1964: Elle Macpherson. The Australian supermodel took over the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1980s. Another supermodel, Jill Goodacre Connick, was born the exact same day.

9. March 29, 1874: Lou Henry Hoover. Wife of President Herbert Hoover, she was not an especially notable First Lady, but coming before Eleanor Roosevelt probably didn't help. Not counting men who were already widowers when they became President, Herbert Hoover is the only President to outlive his wife by more than 20 years.

8. March 29, 1927: John McLaughlin. A former priest, he was a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon, and remained a Nixon defender to the end. From 1982 until his death in 2016, he moderated The McLaughlin Group on NBC, sometimes with conservative tyranny, sometimes with good humor -- a combination that served him well during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan.

7. March 29, 1943: Eric Idle. The most musically talented of the Monty Python boys, he was also behind the Beatles parody The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash.

6. March 29, 1892: József Mindszenty. One of the few notable figures to have opposed both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, the Hungarian Cardinal was imprisoned by both Fascists and Communists, and is considered a candidate for sainthood for this.

5. March 29, 1918: Pearl Bailey. A Broadway legend, she was appointed a Special Ambassador by President Richard Nixon. She sang the National Anthem before World Series Games 5 in 1969 and 1 in 1977, and can be seen on the 1969 World Series highlight film talking about the "Miracle Mets," invoking their key word: "It's amazing! It's amazing!"

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1940: Astrud Gilberto. In America, the song may be more associated with saxophonist Stan Getz, who played on it, but it was Astrud who sang "The Girl from Ipanema."

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1943: Vangelis. Born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, the Greek composer wrote the theme to Carl Sagan's PBS series Cosmos, and won an Oscar for Best Score for the film Chariots of Fire. He also wrote the music for Blade Runner.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1944: Terry Jacks. The Canadian singer hit Number 1 on the U.S. charts with "Seasons In the Sun" in 1974. One of those songs that people either love (as I do) or really hate.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1959: Perry Farrell. Leader of the rock bands Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros.

4. March 29, 1955: Earl Campbell. The running back won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Texas in 1977, the NFL's Rookie of the Year with the Houston Oilers in 1978, and the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1979.

He was a 5-time Pro Bowler, but injuries limited his career to just 8 seasons. He rushed for 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-time Team.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1902: Don Miller. The running back was one of the "Four Horsemen" who led Notre Dame to win the 1924 National Championship. He only played 1 season of pro football, in 1925 for the Hartford Blues, spent a few years as a college assistant coach, and then practiced law in Cleveland.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1917: Tommy Holmes. In 1945, the outfielder made the All-Star Game, led the National League in home runs, and had a 37-game hitting streak, longest in the NL between 1897 and 1978. He made the All-Star Game again in 1948, helping the Boston Braves win the Pennant. His lifetime batting average was .302.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1952: Rainer Bonhof. The midfielder helped Borussia Mönchengladbach win 4 Bundesliga (German league) titles in the 1970s, and helped West Germany win the 1974 World Cup and the Euros in 1972 and 1980.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1952: Teófilo Stevenson. He is the only heavyweight boxer to win 3 Olympic Gold Medals: 1972 in Munich, 1976 in Montreal, and 1980 in Moscow. But because Fidel Castro wouldn't let him, he never fought professionally, so we never got to see him fight Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman or Larry Holmes.

Somewhat Honorable Mention: March 29, 1944: Denny McLain. The last major league pitcher to win 30 games in a season, he went 31-6 for the Detroit Tigers in 1968, winning the World Series, the American League's Most Valuable Player award, and the Cy Young Award. He won the Cy again in 1969, winning 55 games over 2 seasons.

Then it all fell apart. His bad behavior caught up with him, and so did injuries. From September 1963 to September 1969, he was 114-57. From then on, between injuries and suspensions, he was 17-41, and threw his last professional pitch just before his 29th birthday. After baseball, he got involved in some shady operations, and went to prison twice.

He titled his 1st memoir Nobody's Perfect, and his 2nd I Told You I Wasn't Perfect. They make Jim Bouton's Ball Four look like the kids' baseball books it replaced.

Somewhat Honorable Mention: March 29, 1962: Billy Beane. A mediocre outfielder, his last game came with the Oakland Athletics in 1989. Although he was not included on the postseason roster, he got a World Series ring.

Since 1998, he has been in charge of personnel decisions for the A's. In 23 seasons, they have made the Playoffs 11 times, including 7 as American League Western Division Champions. They have done so through a policy known as "Moneyball," where they rely on on-base percentage more than batting average, and avoid spending big on free agents. It was so successful, a movie was made about it, starring Brad Pitt as Beane.

Did I say it was successful? In 2006, the A's won the AL Division Series. In 2020, they won the AL Wild Card Series. Those are the only postseason rounds they have won under Beane. In postseason games since clinching the 1990 Pennant, the A's are 20-37. This is because, while Beane acquired a "Big Three" starting pitching trio in the early 2000s, he has never gotten a fully-reliable 5-man rotation, and he has never gotten an elite relief pitcher. Meanwhile, across San Francisco Bay, over that same stretch, the San Francisco Giants have won 4 Pennants and 3 World Series, while. Moneyball has failed.

He should not be confused with his contemporary, Billy Bean, one of the earliest former MLB players to come out of the closet.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1967: Brian Jordan. Of the 67 men who have played in both Major League Baseball and the National Football League, none have played in more MLB games than Jordan's 1,456. Only 7 have played in both since 1964, and, of those, only Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson and D.J. Dozier have played in more NFL games than Jordan's 36.

Jordan played the 1989, '90 and '91 seasons as a safety with the Atlanta Falcons, in the same defensive backfield as Sanders. He intercepted 5 passes, recovered 4 fumbles, and scored 2 safeties. He was better at baseball: He played 15 seasons, batting .282 with 184 home runs, making the 1999 All-Star Game, and reaching the postseason with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996, and with the Atlanta Braves in 1999 (including the World Series), 2000, 2001 and 2005.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1972: Rui Costa. The midfielder led hometown soccer team Sport Lisboa e Benfica to the Portuguese league title in 1994, and AC Milan to the UEFA Champions League in 2003 and the Italian league title in 2004. He is now Benfica's team president.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1973: Marc Overmars. The left winger led Ajax Amsterdam to 3 Dutch league titles and the 1995 UEFA Champions League. He joined North London team Arsenal, and was a key figure in their 1997-98 "Double": His goal defeated Manchester United in the key game of the Premier League season, and he scored the opening goal in the FA Cup Final against Newcastle United.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1976: Jennifer Capriati. She was several youth tennis tournaments, leading Sports Illustrated to put her on the cover with the caption, "And she's only 13!" Unfortunately, despite reaching the Semifinals of the French Open, "The Dreaded SI Cover Jinx" and the rest of the hype got to her, and she struggled in her early days as a professional.

She managed to win the Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, but it was a blip of success. Finally, in 2001, she won the Australian and French Opens, and reached the Semifinals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She won the Australian again in 2002. She was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1991: N'Golo Kanté. A midfielder, he was part of Leicester City's improbable run to the 2016 Premier League title. West London team Chelsea threw a lot of money at Leicester, and, with Chelsea, he has won the 2017 Premier League title, the 2018 FA Cup, and the 2021 UEFA Champions League. With the France national team, he won the 2018 World Cup.

3. March 29, 1968: Lucy Lawless. Her star turn as Xena: Warrior Princess has probably made her the most famous person ever to come from New Zealand, even more so than mountaineer Edmund Hillary and film director Peter Jackson. She can sing, too, and frequently did her own singing on the show.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1955: Brendan Gleeson. He played Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films, and Winston Churchill in Into the Storm. He is the father of actors Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1955: Marina Sirtis. She played Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi, counselor to the USS Enterprise-D, on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Seeing her in those outfits when I was a teenager helped feed my obsession with English brunettes. Unfortunately, she's a Tottenham fan, and once I, an Arsenal fan, learned that, it was over between us. She has since played Orli Elbaz, the Director of Mossad, on NCIS.

Honorable Mention: March 29, 1957: Christopher Lambert. The French actor starred in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, in 1984, probably the most realistic film version of Tarzan yet.

2. March 29, 1867: Cy Young. The style of baseball has changed so much that these career records will never be broken, without a gigantic shift the other way: 815 games started, 749 complete games, 7,356 innings pitched, 511 wins and 315 losses.

He pitched from 1890 to 1911, for the Cleveland Spiders, and the teams now known as the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Americans, Cleveland Guardians and Atlanta Braves. He threw 3 no-hitters, including a perfect game in 1904. He helped the Red Sox win the 1st World Series in 1903, and a statue of him now stands roughly where the pitcher's mound of that ballpark was, on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston.

There may have been better pitchers in baseball history, but there's a reason the award for the best pitcher of the year in each League is named the Cy Young Award.

1. March 29, 1945: Walt Frazier. Known as "Clyde," because his clothes reminded his New York Knicks teammates of Warren Beatty in the film Bonnie and Clyde, he is the greatest basketball player in New York Tri-State Area history. He led the Knicks to the NBA Championship in 1970 and 1973. Moreover, he may have been the coolest man on the planet, at a time when New York sports also had Joe Namath. He became a beloved broadcaster for the Knicks, and was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and to the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary All-Time Teams.

Still alive as of this writing: Major, Macpherson, Idle, Gilberto, Vangelis, Jacks, Farrell, Campbell, Bonhof, McLain, Beane, Jordan, Costa, Overmars, Capriati, Kanté, Lawless, Gleeson, Sirtis, Lambert, Frazier.