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A complete list of players born on a Super Bowl Sunday

You didn't know that you wanted to know, but you wanted to know...

Hannah Foslien

This post was originally written in 2014, but with the NFL pushing another Super Bowl on us, I thought I'd update it for 2016. It turns out there are no new players to add, but I did update the statistics for active players, along with the number of players born since Super Bowl I.

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It's Super Bowl Sunday, one of the few days of the year when even I can accept that baseball isn't in the center ring of the circus that is sports. I still insisted on finding a baseball angle for the day though, so I looked to find every player in MLB history who was born on a Super Bowl Sunday.

I did the same research for NFL players too. There have been more of them born on a Super Bowl Sunday, including three who also played in a Super Bowl (with a fourth likely to join them today). You can find those players here.

Before you read any further, take a guess at how many there have been.

According to Baseball-Reference's Play Index, there have been 5,026 MLB players born since 1967 (when the first Super Bowl was played). If you divide 5,026 by 365.25, you get 13.76, which means mathematically speaking, you'd expect about that many MLB players to have been born on a Super Bowl Sunday. The math works out reasonably well, but we've been shorted a player or two. There have been a dozen players born on a Super Bowl Sunday through the years:

January 15, 1967

Super Bowl I - Packers defeat Chiefs, 35-10

Bill Wertz was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a relief pitcher for the Indians in 1993 and 1994. He tossed 64.0 innings with a 4.08 ERA (108 ERA+). 0.6 WAR

January 17, 1971

Super Bowl V - Colts defeat Cowboys, 16-13

Tyler Houston was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a third baseman, catcher, and first baseman for the Braves, Cubs, Indians, Brewers, Dodgers, and Phillies between 1996 and 2003. He had 479 career hits in 700 games, with 63 home runs and a .265 batting average. He also hit a home run n Game 1 of the 1998 NLDS. 1.5 WAR

January 14, 1973

Super Bowl VII - Dolphins defeat Redskins, 14-7

Troy Brohawn was born in Cambridge, Maryland. He was a relief pitcher for the Diamondbacks, Giants, and Dodgers between 2001 and 2003. He pitched 66.2 innings with a 4.86 ERA (94 ERA+). He also pitched 1 shutout inning in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series. 0.1 WAR

Rod Myers was born in Conroe, Texas. He was an outfielder for the Royals in 1996 and 1997. He appeared in 53 games and collected 44 hits, including 3 home runs. 0.5 WAR

January 12, 1975

Super Bowl IX - Steelers defeat Vikings, 16-6

Jorge Velandia was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He was a utility infielder for the Padres, Athletics, Mets, Rays, Blue Jays, and Indians between 1997 and 2008. He appeared in 174 games, collecting 46 hits, including 2 home runs. 0.0 WAR

January 20, 1980

Super Bowl XIV - Steelers defeat Rams, 31-19

Franklyn German was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He was a relief pitcher for the Tigers, Marlins, and Rangers between 2002 and 2008. He appeared in 155 games, throwing 158.2 innings with a 4.25 ERA (1023 ERA+). 1.0 WAR

Luis Martinez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He started 4 games for the Brewers in 2003, throwing 16.1 innings with a 9.92 ERA (44 ERA+). -0.6 WAR

January 25, 1981

Super Bowl XV - Raiders defeat Eagles, 27-10

Anderson Machado was born in Caracas, Venezuela. The shortstop appeared in 24 games, spread between the Phillies, Reds, and Rockies from 2003 to 2005. He had 15 hits, including 5 doubles, and also stole 4 bases. -0.3 WAR

January 22, 1984

Super Bowl XVIII - Raiders defeat Redskins, 38-9

Ubaldo Jimenez was born in Nagua, Dominican Republic. He has pitched in 269 games since 2006, first with the Rockies, then the Indians, and for the last couple years the Orioles. In 1585 innings he has a 4.01 ERA (108 ERA+), along with 1456 strikeouts. He's also started 5 postseason games. He was an All-Star in 2010, and finished 3rd in the NL Cy Young voting for that season. He is the best MLB player ever born on a Super Bowl Sunday. 22.5 WAR.

January 20, 1985

Super Bowl XIX - 49ers defeat Dolphins, 38-16

Fabio Castro was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. The relief pitcher appeared in 30 games beween 2006 and 2007, playing for the Rangers and Phillies. In 43.2 innings he had a 3.30 ERA (144 ERA+). 0.8 WAR

Luis Perez was born in Guayubin, Dominican Republic. The relief pitcher has appeared in 78 games for the Blue Jays since 2011, with a 4.50 ERA (95 ERA+) in 112.0 innings. 0.5 WAR

January 27, 1991

Super Bowl XXV - Giants defeat Bills, 20-19

Julio Teheran was born in Cartagena, Colombia. The young starting pitcher has appeared in 103 games with the Braves since 2011. In 633.1 innings he has posted a 3.44 ERA (107 ERA+), with 542 strikeouts. He also started Game 3 of the 2013 NLDS, finished 5th in the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year voting, and was an All-Star in 2014. A year ago he looked like a good bet to eventually take over as the best MLB player born on a Super Bowl Sunday, but a mediocre 2015 casts a lot of doubt on that possibility. 8.6 WAR

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There you have it!