This Day in History: 1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, United States.

Jeff Blake
Nickname: “Shake-N-Blake”
Born: December 4, 1970, Daytona Beach, Florida
Height: 6-1    Weight: 223 lbs.
College: East Carolina University
NFL football Quarterback
Pro-career: 1992–2005
Teams: New York Jets (1992-1993), Cincinnati Bengals (1994-1999), New Orleans Saints (2000-2001), Baltimore Ravens (2002), Arizona Cardinals (2003), Philadelphia Eagles (2004), Chicago Bears (2005)
Honors: 1995 Pro Bowl selection
 1995 Pro Bowl record 92 yard long touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen

Perry Brooks
Born: December 4, 1954, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Height: 6ft 3 in.     Weight: 264 lbs.
College: Southern University
NFL football Defensive Tackle
Pro-career: 1978-1994
Teams:  Washington Redskins (1978-1994)

Jesse Burkett
Nickname: “The Crab”
Born: December 4, 1868, Wheeling, West Virginia
Died: May 27, 1953, Worcester, Massachusetts
Height: 5ft 8 in.    Weight: 155
MLB baseball *Hall of Fame* Pitcher (LH) and Outfielder
Pro-career: 1890-1905
Teams: New York Giants (1890), Cleveland Spiders (1891-1898), St. Louis Cardinals (1899-1901), St. Louis Browns (1902-1904), Boston Americans (1905)
Honors: 1946 Inducted – Baseball Hall of Fame by Veteran’s Committee as Player

Shano Collins
Born: December 4, 1885, Charlestown, Massachusetts
Died: September 10, 1955, Newton, Massachusetts
Height: 6ft 0 in. , Weight: 185 lb.
MLB baseball Right Fielder and First Baseman
Pro-career: 1910-1925
Teams: Chicago White Sox (1910-1920), Boston Red Sox (1921-1925)
Teams (manager): Boston Red Sox (1931-1932)
Honors: 1917 World Series champions
              1919 American League pennant

Brian Cook
Nickname: “Cookie Monster”.
Born: December 4, 1980, Lincoln, Illinois
Height: 6-9    Weight: 234 lbs.
College:  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
NBA basketball Power Forward
Pro-career: 2003–present
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2007), Orlando Magic (2007–2009)

Jassen Cullimore
Born: December 4, 1972, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
Height  6 ft 5 in    Weight  245 lbs
NHL ice hockey Defenseman
Pro-career: 1992-present
Clubs: Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks

Alex Delvecchio
Born: December 4, 1931, Fort William, Ontario, Canada
Height: 6ft 0 in.     Weight: 195 lbs.
NHL ice hockey Center
Pro-career: 1950-1974
Teams: Detroit Red Wings(1950-1974)
Honors: “Honored Member” of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association
              1977 Hockey Hall of Fame
              3-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy

Howard Eisley
Born: December 4, 1972, Detroit, Michigan
College: Boston College
NBA basketball Point Guard
Pro-career: 1994–2006
Teams:  Minnesota Timberwolves (1995), San Antonio Spurs (1995), Utah Jazz (1996–2000, 2005), Dallas Mavericks (2001), New York Knicks (2002–04), Phoenix Suns (2004), Los Angeles Clippers (2006), Denver Nuggets (2006), Chicago Bulls (2006)

Frank Emanuel
Born: December 4, 1942, Clio, South Carolina
Height: 6ft 3 in.      Weight: 225 lbs.
College: University of Tennessee 
NFL football Linebacker
Pro-career:  1966–1970
Teams: Miami Dolphins (1966-1969), New Orleans Saints (1970)
Honors: 2000 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

Carlos Gomez
Born: December 4, 1985, Santiago, Dominican Republic
Height: 6′ 4″ , Weight: 195 lb.
MLB baseball Outfielder
Pro-career: 2007-present
Teams: New York Mets(2007), Minnesota Twins(2008-2009), Milwaukee Brewers(2010-present)

David Green
Born: December 4, 1960, Managua, Nicaragua
Height: 6 ft. 3 in.    Weight: 170 lb.
MLB baseball Outfielder / First Baseman
Pro-career: 1981-1987
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals(1981-1984), San Francisco Giants(1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1987)
Honors: 1982 World Series champion

Tadahito Iguchi
Born: December 4, 1974 in Nishit?ky?, Tokyo, Japan
Height: 5ft 1 in.   Weight: 185 lb.
MLB baseball Second Baseman
Pro-career: 2005-2008
Teams: Chicago White Sox(2005–2007), Philadelphia Phillies(2007), San Diego Padres(2008)
 Philadelphia Phillies(2008)

Ted Johnson
Born: December 4, 1972
Height: 6ft 4 in.     Weight: 253 lbs.
NFL football Linebacker
Pro-career: 1995–2004
Teams: New England Patriots (1995-2004)
Honors: Super Bowl champion – XXXVI(2002), XXXVIII(2004), XXXIX(2005)

Bernard King
Born: December 4, 1956, Brooklyn, New York
Height: 6ft. 7in.    Weight: 205 lbs.
College: University of Tennessee
NBA basketball -All-Star* Small Forward
Pro-career:  1977–1993
Teams: New Jersey Nets (1977–1979, 1992-93), Utah Jazz (1979-80), Golden State Warriors, (1981–1982), New York Knicks (1982–1987), and the Washington Bullets (1987–1991)
Honors: (1982, 1984-85, 1991) NBA *All-Star*
               1978 NBA All-Rookie First Team
                All-NBA First Team (1984, 1985)
                All-NBA Second Team (1982)
                All-NBA Third Team (1991)
              1984 Sporting News NBA MVP

Harvey Kuenn
Born: December 4, 1930, West Allis, Wisconsin
Died: February 28, 1988, Peoria, Arizona
Height: 6ft 2 in. , Weight: 190 lb.
College: University of Wisconsin-Madison
MLB baseball *All-Star* Outfielder / Shortstop and Manager
Pro-career: 1952-1966
Teams: Detroit Tigers (1952–1959), Cleveland Indians (1960), San Francisco Giants (1961–1965), Chicago Cubs (1965–1966), Philadelphia Phillies (1966)
Honors: (1953-1960) *All-Star* selection 
               1953 AL Rookie of the Year
               1959 American League batting crown .353 average

Jerome Lane
Born: December 4, 1966, Akron, Ohio
College: University of Pittsburgh
NBA basketball Forward
Pro-career: 1988-1993
Teams: Denver Nuggets (1988-92), Indiana Pacers (1991-92), Milwaukee Bucks(1991-92), Cleveland Cavaliers(1992-1993)

Rick Middleton
Born: December 4, 1953, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height: 5ft 11 in.     Weight: 170 lbs.
NHL ice hockey Right Winger
Pro-career: 1977-1984
Teams:  New York Rangers, Boston Bruins

Dennis Polonich
Born: December 4, 1953, Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height: 5ft 6 in.   Weight: 166 lbs.
NHL ice hockey Center
Pro-career: 1974-1983
Teams:  Detroit Red Wings (1974-1983)

Frank Reich
Born: December 4, 1961, Freeport, New York
Height: 6ft 4 in.     Weight: 210 lbs.
College: University of Maryland
NFL football Quarterback
Pro-career: 1985–1998
Teams: Buffalo Bills (1985-1994), Carolina Panthers (1995), New York Jets (1996), Detroit Lions (1997-1998)
Currently: Indianapolis Colts (2009-present) — Quarterback coach (former – Offensive assistant)

Gary Sabourin
Born: December 4, 1943, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
Height: 5ft 11 in.     Weight: 180 lbs.
NHL ice hockey Right Winger
Pro-career: 1967-1977
Teams: St. Louis Blues(1967-1974), Toronto Maple Leafs(1974-1975), California Golden Seals(1975-1976), Cleveland Barons(1976-1977)

Ray Sanders
Born: December 4, 1916, Bonne Terre, Missouri
Died: October 28, 1983, Washington, Missouri
MLB baseball player
Pro-career: 1942-1949
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals: 1942-1945, Boston Braves: 1946-1948, Brooklyn Dodgers: March 6th to April 18th 1948, Boston Braves: 1948-1949
 

Bob Shawkey
Born: December 4, 1890, Sigel, Pennsylvania
Died: December 31, 1980, Syracuse, New York
College: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
MLB baseball Pitcher (RH)
Pro-career: 1913-1927
Teams: Philadelphia Athletics (1913-1915), New York Yankees (1915-1927)
Teams (Manager): New York Yankees (1930)
Honors: 1923, 1927 World Series champion
              1920 American League ERA champion
               3 seasons 20-wins
              1970 Inducted – Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in Brookville, PA

Pat Sheridan
Born: December 4, 1957, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Height: 6 ft 3 in.   Weight: 175 lb.
college: Eastern Michigan University
MLB baseball Outfielder
Pro-career: 1981-1991
Teams: Kansas City Royals (1981, 1983-1985), Detroit Tigers (1986-1989), San Francisco Giants (1989), New York Yankees (1991)
Honors: 1985 World Series champion (Royals)

Larry Smith
Born: December 4, 1974, Kingsland, Georgia
Height: 6ft 5 in.     Weight: 310 lbs.
College: Florida State University
NFL football Defensive Tackle
Pro-career:  1999–2004
Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2002), Green Bay Packers (2003-2004)

Lee Smith
Born: December 4, 1957, Castor, Louisiana
MLB baseball *All-Star* Relief Pitcher
Pro-career: 1980–1997
Teams: Chicago Cubs (1980–1987), Boston Red Sox (1988–1990), St. Louis Cardinals (1990–1993), New York Yankees (1993), Baltimore Orioles (1994), California Angels (1995–1996), Cincinnati Reds (1996), Montreal Expos (1997)
Honors: (1983, 1987, 1991-1995) *All-Star* selection
             (1991, 1992) NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year 
              1994 AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year

Dave Taylor
Born: December 4, 1955, Levack, Ontario
Height: 6ft 0 in.     Weight: 190 lbs.
NHL ice hockey Right Winger
Pro-career: 1977-1994
Teams: Los Angeles Kings

Joe Thomas
Born: December 4, 1984, Brookfield, Wisconsin
Height: 6-7    Weight: 311 lbs.
College: University of Wisconsin
NFL football *Pro-Bowl* Offensive Tackle
Pro-career: 2007-present
Teams: Cleveland Browns (2007–present)
Honors: (2007, 2008) Pro Bowl selection
              Cleveland Browns drafted Thomas- 1st round  (3rd overall) – 2007 NFL Draft 
              Second in the voting for NFL Rookie of the Year

William “Skip” Vanderbundt
Born: December 4, 1946, Martinez, California
College: Oregon State University
NFL football Linebacker
Pro-career: 1969-1978
Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1968-1977), New Orleans Saints (1978)

Randy Vataha
Born: December 4, 1948, Santa Monica, California
Height: 5ft 10 in.     Weight: 176 lbs
College: Stanford University
NFL football Wide Receiver
Pro-career: 1971-1977
Teams: New England Patriots(1971-1976), Green Bay Packers(1977)

Martell Webster
Nickname: “The Definition”
Born: December 4, 1986, Edmonds, Washington
Height: 6 foot 7 in   Weight:    235 lbs
NBA basketball Small Forward/ Shooting Guard
Pro-career: 2005–present
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers ( 2005–present)

Howie Williams
Born: December 4, 1936, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Height: 6ft 1 in.    Weight: 190 lbs.
College: Howard University
NFL football Defensive Back
Pro-career: 1962-1969
Teams: Green Bay Packers(1962-1963), San Francisco 49ers(1963), Oakland Raiders(1964-1969)
Honors: 1962 Green Bay Packers – NFL Champions

Corliss Williamson
Nickname: “Big Nasty”
Born: December 4, 1973, Russellville, Arkansas
Height: 6ft 7in.    Weight: 245 lbs.
College: University of Arkansas
NBA basketball Small Forward/ Power Forward
Pro-career: 1995–2007
Teams: Sacramento Kings (1995-2000; 2005-2007), Toronto Raptors (2000-2001), Detroit Pistons (2001-2004), Philadelphia 76ers (2004-2005)
Honors: 2001-02 NBA Sixth Man of the Year

Klaus Wilmsmeyer
Born: December 14, 1967, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height: 6ft 2 in.      Weight: 210 lbs.
College: University of Louisville
NFL football Punter
Pro-career: 1992-1998
Teams: San Francisco 49ers(1992-1994), New Orleans Saints(1995-1996), Miami Dolphins(1998)