May 27, 1968

Baseball star Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas was born in Columbus, Georgia. Thomas played football and baseball at Auburn University and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox as the seventh overall pick in 1989 MLB draft. One of the most devastating hitters in the sport, he became a perennial MVP candidate, winning the award in 1993 and 1994. He was a five-time All-star, a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series. Thomas was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, his first year of eligibility.

Read more at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Frank Thomas at New Comiskey Park in 1997. (Clare_and_Ben, Wikipedia)

Inductee Frank Thomas holds his plaque at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 27, 2014 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

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