# List of athletes from Chicago

The following list includes notable athletes who were born or raised in Chicago, Illinois.

## Baseball

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Doe Boyland | Jan 6, 1955 | | Major League Baseball player | Born in Chicago |
| Cesar Carrillo | Apr 29, 1984 | | MLB player | Born in Chicago |
| Charles Comiskey | Aug 15, 1859 | Oct 26, 1931 | MLB player and team owner, namesake of Comiskey Park | Born in Chicago |
| Josephine D'Angelo | Nov 23, 1924 | Aug 18, 2013 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Irene DeLaby | Aug 12, 1922 | Oct 6, 2012 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Dave Dombrowski | Jul 27, 1956 | | baseball executive | Born in Chicago |
| Sal Fasano | Aug 10, 1971 | | Former MLB player and currently the catching coach for the Atlanta Braves | Born in Chicago |
| Chick Fraser | Aug 26, 1873 | May 8, 1940 | MLB player | Born in Chicago |
| Barbara Gates | May 4, 1934 | Dec 1, 2000 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Philomena Gianfrancisco | Apr 20, 1923 | Jan 10, 1992 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Florence Hay | | May 24, 1982 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Arlene Kotil | May 22, 1934 | | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Irene Kotowicz | Dec 10, 1919 | Jan 24, 2002 | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Herman Long | Apr 13, 1866 | Sep 17, 1909 | MLB player and minor league manager | Born in Chicago |
| Alex McCarthy | May 12, 1889 | Mar 12, 1978 | MLB player | Born in Chicago |
| Owen Murphy | Sep 27, 2003 | | MLB player | Born in Chicago |
| Wally Pipp | Feb 17, 1893 | Jan 11, 1965 | First baseman for the Detroit Tigers (1913), New York Yankees (1915–1925), and Cincinnati Reds; World Series champion (1923); American League home run champion (1916, 1917)(1926–1928) | Born in Chicago |
| Kirby Puckett | Mar 14, 1960 | Mar 6, 2006 | MLB player, MLB Hall of Famer | Born in Chicago |
| Larry Rothschild | Mar 12, 1954 | | Major League Baseball pitcher and coach | Born in Chicago |
| Gloria Schweigerdt | Jun 10, 1934 | | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player | Born in Chicago |
| Alek Thomas | April 28, 2000 | | Major League Baseball player | Born in Chicago |
| Stan Wasiak | Apr 8, 1920 | Nov 20, 1992 | Minor league manager, King of Baseball | Born in Chicago |
| Phil Weintraub | Oct 12, 1907 | Jun 21, 1987 | Major League Baseball first baseman & outfielder; 11 RBIs in one game | Born in Chicago |

## Basketball

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Nick Anderson | Jan 20, 1968 | | NBA guard | Born in Chicago |
| Amari Bailey | Feb 17, 2004 | | NBA guard | Born in Chicago |
| Patrick Beverley | Jul 12, 1988 | | NBA and Israeli Basketball Premier League player | Born in Chicago |
| Will Bynum | Jan 4, 1983 | | NBA and Israel Basketball Premier League player | Born in Chicago |
| Anthony Davis | Mar 11, 1993 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Gene Dyker | Feb 17, 1930 | Jan 1, 1966 | NBA player | |
| Larry Friend | Apr 14, 1935 | Feb 27, 1998 | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Tim Hardaway | Sep 1, 1966 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Juwan Howard | Feb 7, 1973 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Johnny Kerr | Jul 17, 1932 | Feb 26, 2009 | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Mike Krzyzewski | Feb 13, 1947 | | Basketball coach and player; coach at Duke University, known as "Coach K" | Born in Chicago |
| Walt Lemon Jr. | Jul 26, 1992 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Gabe Levin | Aug 2, 1994 | | Israeli Basketball Premier League player | Born in Chicago |
| Ray Meyer | Dec 18, 1913 | Mar 17, 2006 | Men's basketball coach at DePaul University | Born in Chicago |
| George Mikan | Jun 18, 1924 | Jun 1, 2005 | NBA player, NBA Hall of Famer | Attended Quigley Prep in Chicago |
| Nazr Mohammed | Sep 5, 1977 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Jabari Parker | Mar 15, 1995 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Jack Phelan | Nov 6, 1925 | Mar 20, 2021 | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Cappie Pondexter | Jan 7, 1983 | | WNBA player; Olympic gold medalist (Beijing 2008) | Raised in Chicago |
| Quentin Richardson | Apr 13, 1980 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Doc Rivers | Oct 13, 1961 | | NBA player and coach | Born in Chicago |
| Derrick Rose | Oct 4, 1988 | | NBA player, 2011 NBA MVP | Born in Chicago |
| Isiah Thomas | Apr 30, 1961 | | NBA player, NBA Hall of Famer | Born in Chicago |
| Dwyane Wade | Jan 17, 1982 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
| Antoine Walker | Aug 12, 1976 | | NBA player | Born in Chicago |
* Jordan Loyd (born 1993), American basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, born in Chicago

## Boxing

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Jesús Chávez | | Nov 12, 1972 | | World boxing champion | Raised in Chicago | |

## Football

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Flozell Adams | May 18, 1975 | | NFL offensive lineman | Born in Chicago |
| Norm Amundsen | Sep 28, 1932 | | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Jason Avant | Apr 20, 1983 | | NFL wide receiver | Born in Chicago |
| Dick Barwegan | Dec 25, 1921 | Sep 3, 1966 | NFL offensive lineman | Born in Chicago |
| Tom Baugh | Dec 1, 1963 | | NFL center | Born in Chicago |
| Ed Bell | Sep 20, 1921 | Dec 6, 1990 | NFL guard and tackle | Born in Chicago |
| Harold Bradley Jr. | Oct 13, 1929 | | NFL offensive guard, singer of spirituals and blues; painter, actor, TV host, part of first African-American father-son duo in NFL history | Born in Chicago |
| Harold Bradley Sr. | Sept 7, 1905 | Nov 30, 1973 | Second black lineman, part of first African-American father-son duo in NFL history | Raised and died in Chicago |
| Dick Butkus | Dec 9, 1942 | Oct 5, 2023 | NFL linebacker, Hall of Fame linebacker for the Bears | Born in Chicago |
| Bill Callahan | Jul 31, 1956 | | Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys | Born in Chicago |
| Larry Canada | Dec 16, 1954 | | NFL running back | Born in Chicago |
| Leo Cantor | Feb 28, 1919 | Jun 4, 1995 | NFL running back | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Carey | Nov 14, 1895 | | NFL guard and tackle | Born in Chicago |
| Sean Cattouse | Oct 4, 1988 | | NFL safety | Born in Chicago |
| Steve Collier | Apr 19, 1963 | | NFL offensive tackle | Born in Chicago |
| Larry Coutre | Apr 11, 1928 | May 19, 2008 | NFL halfback | Born in Chicago |
| Dick Evans | May 31, 1917 | May 26, 2008 | NFL player | Born in Chicago |
| Fred Evans | Nov 6, 1983 | | Defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins | Born in Chicago |
| Dick Fencl | Feb 24, 1909 | Jun 25, 1972 | NFL end | Born in Chicago |
| Tom Finnin | Sep 28, 1927 | | NFL defensive tackle | Born in Chicago |
| Ray Frankowski | Sep 14, 1919 | Nov 27, 2001 | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Chuck Gelatka | Jan 28, 1914 | May 23, 2001 | NFL end | Born in Chicago |
| George Halas | Feb 2, 1895 | Oct 31, 1983 | Coach and owner of the Bears | |
| Napoleon Harris | Feb 25, 1979 | | NFL linebacker | Born in Chicago |
| Arnold Horween | Jul 7, 1898 | Aug 5, 1985 | Harvard Crimson All American football player and NFL football player | Born in Chicago |
| Ralph Horween | Aug 3, 1896 | May 26, 1997 | Harvard Crimson All American football player and NFL football player | Born in Chicago |
| Tony Ippolito | Sep 19, 1917 | Nov 12, 1951 | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Clarence Janecek | Apr 1, 1911 | Jan 16, 1990 | NFL offensive guard | Born in Chicago |
| Johnny Karras | Jan 29, 1928 | | NFL halfback | Born in Chicago |
| John Kenerson | Mar 18, 1938 | Dec 6, 1995 | NFL, AFL and CFL player | Born in Chicago |
| John Kropke | Jan 3, 1966 | | CFL defensive lineman | Born in Chicago |
| Larry Lauer | Aug 27, 1927 | | NFL center | Born in Chicago |
| Marv Levy | Aug 3, 1925 | | Coach of Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Blitz of the USFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee | Born in Chicago |
| Marc May | Jan 1, 1956 | | NFL tight end | Born in Chicago |
| John McGarry | Nov 24, 1963 | | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Donovan McNabb | Nov 25, 1976 | | NFL quarterback, current analyst on NFL Network and Fox Sports | Born in Chicago |
| Ahmad Merritt | Feb 5, 1977 | | NFL player | Born in Chicago |
| John Meyer | Feb 20, 1942 | | NFL player and coach | Born in Chicago |
| Ed Mieszkowski | Oct 14, 1925 | Feb 15, 2004 | AAFC tackle | Born in Chicago |
| Bill O'Neill | Apr 25, 1910 | Oct 27, 2000 | NFL back for the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Rams | Born in Chicago |
| David Petway | Oct 17, 1955 | | NFL defensive back | Born in Chicago |
| Jim Psaltis | Dec 14, 1927 | | NFL defensive back | Born in Chicago |
| Simeon Rice | Feb 24, 1974 | | NFL defensive end | Born in Chicago |
| Knute Rockne | Mar 4, 1888 | Mar 31, 1931 | Football player and coach at Notre Dame | Grew up in the Logan Square area of Chicago |
| George Schmidt | Oct 28, 1927 | | NFL defensive end | Born in Chicago |
| Tony Simmons | Dec 8, 1974 | | NFL player, CFL player | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Skibinski | Dec 23, 1928 | | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Ed Skoronski | Oct 15, 1910 | Dec 22, 1996 | NFL player | Born in Chicago |
| John Spilis | Oct 14, 1947 | | NFL wide receiver | Born in Chicago |
| Jimmy Tays | Mar 10, 1899 | Jun 21, 1986 | NFL player | Born in Chicago |
| Pierre Thomas | Dec 18, 1984 | | NFL running back, current running back for the New Orleans Saints | Born in Chicago |
| Chuck Ulrich | Dec 14, 1929 | Apr 10, 2006 | Defensive tackle for the Chicago Cardinals | Born in Chicago |
| Lou Usher | | Jan 1, 1927 | NFL offensive lineman for the Bears | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Vodicka | Mar 4, 1921 | Feb 28, 1995 | NFL halfback | Born in Chicago |
| Marty Wendell | Nov 22, 1926 | Mar 7, 2012 | Football guard | Born in Chicago |
| Ken Wendt | Jan 29, 1910 | Jan 19, 1982 | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Chuck Winfrey | Mar 27, 1949 | | NFL linebacker | Born in Chicago |
| Chet Winters | Oct 22, 1960 | | NFL running back | Born in Chicago |
| Harry Wunsch | Nov 20, 1910 | | NFL guard | Born in Chicago |
| Joe Young | Aug 3, 1933 | | Defensive end in the AFL | Born in Chicago |
| Bob Zimny | Dec 11, 1921 | Aug 11, 2011 | NFL tackle | Born in Chicago |

## Golf

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Lucia Mida | | 1890 | 1960 | Winner of the 1930 Women's Western Open | Born in Chicago | |

## Gymnastics

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Bart Conner | | Mar 28, 1958 | | Olympic gymnastic gold medalist (1984) | Raised in Chicago | |
| Philip Erenberg | | 1909 | 1992 | Gymnast and Olympic silver medalist | | |

## Hockey

| Name | Birth | Known for | Association |
| Chris Chelios | Jan 25, 1962 | NHL defenseman | Born in Chicago |
| Christian Fischer | April 15, 1997 | NHL forward | Born in Chicago |
| John Hayden | Feb 14, 1995 | NHL forward | Born in Chicago |
| Al Montoya | Feb 13, 1995 | NHL goalie | Born in Chicago |
| Eddie Olczyk | Jan 25, 1962 | NHL player and color commentator | Born in Chicago |

## Ice skating

| Name | Birth | Known for | Association |
| Shani Davis | Aug 13, 1982 | Olympic speed skater | Born in Chicago |
| Dorothy Hamill | Jul 26, 1956 | Figure skater, 1976 Olympic champion and 1976 World champion | Born in Chicago |
| Emery Lehman | Jun 13, 1996 | Olympic speed skater | Born in Chicago |
| Evan Lysacek | Jun 4, 1985 | Figure skater, 2010 Olympic champion and 2009 World champion | Born in Chicago |
| Janet Lynn | Apr 6, 1953 | Figure skater, 1972 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world medalist | Born in Chicago |

## Martial arts

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Irwin Cohen | Jan 21, 1952 | Aug 27, 2012 | Olympic judoka | Born in Chicago |
| Steve Cohen | Aug 29, 1955 | | Olympic judoka | Born in Chicago |
| James Chico Hernandez (a.k.a., "Chico") | Apr 14, 1954 | | Sambo practitioner; member of the USA National Team | Born in Chicago |
| Andrew Tate | Dec 14, 1986 | | Former two-time world champion mixed martial artist | Born in Chicago |

## NASCAR

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Bobby Dotter | | Jul 11, 1960 | | NASCAR driver turned owner | Born in Chicago | |

## Rowing and yachting

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Robert Halperin | | Jan 26, 1908 | May 8, 1985 | Olympic and Pan American Games yachting medalist; quarterback for the Brooklyn Dodgers; decorated World War II US-Navy sailor; co-founder of Lands' End; Chairman of Commercial Light Company | Born in Chicago | |
| Donald Spero | | Aug 9, 1939 | | Physicist; venture capitalist; European Rowing Championships bronze medalist and Olympic rower (1964) | | |

## Soccer

| Name | Birth | Known for | Association |
| Andrew Akindele | Jan 11, 2000 | Forward | Born in Chicago |
| Marcelo Balboa | Aug 8, 1967 | Defender, captain of the United States men's national soccer team, and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee | Born in Chicago |
| Victor Bezerra | Feb 5, 2000 | Forward | Born in Chicago |
| Michael Brady | Jul 1, 1964 | Midfielder, forward | Born in Chicago |
| Renato Bustamante | Apr 14, 1990 | Forward, midfielder, and coach | Immigrated to Chicago |
| David Cabán | Mar 30, 1993 | Midfielder | Born in Chicago |
| Reggie Cannon | Jun 11, 1998 | Defender | Born in Chicago |
| Brian Rowe | Nov 16, 1998 | Goalkeeper | Born in Chicago |

## Sports commentators

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Stuart Scott | | Jul 19, 1965 | Jan 4, 2015 | Sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter | Born in Chicago | |
| Michael Wilbon | | Nov 19, 1958 | | ESPN commentator and co-host of Pardon the Interruption; sportswriter and columnist for the Washington Post | Born in Chicago | |

## Swimming

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Johnny Weissmuller | | Jun 2, 1904 | Jan 20, 1984 | Olympic gold medalist swimmer (1924 Paris games & 1928 Amsterdam games), later Hollywood actor | Raised in Chicago | |

## Tennis

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Laura Granville | May 12, 1981 | | Tennis player and head coach of Princeton University women's tennis team | Born in Chicago |
| Seymour Greenberg | Aug 10, 1920 | Mar 3, 2006 | Tennis player; ranked U.S. No. 5 in singles | Born in Chicago |
| Andrea Jaeger | Jun 4, 1965 | | Tennis player and Anglican Dominican nun; winner of 10 singles titles | Born in Chicago |

## Track and field

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Mike Conley, Sr. | | Oct 5, 1962 | | Olympic gold medalist triple jumper (1992 Barcelona games) | Born in Chicago | |

## Volleyball

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Russ Rose | | Nov 29, 1953 | | Hall of Fame women's volleyball coach at Penn State | Born in Chicago | |
| Katie Schumacher-Cawley | | March 10, 1980 | | Women's volleyball coach at Penn State, member of Chicago Sports Hall of Fame | Born and raised in Chicago | |

## Wrestling

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Bobby Heenan | Nov 1, 1944 | Sep 17, 2017 | Retired AWA, WWF and WCW manager and commentator; WWE Hall of Fame inductee | Born in Chicago |
| Kalisto | Nov 14, 1986 | | Two-time WWE United States Champion | Born in Chicago |
| CM Punk | Oct 26, 1978 | | Seven-time World Champion with World Wrestling Entertainment; known as "the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era"; initially retired from WWE in 2014; returned to WWE in November 2023 | Born in Chicago |
| Justin Roberts | Dec 29, 1979 | | Former ring announcer for World Wrestling Entertainment, current ring announcer for All Elite Wrestling | Born in Chicago |
| Larry Zbyszko | Dec 5, 1951 | | Former AWA World Champion, WWE Hall of Fame inductee | Born in Chicago |