John Eric Hillman (born April 27, 1966 in Gary, Indiana) is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher.
 He pitched his entire 3-year MLB career with the New York Mets (1992–1994).
 After his MLB career, he pitched in NPB from 1995-1998 for the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Yomiuri Giants.
 Hillman was tied with fellow former pitcher Randy Johnson and current pitchers Andrew Sisco of the New York Yankees organization and Chris Young of the New York Mets, for the tallest player in the league, at 6 ft , before later being passed by 6 ft Jon Rauch of the Toronto Blue Jays.
 Hillman worked as an analyst for FSN Rocky Mountain's coverage of the Colorado Rockies between 2005-2008.
Floyd Arthur "Bud" Hillman (born November 19, 1933) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played six games in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins.
 Floyd is the brother of Larry Hillman and Wayne Hillman.
 He is also the uncle of Brian Savage.
Kara Wolters Drinan (born August 15, 1975) is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player.
 Standing at 6 ft , she was nicknamed "Big Girl".
 She is the tallest player in University of Connecticut women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA.
Morris Stroud Jr. (May 17, 1946 – October 17, 2016) was a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
 He did not play in the 1969 regular season but was on the roster for the 1969 AFL Championship Game.
 From 1970 to 1974, he played for the NFL's Chiefs.
 At 6 foot 10 inches tall, Stroud is believed to have been the tallest tight end, and the second tallest player at any position, in the history of the NFL.
 Stroud wore uniform #88.
Tor Hogne Aarøy (born 20 March 1977) is a Norwegian football forward.
 Standing 2.04 m tall, Aarøy is one of the world's tallest professional footballers.
 In a video game by EA Sports, FIFA 15, he is credited as the tallest player in the game, at 6'8.
Will Carrick-Smith (born 2 April 1992) is a rugby union player for Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership.
 He made his debut for the club against London Welsh on 11 November 2012.
 At 6 ft 11 Carrick-Smith is the tallest professional player currently to be contracted to an English Premiership side.
 However, the tallest player ever to be contracted to an English Premiership side is Richard Metcalfe, formerly of Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints.
William Ingleby Jefferson (born 25 October 1979) is a former professional cricketer who played for Essex County Cricket Club, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in a 12-year career.
 He retired from the game in 2012 as a result of a chronic hip complaint.
 Standing 6 ft tall, he was the tallest player in county cricket during most of his career, and among the tallest professional cricketers ever.
Kenneth "Kenny" George Jr. is an American retired basketball player.
 Somewhere between 7 ft and 7 ft , he was the tallest basketball player in the United States during the two years he played for his college team, the University of North Carolina at Asheville Bulldogs, and may have been the tallest player in the history of college basketball.
Jon Erich Rauch (born September 27, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.
 At 6 ft , he is the tallest player in Major League Baseball history.
 He is also an Olympic Gold Medalist.
Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan (] ; born February 14, 1971), also known as "Ghiță" (] ), is a Romanian retired professional basketball player.
 At 7 ft , he is the tallest player in NBA history.
 He is the tallest man in Romania and tallest living person in the European Union.

Question: In what year was the man that passed Eric Hillman for tallest player in the MLB born?
Answer: 1978