Reggie Jackson, Bill Parcells and other sports figures celebrating milestone birthdays in 2026

From players to coaches and more, here's our list of sports personalities celebrating milestone birthdays in 2026.

Marv Albert

BIRTHDAY: Turns 85 on June 12

CLAIM TO FAME: Known for his signature "YES!" calls, Albert was "the voice of the New York Knicks" from 1967 to 2004. He covered the team's 1970 and 1973 championships on radio before moving to TV. He also called national games for NBC and TNT. In 2015, he was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. 

DID YOU KNOW? Albert has appeared in several movies as himself, including, in chronological order: "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh," "Forget Paris," "Celtic Pride," "Eddie," "Just Wright" and "Trainwreck."

Tom Coughlin

BIRTHDAY: Turns 80 on Aug. 31

CLAIM TO FAME: A semifinalist for the the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class for 2026, he won two Super Bowls as Giants coach (2007 and 2011 seasons). Both were against Bill Belichick's Patriots, including when they were going for a 19-0 season. Coughlin had a 102-90 record over 12 years with the Giants. His 102 wins rank second on the franchise's all-time list. In 1996, Coughlin took the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game in just their second season of existence. 

DID YOU KNOW? Coughlin created the Jay Fund charity in 1996. Named after Jay McGillis, a linebacker who played under Coughlin when he coached Boston College, the foundation helps families deal with the challenges associated with childhood cancer. According to its website, the Jay Fund "has provided over $34 million in support to over 6,700 families in Northeast Florida, Southeast Georgia and the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan Area."

Reggie Jackson

BIRTHDAY: Turns 80 on May 18

CLAIM TO FAME: Dubbed "Mr. October" for his playoff prowess, Jackson hit three home runs on three consecutive pitches to lead the Yankees to a deciding Game 6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. Jackson, who had his own candy bar named "The Reggie Bar," was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 with 93.6% of the vote in his first year of eligibility. He won five World Series, including two with the Yankees, and was named World Series MVP twice. In 21 big-league seasons, he played for the Athletics, Orioles, Angels, and Yankees. Jackson has 563 career home runs, making him one of 28 players in the 500-home run club. 

DID YOU KNOW? You may already know that Jackson's character in the 1988 comedy "A Naked Gun" is a California Angels player ordered to kill Queen Elizabeth during a game. What you may not know is that in 1991, while a member of the Athletics coaching staff, Jackson met the real Queen Elizabeth when she was a guest of President George H.W. Bush's at an A's-Orioles game in Baltimore. Jackson was the only member of the A's who removed his hat when they shook her hand in the dugout. 

Don King

BIRTHDAY: Turns 95 on Aug. 20

CLAIM TO FAME: Boxing's most famous promoter had a hand in booking some of the sport's most historic matches, most notably Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's "The Rumble In The Jungle" in 1974 and Ali and Joe Frazier's third bout, the "Thrilla In Manilla," in 1975.

DID YOU KNOW? King was the initial promoter of The Jacksons' 1984 Victory Tour. Michael Jackson & Co. grossed $211 million, but King was fired after controversies that included having concertgoers send $120 in advance to buy a four-block of tickets. 

Bill Parcells

BIRTHDAY: Turns 85 on Aug. 22

CLAIM TO FAME: The two-time Super Bowl-winning coach with the Giants (1986 and 1990 seasons), Parcells was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. He is the only coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs and three to the championship game. He went 172-130-1 in 19 seasons as an NFL coach, including a 77-49-1 mark with the Giants. His 77 wins rank third all-time on the franchise list. He went 29-19 in three seasons as the Jets coach, which included a trip to the 1998 AFC title game. 

DID YOU KNOW? Parcells was the first coach to get a Gatorade bath. It happened in the 1984 season when Jim Burt did it as payback for Parcells' demanding type of coaching.

Art Shamsky

BORN: Turns 85 on Oct. 14

CLAIM TO FAME: A Met from 1968 to 1971, Shamsky batted .300 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs during the Amazins' 1969 championship season. His eight-year MLB career also included stints with the Reds, Cubs and Athletics. In 1966, while with Cincinnati, he homered in four consecutive at-bats, which is tied for the MLB record.

DID YOU KNOW? Shamsky appeared in a Season 3 episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" alongside other members of the 1969 "Miracle Mets" at an autograph session. He was the namesake of the character Robert Barone's childhood and adult dogs ("Shamsky" and "Shamsky II").

Matt Snell

BIRTHDAY: Turns 85 on Aug. 18 

CLAIM TO FAME: Before the fullback's touchdown run helped the Jets shock the Colts in Super Bowl III, Snell was a star at Carle Place High School, capturing Newsday's Thorp Award as Nassau's most outstanding player in 1959. Snell ran for 121 yards on 30 carries in the Super Bowl and caught four passes for 40 yards. Snell spent his entire nine-year career with the Jets. He ran for 4,285 yards with 24 touchdowns and had 193 catches for 1,375 yards and seven touchdowns .

DID YOU KNOW? Move over, Joe Namath: Snell appeared in the first Miller Lite beer commercial in 1973. 

Fred Wilpon

BIRTHDAY: Turns 90 on Nov. 22

CLAIM TO FAME: In 1980, Wilpon bought a 1% stake in the Mets. He remained a minority owner until 1986, when he became a 50/50 partner and in 2002, the Wilpon family and Saul Katz took sole ownership of the franchise. In 2020, Wilpon sold the Mets to hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen for $2.4 billion. 

DID YOU KNOW? Wilpon was a high school pitcher at Lafayette in Brooklyn. His famous friend and teammate? Sandy Koufax. Wilpon had to convince Koufax, then a first baseman, to join the team.