CINCINNATI - So Michael Jordan feel quite so alone, 9 On Your Side has put together a list of nine other athletes who have or will be turning 50 in 2013.
(Information in this report was taken from various sites, including the athletes' personal websites, ESPN.com, BaseballReference.com and Wikipedia).
Charles Barkley (Feb. 20)
Barkley is an American retired professional basketball player and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. "The Round Mound of Rebound" established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's (NBA's) most dominating power forwards. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the fifth pick of the 1984 NBA Draft. He won league MVP in 1993 and was named to the All-NBA First Team five times, During the NBA's 50th anniversary he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, along with Jordan. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
This video from Barkley's website shows him "celebrating" his 50th birthday: link .
Hakeem Olajuwon (Jan. 21)
Olajuwon played for 20 consecutive seasons in the Houston area, first collegiately for the Cougars and then the Rockets, after moving to the United States from Lagos, Nigeria. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Since his career ended, Olajuwon has had great success in the Houston real estate market , with his estimated profits exceeding $100 million.
Jim Harbaugh (Dec. 23)
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Harbaugh traveled the country growing up because of his father's coaching career. He lived in in Ohio, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan and California before enrolling at the University of Michigan, the school where his father Jack was an assistant coach. Jim Harbaugh later played in the NFL from 1987 until 2000. Since then, Harbaugh has been a successful coach in college (Stanford) and the NFL (49ers). Harbaugh led the 49ers to a berth in Super Bowl XLVII. He lost the game to the Ravens, which were coached by his brother John.
Bernie Kosar (Nov. 25)
Kosar, Jr. is a former quarterback in the NFL. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. Kosar was a collegiate star at Miami, helping the university earn the nickname "The U."
Since retiring, Kosar has had his fair share of business successes and failures. He most recently worked as a consultant for the Browns.
Vinny Testaverde (Nov. 13)
Testaverde is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the NFL for 21 seasons during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Testaverde played college football for the University of Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Heisman Trophy in 1986. Amazingly, Testaverde only retired from the league in 2007.
Testaverde has his wife, Mitzi, have two daughters since retiring.
Randall Cunningham (Mar. 27)
After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Cunningham was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He also spent time with several other NFL teams during his career.
After retirement, Cunningham returned to UNLV to finish his college degree in film. According to ESPN.com , Cunningham, a born again Christian, became an ordained Protestant minister and founded a church called Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas in 2004. Cunningham has also been active in the Gospel music business. Tragically, his 2-year-old son died in 2010 in a hot tub accident , according to a USA Today article.
Lewis Billups (Oct. 10)
Billups, a former hard-nosed defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals, would have turned 50 this year but he died in a car crash in Florida in 1994. Billups' life is prominently featured in the best-selling book, "Pros And Cons."
He recorded nine interceptions and eight fumble recoveries during his time with the Bengals and the Green Bay Packers.
Mark McGwire (Oct. 1)
"Big Mac" averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the best at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76), during his time with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals, according to BaseballReference.com. McGwire is best known for breaking the single-season home run record held previously by Roger Maris. In 2010, McGwire publicly admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career, according to ESPN.com .
While many believe he will never get into the Hall of Fame, McGwire has made his way back into baseball as a hitting instructor and coach.
Fred McGriff (Oct. 31)
"The Crime Dog" played for several MLB teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s and was a five-time All-Star. In 1992, he became the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both leagues in home runs, according to
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