Before They Were Famous: Sports Stars Who Grew Up On Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — The list of future celebrities who called Long Island home is long and varied. In this new Patch segment, Before They Were Famous, we'll look at some of the celebrities who had their upbringings in Nassau or Suffolk counties.

They come from all parts of entertainment.

There have been several notables from the sports world. Here are just a handful of them.

• Craig Biggio: The Baseball Hall of Famer, who spent 20 years with the Houston Astros, grew up in Suffolk County. He went to and graduated from Kings Park High School.
• Sue Bird: The women's basketball legend is originally from Syosset. The only WNBA player with titles in three decades went to Syosset High School for her freshman and sophomore years, before transferring to Christ the King Regional High School in Queens.
• Crystal Dunn: This soccer star is a two-time Olympian, who won a bronze medal. Dunn was born in Queens, but grew up in Rockville Centre. The World Championship gold medalist graduated from South Side High School in 2010.
• John "Jumbo" Elliott: An offensive tackle, who helped the Giants win Super Bowl XXV, was born in Lake Ronkonkoma.
• Julius "Dr. J" Erving: Before there was Lebron or MJ, there was Dr. J, and before Erving was a superstar in the ABA and NBA, he was a playing hoops at Roosevelt High School, where he graduated in 1968.
• Boomer Esiason: Quarterback-turned-broacaster, Esiason had the longest stint with the Bengals, but also played for the Jets. He grew up in East Islip.
• D'Brickashaw Ferguson: He had a 10-year career as an offensive tackle for the Jets. He graduated from Freeport High School. A street is named for him with secondary signage at South Ocean Avenue as D'Brickashaw Ferguson Way.