Bubbas Bask in a Day of Their Own
No need to fret if there's no Bubba in your life. Some of them are prominent enough to warrant a public embrace on today's National Bubba Day. So in recognition of a perfectly respectable nickname, behold these 11 famous Bubbas, which, by the way, Webster's dictionary defines as mostly Southern slang for "brother."
William 'Bubba' Clinton
"Bubba" can mean different things to different people, but "42nd president of the United States" is definition enough in this case. Clinton is 67.
Gerry 'Bubba' Watson Jr.
Golfer Watson, 35 -- and a lefty, no less - incited "Bubba" mania in April with a Masters victory two years after a nail-biting, sudden-death playoff win at the same Augusta, Ga., tournament, his first major title. His dad apparently named him after the next Bubba on our list.
Charles 'Bubba' Smith
Before landing acting roles such as Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies, Smith welcomed fans' chants to "Kill, Bubba, Kill" as a dominating defensive lineman in the NFL, mostly for the Baltimore Colts. He died in 2011 at age 66.
Al 'Bubba' Baker
The former NFL star, 57, is back with a second act, and you might have caught it on ABC's "Shark Tank" in December when he persuaded a panel member to invest in the Baker family's QueenAnn Inc., purveyors of, what else, "Bubba's-Q Boneless Ribs." So the defensive end whom Sports Illustrated included among the greatest pass rushers in NFL history has pivoted from his patented football moves to patented deboned baby back rib steaks.
Richard 'Bubba' Crosby
The former major league outfielder, 37, once told ESPN that his efforts to shake the "Bubba" moniker failed miserably as a boy in Texas. "I tried to change it in school, call myself Richard, but kids would call for me and ask for Richard, and my parents would burst out laughing and say, 'You mean Bubba?'"
Bubba Sparxxx
Georgia rapper Warren Mathis, 37, came up with the stage name because "in the rural South," he told the Associated Press, "'Bubba' is like how people say 'dude' in California. It's a name for a regular Southern man. I know a Chinese Bubba, a black Bubba."
Tommy 'Bubba' Facenda
The rockabilly singer-dancer from Portsmouth, Va., 74, wore his Bubbaness so comfortably that "Bubba Ditty" is among his singles, the best known of which is "High School U.S.A."
William 'Bubba' Paris
The motivational speaker, 53, who once laid down 6-foot-6-inches, 300-plus pounds of "Bubba" Sunday after Sunday as an NFL lineman, counts three Super Bowl rings from his years with the San Francisco 49ers.
James 'Bubba' Stewart Jr.
The professional motocross rider, 28, put his "Bubba" to good use with a reality-TV show called "Bubba's World" that ran for two seasons through 2012. He has dozens of Supercross victories.
Bubba the Love Sponge Clem
Born Todd Clem but now legally Bubba the Love Sponge Clem and host of the radio show that bears his name, Clem, 48, absorbs controversy as well as anyone (witness the on-air hog slaughtering in 2001 that sent the FCC into a tizzy).
Daniel 'Bubba' Franks
The three-time NFL Pro-Bowl tight end, 36, has a collection of memorable one-hand catches on his resume after a nine-year career, mostly with the Green Bay Packers.
