Gold medalist, MLB legend, UFC star: 3 big names being added to Sacramento Walk of Stars
Sacramento’s Walk of Stars is adding three new names to join nine Sacramento-rooted celebrities already recognized on an L Street sidewalk in midtown.
The class of 2019 is made up of three professional athletes: Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Summer Sanders, UFC fighter Urijah Faber and retired Major League Baseball player and former manager Dusty Baker, the Walk of Stars’ committee said in a news release Wednesday.
Those three will have their stars added to the sidewalk on L Street, between 18th and 19th streets, in a ceremony Aug. 28.
Sanders, 46, won gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in the 200-meter butterfly, setting an Olympic record. Born and raised in Roseville, Sanders has also served as a host and commentator for various TV shows and sports programs.
Baker, 69, graduated from Del Campo High School in Carmichael before being selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 1967 draft. His long pro baseball career includes a World Series championship as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a long stretch as manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Faber, 32, has deep roots to the Sacramento area. He graduated from UC Davis and opened a gym in Sacramento in 2016, the same year he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. However, Faber will come out of retirement for a UFC Fight Night event - fighting Ricky Simon at Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento.
The nine existing stars honor Billy Mills, Russ Solomon, Ruthie Bolton, Nicholas Sparks, Gregory Kondos, Dr. Ernie Bodai, Debbie Meyer, Timothy B. Schmit and LeVar Burton. On Tuesday, Burton had a park in Sacramento dedicated in his name.
Sacramento’s Walk of Stars was conceived in 2016. It’s a nonprofit organization, with the inductees chosen by a “steering” committee.
