1) NDAMUKONG SUH, football player
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: Suh is a defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. Ndamukong is well-suited for the job that he is paid to do, as he is an enormously large human being. He was born in Portland, Oregon.
2) HOWARD HESSEMAN, actor
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: Hesseman is probably best known for his role as disc jockey "Johnny Fever" on the 1980s TV series WKRP In Cincinnati. Howard also starred as a schoolteacher in a later series, Head Of The Class. He was born in Lebanon, Oregon.
3) PHIL KNIGHT, business magnate
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: If you've ever seen or worn a pair of Nike shoes, you're familiar with this guy's work. Knight is the co-founder and chairman of Nike, Inc., and previously served as its CEO. If you've ever bought a pair of Nikes, you've helped make this guy the multi-billionaire that he is today. Knight was born in Portland, Oregon.
4) DANNY AINGE, basketball executive
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: Ainge is currently the President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics. But he also used to be a pretty good athlete. In addition to his 15-year career in the NBA, Danny also spent parts of three seasons playing professional baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ainge was born in Eugene, Oregon.
5) BEVERLY CLEARY, author
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO SHE IS: Cleary is an award-winning writer of more than 30 books for young adults and children. Among her most popular works are The Mouse And The Motorcycle; Ramona Quimby, Age 8; and my personal favorite, Dear Mr. Henshaw. Beverly was born in McMinnville, Oregon.
6) MATT GROENING, cartoonist
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: Groening is a cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer who's best known as the creator of two popular animated TV series, The Simpsons and Futurama. Matt was born in Portland, Oregon.
7) ESPERANZA SPALDING, musician
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO SHE IS: Esperanza is a multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer. In 2011, Spalding won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, making her the first jazz artist to win that award. Esperanza was born in Portland, Oregon.
8) JANE POWELL, actress
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO SHE IS: Jane gained fame as a singer, dancer, and actress in such classics as Royal Wedding (with Fred Astaire), A Date With Judy (with Elizabeth Taylor), and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (with Howard Keel), among many others. Powell was born in Portland, Oregon.
9) BRENT MUSBURGER, sportscaster
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: This guy has been a broadcaster for practically forever. He's covered games for the NFL, NASCAR, NBA, MLB, and NCAA football and basketball. An original member of CBS's The NFL Today program, Musburger now calls games for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Brent was born in Portland, Oregon.
10) PINTO COLVIG, voice actor
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE WAS: Originally a vaudeville and radio actor and newspaper cartoonist, Colvig's biggest claim to fame was as a voice actor. Pinto was the original voice of the famous Disney character "Goofy." Colvig was born in Jacksonville, Oregon.
11) JAMES BEARD, chef/author
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE WAS: A chef and food writer, James was a central figure in the establishment of a gourmet American food identity. Beard brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s. He wrote over 20 books on cooking and food. Beard was born in Portland, Oregon.
12) LISA RINNA, actress
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO SHE IS: Rinna is well-known for her roles on TV soap operas Days Of Our Lives and Melrose Place, as well as being Harry Hamlin's wife (he was one of the stars of L.A. Law). But she may be best-known for her disproportionately large, almost comically plump lips. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're unmistakably Lisa's. She was born in Medford, Oregon.
13) STEVE PREFONTAINE, runner
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE WAS: Prefontaine was middle- and long-distance runner who once held the American record in the seven distance track events, from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Tragically, Steve died at the age of 24 in a car accident. He was born in Eugene, Oregon.
14) WILL VINTON, filmmaker
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: A producer and director of animated films, Vinton is famous for having created the "California Raisins," the Domino's Pizza "Noid," and the M&M's "Red," "Yellow," and "Green" characters. Will was nominated for an Oscar for his special effects work in the 1985 film Return To Oz. Vinton was born in McMinnville, Oregon.
15) MAT KEARNEY, singer/songwriter
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: Still an up-and-coming singer, Kearney is probably best known for his hit song "Nothing Left To Lose," from his debut album by the same title. So far, Mat has had four top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 charts, so his future's looking bright. Kearney was born in Eugene, Oregon.
16) DALE MURPHY, baseball player
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE IS: If you were an Atlanta Braves fan or just an avid baseball fan from the late '70s to the early '90s, you are probably familiar with Dale. A beloved member of the Braves for 15 seasons, Murphy closed out the final three years of his career playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies. A two-time National League MVP, Dale was born in Portland, Oregon.
17) RIVER PHOENIX, actor
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO HE WAS: The eldest member of a quintet of sibling actors that also includes current film star Joaquin, River appeared in 24 films and/or television shows in his brief yet successful career. Phoenix is best remembered for his roles in Explorers, Stand By Me, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, and My Own Private Idaho. River died of drug-induced heart failure at 23 years of age. He was born in Metolius, Idaho.
18) TONYA HARDING, figure skater
WHY YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO SHE IS: A two-time Olympian and two-time Skate America Champion, Harding is probably best known for an incident in which her ex-husband and two others conspired to assault Tonya's skating competitor Nancy Kerrigan at a practice session during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. It's a shame that this is her legacy – she probably should have been remembered for being the first American woman (and only the second woman ever) to complete a triple axel jump in competition. Tonya was born in Portland, Oregon.
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