Future Major League outfielder and designated hitter Ellis Burks is born in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

A first round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1983, Burks did not make his way to Cleveland until the twilight of his career. After numerous successful seasons displaying some clout for both the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, Burks returned to the American League with the Indians in 2001 and became a strong right-handed bat in the lineup. He played 124 games for the club in 2001, hitting 28 homers and driving in 74 runs while hitting .280. The following season, he played in 138 games while batting .301, slugging 32 homers, and knocking in 91 runs.

In 2003, an elbow injury got the best of him and limited him to just 55 games. He became a free agent after the season and returned to Boston for the 2004 campaign. He was limited to just eleven games for the team that season after tearing his medial meniscus in his left knee and hit .182 with one solo homer in 37 plate appearances for the Red Sox club that broke their curse.