11 Reasons to Celebrate National Bubba Day

— -- intro: Good luck finding a proclamation. But that's no reason to let a perfectly respectable nickname go unheralded on its day in the spotlight. So, in recognition of today's National Bubba Day, behold these 11 famous Bubbas, which, by the way, Webster's dictionary defines as mostly Southern slang for "brother."

quicklist: 1category: National Bubba Daytitle: William 'Bubba' Clinton text: "Bubba" means different things to different people, but "42nd president of the United States" is definition enough in this case. Clinton is 68.

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quicklist: 2category: National Bubba Daytitle: Gerry 'Bubba' Watson Jr.text: The lefty golfer, 36, rekindled "Bubba” fever last year with his second Masters Tournament win.

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quicklist: 3category: National Bubba Daytitle: Charles 'Bubba' Smith text: 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 college and the NFL, mostly for the Baltimore Colts. He died in 2011 at age 66.

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quicklist: 4category: National Bubba Daytitle: Al ‘Bubba’ Bakertext: The former NFL star, 58, returned for a second act with the “Shark Tank” appearance where 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.

quicklist: 5category: National Bubba Daytitle: Richard 'Bubba' Crosby

text: The former major league outfielder, 38, 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?'"

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quicklist: 6category: National Bubba Daytitle: Bubba Sparxxx text: Georgia rapper Warren Mathis, 38, 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."

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quicklist: 7category: National Bubba Daytitle: Tommy 'Bubba' Facendatext: The rockabilly singer-dancer from Portsmouth, Virginia, 75, wore his Bubbaness so comfortably that "Bubba Ditty" is among his singles, the best known of which is "High School U.S.A."

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quicklist: 8category: National Bubba Daytitle: William 'Bubba' Paris text: The motivational speaker, 54, 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.

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quicklist: 9category: National Bubba Daytitle: James 'Bubba' Stewart Jr.text: The professional motocross rider, 29, put his "Bubba" to good use with a reality-TV show called "Bubba's World" that ran for two seasons. He has dozens of Supercross victories.

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quicklist: 10category: National Bubba Daytitle: Bubba the Love Sponge Clem text: Born Todd Clem but now legally Bubba the Love Sponge Clem and host of the radio show that bears his name, Clem, 49, absorbs controversy as well as anyone (witness the on-air hog slaughtering in 2001 that sent the FCC into a tizzy).

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quicklist: 11category: National Bubba Daytitle: Daniel 'Bubba' Frankstext: The three-time NFL Pro Bowl tight end, 37, has a collection of memorable one-hand catches on his resume after a nine-year career, mostly with the Green Bay Packers.

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