If you want to find a day where a few Sunderland legends and fans favourite were born on then look no further than today (6th June)! Born on this day is the ultimate derby day hero, Gary Rowell as well as fans favourites such as Dariusz Kubicki, Seb Larsson and Ian Bowyer.
GARY ROWELL
Born on this day in 1957 as Gary Pigg in Seaham, Rowell would start his playing career at Sunderland after rising through the academy ranks, making his full first team debut in 1974 under Bob Stokoe, but it wouldn't be for another few years when he would establish himself as a first team player and a club legend. He made his league debut in 1975 as Sunderland stormed to the Second Division title and promotion to the top flight and would flourish whilst representing England under 21s on a tour of Scandinavia.
He really came to prominence in the 1977/78 season with 18 goals in 39 games for SAFC, although he'd better that the following campaign when he netted 21 in 31 matches, including his hattrick which wrote him into Sunderland history books and folklore forever, that of course being his treble in a 4-1 demolition of Newcastle at St James' Park in February 1979. He would miss most of the promotion season of 1979/80 due to a painful medial ligament injury, but would be a fixture and almost the first name on the team sheet for the next four seasons, he would also bag another memorable hattrick against Arsenal in December 1982 at Roker Park.
He had a keen eye for goal and would be Sunderland's top scorer for half a dozen seasons during his lengthy stint at the club, he left on a free transfer to Norwich City in 1984 after becoming Sunderland's top goalscorer after the war. Rowell and Len Shackleton were, until then, the only two players to top 100 goals for the Lads after World War 2. He played one season at Carrow Road, the season in which Norwich defeated Sunderland in the Milk Cup final, before moving back to the North East with Middlesbrough which would be his last real season where he featured.
He retired in 1990 after two seasons with Burnley at Turf Moor following a loan stint with Dundee as well as permanent contracts with Brighton and Carlisle United. He became a pundit and regular column writer for the Sunderland Echo in his retirement. However, he will always be fondly remembered and we all do live in a Gary Rowell World!
IAN BOWYER
A two time European Cup winner with Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980 as well as a First Division winner and League Cup winner too, he came to Sunderland in 1981 but would only stay for a year and would return to the City Ground. Starting out at Manchester City before moving onto Leyton Orient before signing for East Midlands side in 1973 - he was a key part of Cloughie's European Cup winning side but his arrival at Roker Park was far from impressive, first suffering a knee injury and failing to settle on Wearside, matched with the fact he was in a poor team battling relegation. He returned to Forest where he clocked up over 500 appearances in all competitions across his two spells at the club. He became player manager at Hereford United for three years between 1987 and 1990 before eventually finishing his playing days at Grantham Town in non league.
DARIUSZ KUBICKI
A firm fans favourite and a regular in the Sunderland first team in the promotion season of 1995/96 following a successful loan spell from Aston Villa in 1994, he would immediately make the deal permanent that summer. He only set Mick Buxton back £100k after failing to impress at Villa Park, where the West Midlands side finished Premier League runners up in the inaugural season. He would make a staggering 124 consecutive appearances at Roker Park but would lose his place to Gareth Hall in 1996 which prevented the Polish right back from equalling George Mulhall's post war record of 125 consecutive starts. He was warmly remembered by Sunderland fans even after he was released in the summer of 1997, he would return to Wearside with Wolves and would supply the cross which Andy Melville turned into his own net! At the age of 34 he struggled to establish himself as a regular at Molineux and would be loaned to Tranmere before going on to play for Carlisle and Darlington. He has since had a successful managerial career in Poland, including a season at Legia Warsaw.
SEB LARSSON
A firm fans favourite for the six years he spent at the club, he arrived on Wearside with Craig Gardner from Birmingham City who had just won the League Cup, defeating Arsenal, but would also be relegated from the Premier League. He would soon establish himself as a regular at the Stadium of Light and become a key part of the midfield, whether in the centre or on the right hand side. He got his reputation as a dead ball specialist, scoring several memorable free kicks from the last minute winner against Blackburn in Martin O'Neill's first game to the screamer against Arsenal, his former club. He became a firm fans favourite and won the 2014/15 Sunderland Supporters' Player of the Year and would be a key part of Gus Poyet's team which got to the league Cup final the season before. He would make an impressive 128 caps for his country, Sweden as well as captaining the national side on several occasions and representing them at international tournaments.
