Brownsburg People: Pitchers, Racers, and Quarterbacks

by Bryan Johnson on August 11, 2009

The town hall of Brownsburg, Indiana For such a small town, Brownsburg, Indiana has a surprising number of famous native sons and daughters. This satellite to Indiana state capital Indianapolis has a fairly small (but growing) population, out of which have grown several veritable super stars in a variety of different fields. Brownsburg famous people are mostly celebrities in the sports world, though there are a few exceptions. Below are listed some of the most famous people in Brownsburg.

	Aldo Andretti – Aldo Andretti is the father of John Andretti and the brother of Mario Andretti. Though not as famous as his brother or son, Aldo began racing when brother Mario did, in Pennsylvania in 1959 with a stock car they built themselves. Aldo retired from racing in 1969 after an accident severely damaged his face. Video of the Nazareth Speedway, where Mario and Aldo Andretti began their racing careers
	Kent Bottenfield – This famous Brownsburg person is both a musician and a former Major League Baseball player. From 1992 to 2001, he pitched for eight different MLB teams, including the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals. After his baseball career, he began his life in Indianapolis music, releasing two albums: 2004’s Take Me Back and 2007’s Back in the Game.
	Bobby East – Bobby East is a young NASCAR driver who was born in Torrance, California in 1984. In Schererville, Indiana, he earned the distinction of being the youngest driver to win a feature at the Illiana Motor Speedway. Currently, Bobby East lives in Brownsburg and still competes in many races, including the Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA. Bobby East video
	Arthur W. Graham III – Arthur W. Graham III is a resident of Brownsburg who has been a long time official with the Indianapolis 500, perhaps the biggest Indianapolis sports event out there. He also has the distinction of creating the first fully automatic race scoring and timing system.
	Gordon Hayward – Gordon Hayward is currently a basketball player for Butler University in Indianapolis. He has only played for the Butler University men’s basketball team since the 2008 season, but in that time he has been selected to the Foxsports.com National All-Freshman Team, set a Freshman record in three point shots in two games, started every single game, was selected as the Horizon League Player of the Week three times, and much more. Hayward is a native of Brownsburg.
	Bill Sampen – Bill Sampen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who now lives in Brownsburg. He nearly won a Rookie of the Year award in 1990, his rookie season, and ended up playing for three different teams over his four year career: the Montreal Expos, the Kansas City Royals, and the California Angels.
	Robbie Stanley – Robbie Stanley was a native of Brownsburg who is a member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Hall of Fame. He won three USAC national championships, in 1991, 1992, and 1993, and was an All-Star Circuit of Champions sprint car titleist in 1990. His career was ended prematurely in a 1994 sprint car accident which took his life. Robbie Stanley video of fatal crash
	Jim Sorgi – Jim Sorgi was the backup to Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts since 2007. During that time he threw for a total of 929 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, and one interception. Sorgi was released by the Colts in March of 2010 and signed with the Giants as backup to Eli Manning just a few days later.
	Mike Vanderjagt played for eight years as a kicker for the Indianapolis Colts. In 2003, he had a perfect season with the Colts, never missing a field goal or an extra point. After missing the game tying field goal in a 2005 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Vanderjagt left the Colts for the Dallas Cowboys, whom he played for for one year before departing for the Canadian Football League. Mike Vanderjagt video