Richard Santo Aurilia was born September 2, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Xaverian High School in Brooklyn and in 1999, ten years after graduation, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He attended St. John's University where he was an All-Big East selection in 1992. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in he 24th round in 1992 and made his major league debut on September 6, 1995.

In 2000, the Our Lady of Grace League of Brooklyn retired Aurilia's uniform number 22, and in 2002 he was the Giants' recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award.

Rich is married to Raquel, a prolific model, actress, musician, and proponent for just causes all around. Raquel's charitable efforts include:

• Raising almost $30,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation by finishing the 1999 New York and 2002 Honolulu marathons
• Raising $1,700 for victims of Hurricane Katrina by donating proceeds from in-game sales of her CD single The Need.
• A concert with Bronson Arroyo to raise money for the Reds Community Fund. Hear her discuss the concert on the Red Hot Mama podcast

The couple has two sons, Chaz Aiden (August 2001) and Gavin Shea (October 2003). Chaz is red-headed but has his daddy's eyes, while Gavin favors his mother. I was lucky enough to find these things out first-hand when I chatted up Raquel at a spring training game before the 2006 season.