History's best father-child athlete duos
When Father's Day rolls around each year, it's a natural time to reflect on your relationship with your dad. Have you lived up to his expectations?
Sure, it's true that many dads set the bar high for their kids. But for certain children, the burden to live up to their fathers' greatness can take on a different shape than the rest of us are used to. When the children of world-famous athletes step onto the field, one can't help but compare their talents to their fathers'. Some show real promise and end up falling short, but some, whether due to a good gene pool, an in-house coach, or some combination thereof, achieve greatness in their own right.
For Laila Ali, there was no doubt that she had big shoes to fill; after all, her father Muhammad Ali did famously declare himself to be "the greatest." But despite her father creating a nearly impossible act to follow, given the "Thrilla in Manila" and wins over fellow greats Sonny Liston and George Foreman, Laila Ali has managed to rack up a near-inarguable record to prove her own talent as a boxer. Boasting 21 knockouts in her nine-year career, the younger Ali has an undefeated record. And how do we know that she really means business about carrying on her father's athletic legacy? Ali faced off against Joe Frazier's daughter in 2001 – and won.
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Clearly Laila Ali took a page out of her father's book in becoming so successful as a boxer. For some of the other strongest father/child athlete duos in history, though, evidence that father knows best is even more concrete. Baseball great Moises Alou followed in his father Felipe's, as well as his uncles Jesús' and Matty's, footsteps by pursuing professional baseball. But for a time in his son's career, Felipe's relationship to Moises went beyond proud parent in the stands. After hanging up his glove as a player, Felipe went on to become an MLB manager for the Montreal Expos and the San Francisco Giants, managing son Moises on both teams.
Even if it's only your Little League team, having dear old dad as the coach is something many of us can relate to. Playing alongside your dad, on the other hand, is a different experience altogether. But for Ken Griffey, whose talent was perhaps eclipsed by his longevity as a baseball player, and his son, the young phenom Ken Jr., this strange concept became a reality. In 1990, the year Ken Jr. won the Rookie of the Year award, father and son, both members of the Seattle Mariners at the time, took the field together for the first time on August 31st. Just two weeks later, the Griffeys demonstrated that the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree in a sequence of events any pair, related or not, would be thrilled to experience: they hit back to back home runs.
When thinking of what to get for your dad this Father's Day, you probably won't be able to come up with something as good as an undefeated boxing record or a major league home run. Good thing it's the thought that counts.
The list:
1. Bobby Bonds/Barry Bonds: Slideshow
2. Archie Manning/Peyton Manning: Slideshow
3. Bobby Hull/Brett Hull: Slideshow
4. Ken Griffey/Ken Griffey Jr.: Slideshow
5. Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Slideshow
• See more duos
