These fathers didn't play, but their influence can't be underestimated.
Walter Gretzky
Where would the Great One be today if Walter didn't freeze over the family backyard to make a hockey rink each winter?
Louis Sutter
The patriarch of hockey's greatest family saw six of his seven sons play in the NHL. Their hometown of Viking, Alta., welcomes visitors with a sign that reads, "Home of the Sutters."
Earl Woods The Vietnam veteran devoted his life to training a young Tiger, organizing his life around his son and the game he loved to play.
Richard Williams The outspoken tennis coach has produced two Wimbledon champions: daughters Venus and Serena.
TOP 1010 Chips
off the Old BlockCBC Sports Online |
Oct, 20, 2005
The presence of one of the most potent father-son combos in sports history ended Oct. 15, when Brett Hull retired after 19 NHL seasons.
Brett is sure to follow his father Bobby's footsteps into the Hall
of Fame, leaving a scoring legacy that, on its own, is mentioned in
the same breath as those of hockey icons Wayne Gretzky and Gordie
Howe. Combine the numbers of the Golden Brett with the Golden Jet,
though, and only Gordie and his son Mark are better.
Which got Sports Online thinking: the Hulls aren't the first father-son (or father-daughter) team to make the phrase "chip off the old block" ring true. Here are some other combos that have made their mark on the sports world:
Just like her father, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. (Getty Images)
Imagine the weight of expectation
resting on the shoulders of Laila Ali, daughter of the "greatest of
all time."
Her legendary father, Muhammad Ali, is one of the world's most recognized individuals, as renowned for his political activism as he was for floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.
Thanks to Ali, voted Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated, phrases like “Rumble in the Jungle” and “Thrilla in Manila” are imprinted forever in the lexicon of sports culture.
His is an amazing standard to live up to, but Laila didn't let the enormous shadow cast by her father stop her from entering women's boxing in 1999.
After winning her first eight fights, Laila won a majority decision against Jackie Frazier-Lyde in a 2001 pay-per-view bout dubbed Ali-Frazier IV, a reference to their respective fathers' famous fight trilogy.
Laila took a year off, but returned to the ring with a vengeance when she captured the IBA, WIBA and IWBF world belts to unify the crown. Currently, the younger Ali's record stands at 21 wins and 0 losses, with 16 wins by knockout.
Felipe Alou managed his son Moises in
Montreal and San Francisco. (CP Photo)
Felipe and Moises Alou have walked the same dugout for six major-league seasons and probably cherished every step.
Some would say they're making up for lost time, trying hard – as father and son – to move on from those forgetful days in the Dominican Republic.
Divorced from Moises's mother, Felipe wasn't around to watch his son play baseball as a child. But Moises was proud of his famous father whose baseball card he carried in his pocket.
A three-time all-star, Felipe hit 206 home runs during his 17-year career in the majors.
The relationship was distant over the years, with Felipe surfacing infrequently in his son's life.
Moises eventually made his way to the United States and the Montreal Expos system, where Felipe was being groomed to manage.
In 1992, Moises cracked the Expos' Opening Day lineup, while Felipe was promoted from bench coach to manager.
They spent four more seasons together in Montreal before baseball took them elsewhere. But the father-son duo was reunited this past season with the San Francisco Giants.
San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds comes from good baseball stock.
His father Bobby played in the majors for 14 seasons – seven of them with San Francisco – and was known for his power at the plate, speed on the base path and defensive prowess in the outfield.
Bobby began his career with a bang, hitting a grand slam in his first game on June 25, 1968. He went on to win three Gold Gloves, play in three all-star games, and was a five-time member of the 30-30 club (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season).
The Elder Bonds was also the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 300 home runs and steal 400 stolen bases. His son Barry is the only other player to accomplish that remarkable feat.
Although Barry has become mired in baseball's steroid controversy, there's no doubting he is the most dominant player of his era.
The seven-time National League MVP clubbed a single-season record 73 home runs in 2001 and won eight Gold Glove awards. Third on the all-time list with 708 homers, Barry is on a mission to chase down Hank Aaron (755) as baseball's greatest home run hitter.
4. RALPH EARNHARDT, DALE EARNHARDT AND DALE EARNHARDT JR.
Both Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt
Jr. are two of the most beloved drivers in racing history. (Getty
Images)
The Earnhardts – Ralph, Dale and Dale Jr. – are the first family of NASCAR. Between them there's nearly a century of auto racing experience.
Ralph Earnhardt was a NASCAR pioneer and considered a master car builder by racing historians. In 1989, he was inducted into the motorsport hall of fame.
His son, Dale Earnhardt (dubbed "The Intimidator" for his aggressive driving style), was one the most beloved and successful drivers in NASCAR history. His black No. 3 Chevrolet graced the winner's circle nearly 70 times in a career that spanned more than two decades.
Earnhardt died doing what he lived for. He was killed when his car crashed into the wall on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Also on the track that day in February was Dale Earnhardt's son Dale Jr., who finished second.
While Dale Jr. has enjoyed some success in his career, most notably a victory at the 2004 Daytona 500, he has yet to prove he can consistently win championships on the NASCAR's top circuit. But he has grown into one of sport's most bankable stars off the track. He's appeared in commercials and music videos and his merchandise is always a hot seller.
Considering the
long list of outstanding second-generation baseball stars, it's amazing
that only once has a father-son duo played in the majors at the same
time. Take a bow, Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr.
Griffey Sr. was a standout centre-fielder for Cincinnati's "Big Red
Machine" in the mid-1970s. Stints with the New York Yankees and Atlanta
Braves followed in the 1980s before he landed back in Cincinnati.
Baseball history was made in 1989 when a 19-year-old Ken Griffey,
Jr., entered the American League as a Seattle Mariners rookie while
his father was still playing for the Reds.
A year later, Griffey Sr. signed with Mariners after being cut loose
by the Reds, marking the first time that a father and son were teammates.
Not content with making history on two occasions, the Griffeys did
it a third time on Sept. 14 when they stroked back-to-back home runs
in a game against the California Angels.
Griffey Sr., retired a year later after 22 seasons, while Griffey
Jr., went on to win the AL MVP award in 1997 before signing with the
Reds two years later.
Mark, left, and father Gordie Howe combined for 2,592 points.
(CP Photo)
Detroit Red Wings practices
in 1961 were chock full of future Stanley Cup winners such as Gordie
Howe, Stan Mikita, Glenn Hall and … six-year-old Mark Howe?
The young Howe was a regular at the NHL team's workouts, skating alongside
his father – better known as Mr. Hockey.
Twelve years would pass until father and son shared the same ice again,
this time joined by another son Marty, with the Houston Aeros of the
World Hockey Association.
The Howe trio led Houston to WHA titles in 1974 and 1975. They remained
teammates for another six seasons until Gordie, at age 52, retired
from the NHL's Hartford Whalers after a 15-goal campaign in 1979-80.
The feared sniper won six MVP awards and six scoring championships
in 25 years with Detroit and left the game with 801 goals, 1,049 assists
and 1,850 points – all NHL records. That is, until Wayne Gretzky
came along.
Mark, a speedy forward, switched to defence in 1979-80, the first
of his 16 NHL seasons that included three Stanley Cup appearances
with Philadelphia and Detroit.
Mounting injuries forced Mark to retire after playing 18 games with
the Wings in the 1994-95 season.
Peyton Manning is, so far, the most successful of the Manning
QBs. (CP Photo)
The football careers of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning may be the best evidence that athletic ability can be passed from one generation to the next.
All three were finalists for the Heisman Trophy, U.S. college football’s top award. All three were highly-touted first round picks who grew into starting National Football League quarterbacks.
Archie was picked No. 2 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 1971. He played for 14 years on talent poor-teams in New Orleans, Houston and Minnesota. His best season came in 1978, when he was named the NFC MVP despite playing on a Saints team that lost more games than it won.
Peyton was selected first overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 draft. Over the last several year's he's established himself as the game's most dangerous passer. In 2004, he had a season for the ages, passing for an astounding 4,557 yards and a record 49 touchdowns.
Peyton’s younger brother Eli was drafted first overall by the San Diego Chargers, who shipped him to the New York Giants in a draft-day trade. Only in his second season, he's already showing signs of being an elite NFL passer.
Dishing out punishment was all in day's work for Ken Norton and Ken Norton Jr., but they went about it different ways – senior did it inside the squared circle, junior on the gridiron.
Dubbed "The Black Hercules," Norton pere was a top heavyweight boxer in the 1970s, famous for breaking Muhammad Ali's jaw in the first of their three fights.
Norton became the World Boxing Council named champion in 1978 under controversial circumstances. Leon Spinks stunned Ali to win the crown but was stripped by the WBC for giving Ali a rematch instead of facing Norton, the No. 1 contender.
Norton's reign didn't last long, though, as he lost a memorable 15-round split decision to Larry Holmes in his first title defence.
Ken Norton Jr., was a key member of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty that won back-to-back Super Bowls in the early 1990s and was one of the best linebackers of his day. The highlight of Norton's 13-year career came in Super Bowl XXVII when he scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in Dallas' 52-17 pasting of the Buffalo Bills.
Racing is in the Villeneuve family's blood. (Getty Images)
Canada's royal family of
auto racing, Gilles Villeneuve and his son Jacques treated Formula
One as their personal playground.
Gilles rose from humble origins in small-town Quebec to worldwide
fame, beguiling fans with his swashbuckling style on the F1 circuit.
He became a national hero when he won the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix
in Montreal, his first of six career F1 victories. He followed that
up with an impressive 1979 season, finishing second behind Ferrari
teammate Jody Scheckter in the final standings.
Villeneuve's marvellous career was tragically cut short when he died
in an accident at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. He was only 32.
Like his father, Jacques Villeneuve took F1 by storm with equal parts
panache and cunning.
Jacques finished second overall at the end of his debut season in
1996. A year later he won seven races - and survived a bitter battle
with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher - en route to capturing the 1997
drivers' title for Williams. He also won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's
top athlete.
Following a moderately successful 1998 campaign, Jacques cashed in
on his fame and signed one of the most lucrative deals in auto racing
(reportedly worth $20 million US a season) with British American Racing
in 1999.
In one corner you
have the classy and respected Dick Weber, professional 10-pin bowling's
greatest ambassador.
In another is son Pete – an emotional, rebellious type who once
served a six-month suspension for conduct unbecoming a professional.
Despite their many differences, the Webers shared a passion for the
sport for more than 40 years, won a combined 50-plus Professional
Bowlers Association (PBA) titles and share space in the PBA Hall of
Fame.
Dick, often called the Arnold Palmer of bowling, became the first
player to win at least one PBA title in six straight decades.
A three-time PBA Bowler of the Year, Dick died this past February
at age 75 with 26 PBA titles and six Senior titles to his name.
Pete, who passed his dad in career titles in 2002, started pushing
a bowling ball at age two. Two years later, he used a six-pound ball
that Dick made for him.
By 12, Pete had bowled his first perfect game of 300, and three years
later made the jump to men's leagues. He currently sits fourth all-time
with 31 PBA victories.
