A sporting family which manages to leave a lasting impression on the sport which they love is the ultimate success story and it is one that has obsessed sports writers for many years, myself included. In order to best honour these magnificent families who have let the talent run down through the family tree, we thought we would rank our top 4 sporting families of all time. Without further ado then, let’s check out the list of these remarkable entertainers.
4 – The Elways
When we talk about family success in sport on this list, we will work out the levels of success as an accumulation of all family members. With this in mind, the Elways simply must be on the list. Father Jack Elway started the ball rolling the 60s when his impressive college career was cut short by injury and he went on to become one of the best college coaches of all time. Son John Elway would achieve what his father couldn’t and Mr ‘Denver Broncos’ would become a Super Bowl MVP and three time champion as both a player and general manager.
3 – The Nortons
Ken Norton senior was a bruising boxer who knocked out 33 of his 45 opponents during his career which also saw him beat Muhammed Ali to win the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Son Ken Norton junior would not follow his father’s path in terms of the sport which he chose, but he would follow the pathway to success. Norton junior was a highly skilled linebacker who became the first person to win 3 back-to-back Super Bowl rings and added a 4th as a coach in 2014.
2 – The Bonds
Barry and Bobby Bonds have left quite a mark on baseball and both lead a career that was littered with personal and team successes. Bobby Bonds famously became the first player to achieve the 30-30 in a single season, a feat he would repeat 4 times during his career. Barry Bonds had a lot to live up to and he overcame it all to become widely considered as the greatest baseball player ever. Bonds junior retired as the highest scorer of all time and was swiftly inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.
1 – The Mannings
Manning is a surname which should strike fear into any opponent on the football field and the exploits of this family are something that has rarely been seen in sport. Father Archie was the first of the family to play football and he had a strong career in the NFL. When sons Eli and Peyton came along however, they would change the course of the sport forever and between the two racked up 4 Super Bowl wins and an insane history of record breaking at both franchise and league level. Peyton Manning undoubtedly stole most of the spotlight and he is widely regarded to be the greatest QB of all time, his brother cannot be unhappy however as he is usually considered to be in the top 3, not bad.