Every few years in the world of sports, a natural phenomenon appears where the son or daughter of a famous sporting parent, follows in their mother or father’s footprints and goes on to have an illustrious career in the world of sports.
Whist it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the offspring of a sporting legend will have genes in their makeup which allow them to be naturally good at sports, to actually use it to be successful under the weight of expectation which they are put under, is an achievement in itself. Let’s take a look at just some of these incredible humans who have matched the exploits of their parent.
The Elways
Think Denver Broncos and you immediately think of the Hall of Famer John Elway, one of the greatest QBs to ever play in the NFL and a highly successful player and manager with 3 Super Bowl rings on his hand. Father Jack Elway was a promising player who’s career got cut short which lead him to go and become one of the greatest college level coaches of all time.
The Bonds
Bobby Bonds was the first MLB player to reach the illusive 30-30 season, 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, a feat which he would achieve 5 times in total during his record breaking career. Son Barry Bonds took what his father did to the next level and is considered to be the greatest baseball player ever. Barry matched his father’s 30-30 success and went on to set and smash records throughout the game. Nobody hits like the Bonds do.
The Nortons
Ken Norton junior decided to choose a career in football rather than follow his father’s path and this proved to be a good move. Between 1994 and 1996, Norton junior would become the first player in NFL history to win 3 back-to-back Super Bowls and he managed to add a 4th later on in his career as a linebacker coach. It was his father Ken Norton senior however who would first leave the Norton surname on sports with his exploits in the ring. Ken senior was a brutal boxer who boasted 33 knockouts during a career which saw him crowned Heavyweight Champion of the World after beating Muhammed Ali in a 12 round slugfest.
The Mannings
We couldn’t make a list like this without including football’s royal family the Manning’s. Archie Manning player during the 70s and was an exciting quarterback who garnered a lot of attention but many feel that he never quite lived up to his potential. That accusation cannot be made towards his sons Eli and Peyton however, brothers who came along and changed the sport forever. With four Super Bowl rings between them and an array of individual awards and records, these brothers firmly planted the Manning family name on the world of football. Peyton Manning is considered to be the greatest QB of all time, and his brother is not far behind him.