Henry Roldán
This Sunday, June 19, is Father’s Day almost everywhere in the world, and here at JefeBet we celebrate it with a list of the best father and son duos there are in North American sports. Including nearly every major sport in the United States, at least one familial power duo has existed in the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL.
Without further ado, let’s find out who those duos are.
Best Father Son duos in North American sports
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
Of our five father and son duos, this is the only one that was fortunate enough to participate in games at the same time when they shared fields, in the 1990 and 1991 seasons, with the Seattle Mariners.
Ken Griffey Sr. was a key member of the Cincinnati Reds’ “Red Machine,” a team with which he won two World Series, and with which he was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
However, Junior far surpassed his father, dominating the Major Leagues as one of the best players in the circuit in both, his era and in history. Not only was the keeper selected to 13 All-Star Games, but he also won 10 Gold Gloves, an American League Most Valuable Player award. He also hit 630 home runs, and he was inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame with 99.3% of the votes in 2016.
Archie, Payton and Eli Manning
Our list should be all about a father and son duo, but the Manning’s are one of the most important family groups in NFL history, so it wasn’t fair to leave any of them out.
Let’s start with Archie Manning, who was vastly surpassed by his sons without it detracting from his career. Archie is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, and was voted to 2 Pro Bowls during his 13 campaigns in the NFL.
Peyton quickly surpassed that by winning 5 MVPs, 2 Super Bowls, as well as being named to 14 Pro Bowls and being a part of seven All-Pro teams. He is also among the NFL’s all-time leaders in all major categories regarding the offense, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
On the other hand, Eli, the younger brother, does not have such spectacular offense records as Peyton does. However, he, like his brother in Super Bowl, also managed to win two of them, including one against the mighty New England Patriots. In both victories he was the MVP, and he participated in 4 Pro-Bowls.
Bobby and Barry Bonds
In his 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, Bobby Bonds became the second player in MLB history to hit 300 home runs and steal 300 bases, in addition to participating in three All-Star Games and being the MVP of one of them.
And while Bobby’s career was a good one, his son Barry’s career can be considered one of the best in baseball history. Although he is under the shadow of steroids, his talent is such that he won the National League MVP seven times, was a 14-time All-Star, and an eight-time Gold Glove winner.
But the most impressive record of his is that he remains the all-time leader in bases on balls, intentional bases on balls, and the most recognized of all, his 762 home runs.
Bobby and Brett Hull
Bobby Hull is one of the greatest field hockey players in history. The member of the Hall of Fame was chosen for the NHL All-Star first team in 10 occasions, a three-time Art Ross Trophy winner, and a two-time Hart Trophy winner.
Brett followed in his father’s footsteps and he was considered a scoring machine, as he finished fifth in goals in NHL history and is tied with Wayne Gretzky for most winning goals in a game in the playoffs. When he joined his father Bobby in the Hall of Fame, they became the first and only father and son duo to be inducted.
Dell and Stephen Curry
Dell Curry has had a decent 16 season career in the NBA. He retired as the Charlotte Hornets’ leading scorer and three-point leader with 9,839 points and 929, respectively. He was also named NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1994.
And while his son Seth has also been in some NBA action, Stephen was undoubtedly the one that stood out the most, leading the Golden State Warriors to three NBA championships. In his 13 campaigns, he has been named circuit MVP twice, an All-Star six times and in 2016 he finished as the league’s scoring champion.
He is also considered the best shooter in history. He holds the NBA record for the most three-pointers made in a regular season with 402, most consecutive regular season games with a three-pointer made with 157, and most long distance shots in history with 3,117.
