Fathers and Sons in Sports

For Father’s Day, we are highlighting famous fathers and sons in the sporting world. These famous families have made impressive strides in their respective sports, making them the most popular in their fields.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a professional NASCAR car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001. Earnhardt Sr. won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over the course of his four-decade career and is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps becoming a professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for NASCAR on NBC. Although Earnhardt Jr. is semi-retired, he still competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Races. He retired with 26 wins in the Cup Series. The two competed together in NASCAR races until Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s untimely death during the 2001 Daytona 500, in which he suffered a fatal car crash. This great father/son racing duo is regarded as the most popular in NASCAR history, and have won the awards and accolades to prove it.

Archie Manning and Peyton and Eli Manning

Archie Manning was an NFL quarterback from 1971-1984, playing for 13 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, as well as short stints with the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings. He played in the 1978 and 1979 Pro Bowls, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These days, he is primarily known as the patriarch of the Manning football family. Archie’s second son, Peyton, is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. With an NFL career that spans from 1998-2015, Peyton played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, and four more with the Denver Broncos. In that time, he was a two-time Super Bowl champ, as well as Super Bowl MVP. He was a five-time NFL MVP and played in the Pro Bowl 14 times, and named NFL’s Man of the Year in 2005. Not to be outdone, the youngest Manning son, Eli, continued the quarterback dynasty with his 16 seasons with the New York Giants from 2004-2019. Eli also has two Super Bowl rings, was a two-time Super Bowl MVP, also named NFL’s Man of the Year in 2016. Both Manning brothers also share the rare honor of being Saturday Night Live hosts (Peyton in 2007, and Eli in 2012). Continuing this superstar family lineage, Archie’s grandson, Arch, is still in high school, but currently ranked the number one pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2023, all but guaranteeing the Manning football legacy will continue.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.

Major League Baseball has seen plenty of father son duos make their way through the big leagues, but none have quite reached the heights of the Griffeys. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. were different than any other father-son sports duo because they were the first to become teammates. Junior made his way through the Seattle Mariners’ minor league system before making his MLB debut in April 1989. The following year in August of 1990, his father joined the Mariners after being released by the Cincinnati Reds. That September, the Griffeys became the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in a game. The pair went on to play 51 games together, until Griffey Sr. retired in June of 1991. Ken Griffey Jr. went on to become a baseball icon and hall of famer. He finished his career with 13 All-Star appearances, an AL MVP, 10 Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards, and numerous other accolades before retiring with his dad’s former team, the Cincinnati Reds. The team went on to honor the duo by inducting them into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.