The 17 Most Successful Father-Son Duos In Pro Sports History

Sometimes athletic skill and talent runs in the family. That never surprises anyone. But when a professional athlete fathers a son who goes on to become a Hall of Famer it makes everyone stare in awe. From the Griffeys to the Mannings, Hulls to the Longs, these are the 17 most successful father-son duos in professional sports history.

When it comes to athletic talent, some families have a light that shines a lot brighter than others. I’m talking, of course, about legendary family names like Hull, Andretti, Manning, and the others listed below. In many instances, the father was successful enough to bring two pro athletes into the world. These are the 17 most successful father-son duos in pro sports history.

1. Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Intimidator and his son, Junior, are the most famous father-son duo in NASCAR history. Combined, Dale and Dale Jr. have 102 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 76 for Sr. and 26 for Jr. Dad was the Winston Cup Series Champ in 1980, 86, 87, 90, 91, 93, and 1994 and tied with Jimmy Johnson and Richard Petty for the most championships all-time (7). His son would follow in his footsteps, winning the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Busch Series Championship.

2. Joe And Kobe Bryant

Joe and Kobe Bryant combined for 38,895 career NBA Points with Kobe obviously contributing the lion’s share of that with 33,643 career points. But Joe Bryant had a successful 8-year NBA career with stints at the 76ers, Clippers, and Rockets. Kobe was Kobe. He is on the Mt. Rushmore of Modern NBA Legends.

3. Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr.

Ken Griffey Sr. had a long and successful MLB career, winning 2 World Series titles with the Cincinnati Reds (1975, 76), making 3 MLB All-Star Game appearances, and finishing his career with 152 home runs, 2,143 hits, and 859 RBIs. Then there’s his son… Junior, owner of perhaps the most pure swing of any baseball player in my lifetime. Entering Cooperstown in 2016 as a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee with 99.3% of the vote, Ken Griffey Jr. was a 13x All-Star, 1997 AL MVP, 4x AL HR leader, 10x Gold Glove Award winner, and the list goes on and on. And the fact that Jr. and Sr. played together on the Mariners for 2 seasons is just one of the coolest sports facts of all-time.

4. Howie Long And Sons Chris And Kyle

This is our first (of 4) entries on this list where the father had two sons that were absolute beasts in their own right. Howie Long, a fixture on Sundays these days during FOX’s NFL coverage, was a Super Bowl XVIII champion, 8x Pro Bowler, and inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in the year 2000. His sons, Chris and Kyle Long, have both had incredibly successful NFL careers of their own. Kyle was a 1st Round NFL Draft pick by the Chicago Bears and a 3x Pro Bowler also named to the team’s 100 Greatest Bears of All-Time list. Chris Long is a 2x Super Bowl Champion, one with the Patriots and one with the Eagles. There’s really only one other NFL family that can claim success like the Longs….

5. Dell Curry and Stephen Curry

Dell and Stephen Curry have a combined 38,056 career NBA points. That number has risen 1,718 points since we published an article last year on the greatest Father-Son NBA duos after Stephen Curry scored 1,718 points last season. Dell Curry had a career 12,670 points. Steph? He’s breaking records and is a future NBA Hall of Fame inductee. And let’s not forget about Seth Curry and his 5,476 career NBA points!

6. Cecil and Prince Fielder

Cecil Fielder and Prince Fielder were the first-ever father-son duo in MLB history to have 40-HR seasons until Vlad Jr. came along to tie that record. Cecil was a 3x MLB All-Star and 1996 World Series champion. His son, Prince Fielder, was a 6x All-Star 3x Silver Slugger Award, and led the NL in home runs during the 2007 season. When Prince Fielder retired in August, 2016 after multiple neck surgeries, his career ended with 319 home runs or the exact same number of home runs as his father’s incredible career.

7. Lee, Richard, and Kyle Petty

This is our first Grandfather-Father-Son entry on the list and they are the first family of racing in America. Lee Petty was one of NASCAR’s first superstars and a three-time Cup champion. Lee’s son, Richard Petty, won 200 races in his career including a record 7 Daytona 500s and the most NASCAR races won in a season after winning 27 of the 48 races in 1967. His list of accolades goes on and one, but Richard Petty’s son Kyle would later enter the picture and become the youngest driver to ever win a major stock car race and would tally up 8 wins in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

8. Marvin Harrison and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin Harrison, a 2016 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, was a Super Bowl XLI champion with the Indianapolis Colts among countless other milestones in his career. Harrison spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Colts and the 8x Pro Bowler held the NFL record for the most receptions in a season (143) until Michael Thomas (149) broke it in 2019. Marvin Harrison Jr. now has some big shoes to fill but he is off to a fast start. Drafted 4th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Cardinals, he won the 2023 Fred Biletnikoff Award, was a 2x Unanimous All-American, and racked up 885 yards + 8 receiving TDs in his first NFL season.

9. Bobby And Barry Bonds

Bobby and Barry Bonds hold the MLB record for the most combined career home runs. During his career, Bobby Bonds became the first player in MLB history two have more than 2 seasons of 30 HRs and 30 SBs. He was a 3x All-Star and 3x Gold Glove Award winner. But his biggest achievement is fathering Barry Bonds, arguably the greatest home run hitter in MLB history with 762 career home runs. Barry was a 14x MLB All-Star, 12x Silver Slugger Award recipient, 2x NL batting champ and HR leader, and the list goes on and on. There is, of course, the whole ‘asterisk’ discussion but they are still arguably the greatest father-son duo in MLB history at the plate.

10. Rocky and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

Rocky Johnson was the first-ever black NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as a 2x NWA Television Champ and the 1983 WWF Tag Team Champion alongside Tony Atlas. He was a bona fide wrestling superstar and then there’s his son, one of the most famous people on planet earth. Following his football career at The U, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s fame began in WWE as a wrestler where he would become a 10x world champion and launch his film career where his movies have grossed over $12.5 billion worldwide.

11. Sandy Alomar Sr., Roberto Alomar, and Sandy Alomar Jr.

Sandy Alomar Sr.’s entire life has been revolving around the game of baseball. He played 14 seasons in the MLB and made the All-Star game in 1970 before sharing the spotlight with his sons, Hall of Fame inductee Roberto Alomar who was a 12x All-Star and 2x World Series Champion (1992, 1993) and Sandy Alomar Jr. who won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1990 and was a 6x All-Star himself.

12. Mychal and Klay Thompson

Another all-time great NBA father-son duo are Mychal and Klay Thompson who have a career combined points total of 29,346 (16,536 for Klay and 12,810 for Mychal). Mychal Thompson was the #1 overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft and went on to have a 13-year NBA career that included 2 championships (1987, 1988) and Klay’s still in it. He has won 4 NBA Championships with Golden State and 2 gold medals for Team USA>

13. Michael and Mario Andretti

Racing legend Michael Andretti won the 1991 CART championship and racked up 42 CART race wins which was the most of anyone in the CART era of racing and the 5th most all-time. After retiring, he has ran a successful racing team that’s won 5 Indy 500s and 4 IndyCar Championships. Michael’s father, Mario Andretti, was a legend before Michael’s time. Mario was an F1 and IndyCar racer, winning 12 Grand Prix’s in 14 seasons and the 1978 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Once he made the jump from Formula One to IndyCar, Mario Andretti won 4 IndyCar Championships (1965, 1966, 1969, and 1984) as well as a Daytona 500 in NASCAR. Truly a legendary career for a father-son duo.

14. Calvin Hill and Grant Hill

Calvin Hill was an NFL running back who won Super Bowl VI with the Dallas Cowboys. He was the 1969 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl 4 times, and as a RB for Yale (1965-68) he was twice named to the All-Ivy League team. Calvin’s son, Grant Hill, was a Duke legend before being drafted #3 overall in the 1994 NBA Draft and going on to have a Hall of Fame career. Hill would win the 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year honors, be named an All-Star in 7 seasons, and he retired with 17,137 points in the NBA.

15. Deion Sanders And Sons

The jury is still out on what the professional careers will look like for the children of Deion Sanders, one of the greatest athletes of all time. Currently, the chatter is all about Shedeur Sander’s NFL Draft slide but the future could still be incredibly bright for Shedeur and Shilo. Deion’s accolades are second to none. He was a 2x Super Bowl champ, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Heisman Award Recipient, and the list goes on and one. Deion’s accomplishments are the reason he was listed here… That, and I know if I didn’t the Sheduer stans would send me hate mail.

See Shedeur Sanders’ Current Training Camp Stats Here.

16. Bobby Hull and Brett Hull

Bobby Hull aka ‘The Golden Jet’ had a 23-year pro hockey career where he twice won the NHL’s Most Valuable Player Award and he won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring three times. Bobby led the NHL in goals in 7 seasons, the second most of any player in NHL history, and he was a 1961 Stanley Cup champion with Chicago. Then his song Brett Hull came along and would go on to enter the record books with the 5th most career goals in NHL history (741). Brett Hull is one of five NHL players to score 50 goals in 50 games, and he was named to the NHL’s ‘100 Greatest Players’ of all-time list. Bobby and Brett Hull were the first NHL father-son duo to score 600 goals and have 1,000 points in their NHL careers. Just unbelievable numbers for a father-son duo in the NHL.

17. Archie, Peyton, And Eli

Archie Manning played 14 seasons in the NFL, 12 with the New Orleans Saints, after being drafted #2 overall in the 1971 NFL Draft. That almost never happened after he was drafted 4x in the MLB Draft before sticking with football. In the NFL, He would be named to two NFL Pro Bowls (1978, 1979) and is a member of the Saints Ring of Honor…But then he fathered two of the greatest QBs in NFL history. Both 2-time Super Bowl Champions, Peyton and Eli rank 3rd and 11th all-time in NFL Passing Yards and touchdowns, respectively. Eli won the Super Bowl MVP in both of his championships while Peyton only won the MVP once, something Eli probably never lets him forget. But Peyton has 5 NFL MVP awards and led the league in passing yards 3x and touchdowns 4x.