The pressure on the children of sporting stars who show an interest in sports is enough to cripple many young hopefuls and force them into an entirely different career. This is completely understandable as being the son of a sporting legend will no doubt carry a great weight on the shoulders. With this being said, there are many sporting greats who have not only taken inspiration from their father’s accomplishments, but actually gone on to emulate or even surpass the exploits of their fathers.
Today we are going to focus on those incredible sporting children and their fathers, and the accomplishments which they have achieved in the world of sport.
The Elways
John Elway’s name has become synonymous with success and the Denver Broncos franchise such was the mark that the man left on the team and the sport in general. Widely considered as one of the top 10 Quarterbacks of all time, Elway junior lead his team to back-to-back Super Bowls and then as manager won yet another Vince Lombardi trophy with his beloved Broncos. His father Jack Elway was no doubt the driving force behind his son’s success and after his hotly anticipated career was cut short in college, Elway senior went on to become one of the finest college coaches that has ever been.
The Bonds
Barry and Bobby Bonds’ achievements in baseball are absolutely incredible and the youngest of the family, Barry, is widely considered to be the greatest player to have ever played the game. Bobby Bonds was a prolific player in a career that spanned 3 decades and he was the very first baseball player to achieve the 30-30, 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season, something he would repeat no less than 4 times. The only other player to have matched Bobby’s incredible feat was his son Barry. The pair are both Hall of Famers and record holders and each boast batting averages than even some of the game’s finest hitters could only dream of achieving.
The Nortons
Ken Norton senior is a Hall of Fame boxer and ex-Heavyweight Champion of the World who boasted a career which saw him win 33 of his 41 fights via knockout. Norton’s finest moment was no doubt beating Muhammed Ali in a 12 round slog fest to win the Championship belt, a fight which saw Norton break the jaw of the man they call the ‘Greatest’. Ken Norton junior decided that boxing was not for him and instead went on to become an NFL linebacker. Norton junior went on to become the first player in NFL history to win three Super Bowl Championships back to back and he would later add a fourth ring as coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Despite not following in his dad’s footsteps, Norton junior very much carved out his own sporting path, and achieved a great amount of success in doing so.