Greatest Sports Siblings

[Turtleboy]

DBR forgets about the Alou brothers. Manny, Felipe, Jesus, and Boog, who later changed his surname to Powell for obvious reasons.

[johnb]

Or the Selmon Brothers. Lee Roy could stand alongside any of the Peytons in terms of football success, though his brothers, while terrific--would be a step behind.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/sports/football/lee-roy-selmon-56-hall-of-fame-defensive-end-dies.html

[hurleyfor3]

Does Joe Montana or Terry Bradshaw have a brother? Cuz either of them would have more SBs than the Mannings.

Coach K has a brother; they would combine for the winningest siblings in college basketball, right?

[Duke79UNLV77]

The DiMaggios. Dom was a .298 career hitter with 7 all-star appearances. Joe sold coffee and married Marylin Monroe, plus I think he played a little ball, too.

The Gasols are currently good, but not at the Mannings level.

[slower]

Serena and Venus Williams, combined, have arguably achieved more in their sport than The Mannings.

[loldevilz]

The PLUMLEES!!!!

[MCFinARL]

DBR forgets about the Alou brothers. Manny, Felipe, Jesus, and Boog, who later changed his surname to Powell for obvious reasons.

Opened this thread planning to post this, only to find you beat me to it. Didn't know Boog Powell was one of the Alous, though. ;)

[davekay1971]

The serious answer to this question is clearly the Williams sisters, who have won multiple Grand Slams each, have both been ranked number 1 (I think) at one time or another in their careers, and who have won doubles Grand Slams together as well. Without any disrespect to the Manning brothers, the discussion of greatest sports siblings probably has to start with the Williams sisters.

I find it interesting, however, how many siblings are coming along in basketball. There will need to be some time to see development, but just in our own house and backyard we have:

1) Stephen and Seth Curry - One currently playing all-star calibre ball in the NBA, the other starting for Duke...and I, for one, am not about to put a cap on Seth's potential to play at the next level. Do that to the Curry family at your own peril!
2) The Plumlees - Mason will certainly play in the NBA. Miles may work his way onto an NBA roster, but that's more iffy at this point. Marshall, of course, we have no idea
3) Jon and Amber Henson - The evil Henson twin clearly will play in the NBA. The good Henson probably will play in the WNBA
4) Tyler and Cody Zeller - Tyler, I think, is a good college player and borderline NBA material. His younger brother has been extremely impressive for Indiana.

Then there's sports parent-kid(s) combos. The Mannings leap up to the top of the chart with Archie and his two sons both performing so well at the highest level. Close to home we have Nolan and Derek Smith, and, of course, Calvin and Grant Hill.

[slower]

Let's not forget Cheryl and Reggie Miller.

[DukeBlueNikeShox]

1. The Oden Sisters in volleyball (Kim, Elaina, Bev). Each earned NPOY honors, were Olympians, and earned at least 3 All-American honors
Honors:
Kim - 3 time All-American (Stanford), 2 time NPOY, 3 time Pac-10 POY, Player of the Decade (80s), 2 time Olympian

Elaina - 3 time All-American (Pacific), 2 time National Champion (one of which came vs. older sister Kim), NPOY, 2-time Olympian

Bev - first 4-time All-American (Stanford), NPOY, National Champion, Olympian

[mr. synellinden]

Paul and Lloyd Waner both made the Hall of Fame. In baseball, they probably have the strongest case for "most successful sports siblings".

And there is Dizzy and Daffy Dean. Dizzy is a Hall of Famer.

Greg and Mike Maddux. There is an argument that Greg is the greatest right handed pitcher since WW II.

Robbie and Sandy Alomar have a 50% Hall of Fame representation as well and the most combined All-Star game appearances (18).

The Giambis and the Cansecos represesent the Steroid Era.

[rthomas]

Probably the best knuckle ball pitchers who were brothers.

Phil Niekro
Win–loss record 318–274
Earned run average 3.35
Strikeouts 3,342

Joe Niekro
Win–Loss record 221–204
Earned run average 3.59
Strikeouts 1,747

[Duke79UNLV77]

the Mahre brothers in skiing and the Schlecks from cycling.

also, the Malachi Crunch from demolition derbies in Milwaukee in the 70s.

[stillcrazie]

Paul and Lloyd Waner both made the Hall of Fame. In baseball, they probably have the strongest case for "most successful sports siblings".

And there is Dizzy and Daffy Dean. Dizzy is a Hall of Famer.

Greg and Mike Maddux. There is an argument that Greg is the greatest right handed pitcher since WW II.

Robbie and Sandy Alomar have a 50% Hall of Fame representation as well and the most combined All-Star game appearances (18).

The Giambis and the Cansecos represesent the Steroid Era.

Thanks, I was going to mention Dizzy and Daffy - if not the greatest brother combo, definitely the best pair of names.

Currently there are also three Molina brothers playing as catchers in MLB, and I believe all 3 have WS rings, but need to check on that.

[DukeBlueNikeShox]

The serious answer to this question is clearly the Williams sisters, who have won multiple Grand Slams each, have both been ranked number 1 (I think) at one time or another in their careers, and who have won doubles Grand Slams together as well. Without any disrespect to the Manning brothers, the discussion of greatest sports siblings probably has to start with the Williams sisters.

I find it interesting, however, how many siblings are coming along in basketball. There will need to be some time to see development, but just in our own house and backyard we have:

1) Stephen and Seth Curry - One currently playing all-star calibre ball in the NBA, the other starting for Duke...and I, for one, am not about to put a cap on Seth's potential to play at the next level. Do that to the Curry family at your own peril!
2) The Plumlees - Mason will certainly play in the NBA. Miles may work his way onto an NBA roster, but that's more iffy at this point. Marshall, of course, we have no idea
3) Jon and Amber Henson - The evil Henson twin clearly will play in the NBA. The good Henson probably will play in the WNBA
4) Tyler and Cody Zeller - Tyler, I think, is a good college player and borderline NBA material. His younger brother has been extremely impressive for Indiana.

Then there's sports parent-kid(s) combos. The Mannings leap up to the top of the chart with Archie and his two sons both performing so well at the highest level. Close to home we have Nolan and Derek Smith, and, of course, Calvin and Grant Hill.

For sports parent-kid combos:
Pam McGee and JaVale McGee are the first mother/son WNBA & NBA players. Pam was a 2-time NCAA Champion at U$C (with Cheryl Miller, twin sister Paula, and Cynthia Cooper). If 6'7" daughter Imani Stafford pans out, they could be the first WNBA mom/NBA son/WNBA daughter trio.

Also, Karl Malone & twins Cheryl & Daryl Ford. Cheryl won 3 WNBA Championships with the Detroit Shock, and Daryl played linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. Even though Karl treated Cheryl & Daryl like dirt (claiming to a judge that $125 a week in child support to excessive) until she became a famous basketball player and started to look like him, he still passed his genes to her. Daryl has no interest in having a relationship with Karl. Could be the first NBA/WNBA/NFL trio?!

Bill & Luke Walton

Other NBA/WNBA siblings: Rudy & Marta Fernandez (both Olympians for Spain); Candace Parker's brother (aka Anthony) & Candace Parker

[sagegrouse]

Thanks, I was going to mention Dizzy and Daffy - if not the greatest brother combo, definitely the best pair of names.

.

"Me an' Paul are gonna win 45 games," Dizzy said before the 1934 season. They won 49 (30 + 19). The Cards' gashouse Gang won the pennant and the World Series.

sage[

[Reilly]

My brother and I were battery mates for a lot World Series Game 7 victories in the front yard (one side elevated like a mound), and in the fall in the back yard, we also successfully finished a lot of stirring 2-minute drives -- getting out of bounds under the clothesline to stop the clock.

[weezie]

Boog Alou


Post of the Thread Award. Somebody seems to have enjoyed his/her lunch hour. ;)

[AnimalFriendly]

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see any mention of tennis' Bryan brothers who've won at least 12 doubles slams - I think they were going for a record 13th at the Australian Open but fell short.

[MCFinARL]

Re football, has anyone mentioned the three Gramatica brothers yet?

[rasputin]

There have been, I believe, six Sutter brothers in the NHL.

In MLB, over a hundred years ago, there were 5 Delahanty brothers, not all at the same time. Ed Delahanty is in the HOF; brother Jim had a significant career in the majors. The other three didn't.

[camion]

Parents and offspring? Give it a few years.

2351

[78 Forever's team]

Paul and Lloyd Waner both made the Hall of Fame. In baseball, they probably have the strongest case for "most successful sports siblings".

And there is Dizzy and Daffy Dean. Dizzy is a Hall of Famer.

Greg and Mike Maddux. There is an argument that Greg is the greatest right handed pitcher since WW II.

Robbie and Sandy Alomar have a 50% Hall of Fame representation as well and the most combined All-Star game appearances (18).

The Giambis and the Cansecos represesent the Steroid Era.

Clete and Ken Boyer who faced off in the 1964 World Series

[DU82]

Clete and Ken Boyer who faced off in the 1964 World Series

Ken's a marginal HoFer, however Clete doesn't come close (very useful player, however, but not enough at bat.)

Overall, the Waners are in the HoF, however Lloyd's one of the worst selections. I'd put the Dimaggios ahead, all three (don't forget Vince) were outstanding center fielders, and Dom may have been better than Little Poison (Lloyd Waner.)

The Perrys are probably next, with Gaylord in the Hall, and Joe better than some others that are in.

Along the same line as Boog Alou, the Robinson brothers, Frank and Brooks, were probably the best.


Outside of the main four sports, if you go to auto racing, you'll find various siblings that were champions. However, it's still tough to top the Williams sisters.

[toooskies]

Parents and offspring? Give it a few years.

2351

Although Candace's brother Anthony has been a starting guard in Cleveland for a few years. Do brother-in-laws count?

I believe there are several Gronkowski brothers in the NFL, although only one is of all-pro caliber.

The Ripkens defined the Orioles during their era.

My nomination may be for Florence Griffith-Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee as sisters-in-law, with Jackie's brother Al a gold medalist in the Triple Jump.

[burnspbesq]

The Amritraj brothers in tennis.

Lots of siblings in lacrosse. By the time they're all done, all eight Stanwick kids will probably play D1 college lacrosse. Also the Bratton twins, Powells, Gaits, Bocklets, Huntley father and son.

I played against Elaina Oden in an open gym at Woodbridge HS in Irvine when she was home for Christmas after her junior season. Scary. I could still touch 10'3" or so when I was in my early 30s. She hit over the top of me like I wasn't there.

[MartyClark]

Henry Aaron and his brother Tommy. They hold the major league record for combined homers by brothers.

The VanArnsdale twins who played for Indiana back in the day.

[stillcrazie]

Henry Aaron and his brother Tommy. They hold the major league record for combined homers by brothers.

The VanArnsdale twins who played for Indiana back in the day.

I believe that Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. played on the same Mariners team for a season.

[jhole]

Not up to the caliber of Mannings or Williams, but I believe they both were champions in their weight divisions.

[phaedrus]

There have been, I believe, six Sutter brothers in the NHL.


There have been a multitude of brothers in the NHL, not least the Sedin twins of the Canucks. However, the highest scoring combination is Brent and Wayne Gretzky: Brent with 4 points, Wayne with 2856.

Aside from the Gretzkys, both the Richard brothers and the Esposito brothers have to rank pretty high on any trans-sports list of brothers.

[Double DD]

There are 6 brother combinations currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Doug and Max Bentley
Georges and Frank Boucher
Lionel and Charlie Conacher
Bill and Bun Cook
Phil and Tony Esposito
Maurice and Henri Richard

And as mentioned previously, the Sutters have the lead in pure volume with 6 siblings in the NHL, all with solid careers.

And at present, the Sedin twins have won the last two scoring titles with one twin winning the MVP two seasons ago and the other as the runner-up last season. And there are 3 Staal brothers currently in the NHL, all of whom are very good players (and there's a 4th playing in the minors).

[MCFinARL]

Ken's a marginal HoFer, however Clete doesn't come close (very useful player, however, but not enough at bat.)

Overall, the Waners are in the HoF, however Lloyd's one of the worst selections. I'd put the Dimaggios ahead, all three (don't forget Vince) were outstanding center fielders, and Dom may have been better than Little Poison (Lloyd Waner.)

The Perrys are probably next, with Gaylord in the Hall, and Joe better than some others that are in.

Along the same line as Boog Alou, the Robinson brothers, Frank and Brooks, were probably the best.


Outside of the main four sports, if you go to auto racing, you'll find various siblings that were champions. However, it's still tough to top the Williams sisters.

hahahahaha! More seriously, on the father-son side, Bobby and Barry Bonds?

[DevilHorse]

DBR forgets about the Alou brothers. Manny, Felipe, Jesus, and Boog, who later changed his surname to Powell for obvious reasons.

Felipe had son Moises Alou, who was a great hitter. His legs gave out at the end of his career, but he could still hit.

Larry
DevilHorse

[Reisen]

the Mahre brothers in skiing and the Schlecks from cycling.


This. While the Schlecks haven't won much yet, the Mahre brothers have to be near the top of this list, way higher than 90% of those listed so far. Gold and silver medal in the same event at the same olympics (1984).

[hurleyfor3]

Felipe had son Moises Alou, who was a great hitter. His legs gave out at the end of his career, but he could still hit.

More remarkably, he caused one of the largest fanbases in the world to turn against one of its own fans.

[Olympic Fan]

Ken's a marginal HoFer, however Clete doesn't come close (very useful player, however, but not enough at bat.)

Overall, the Waners are in the HoF, however Lloyd's one of the worst selections. I'd put the Dimaggios ahead, all three (don't forget Vince) were outstanding center fielders, and Dom may have been better than Little Poison (Lloyd Waner.)

The Perrys are probably next, with Gaylord in the Hall, and Joe better than some others that are in.


I think you underrate Clete Boyer, who was a stalwart on the Yankee teams that dominated the AL in the early 1960s. He was a great defensive third baseman -- in several years he has better defensive numbers than Brooks Robinson, who was the greatest defensive third baseman of all time ... Boyer at his peak might have been better (his defensive WAR between 1960-1966 was significantly higher than Brooks Robinson's), although his defensive peak didn't last as long. He started off as a weak hitter, but developed into a pretty good one (26 home runs and 94 RBI with Atlanta in 1967). To some degree his offensive performance was overlooked because he hit his peak during the height of the pitcher domination in the mid-1960s.

Ken Boyer was not that good defensively (although he was better than average) but he was a better hitter than Brooks or Clete. His WAR for the 60s was higher than Brooks. I agree that he's a marginal HOFer ... he was on the Golden Age ballot last December (they elected Santo) and may get in next year.

But I also agree that the DiMaggio's are better. I was waiting for somebody to mention Vince -- playing in the National League (mostly for the Pirates), he played 10 seasons and while he hit just .249,, he had some pop with 126 career homers. Bill James did an article a few years back to award Gold Gloves in the years before Gloves were awarded. He found that Joe DiMaggio deserved his defensive reputation and should have won AL GGs in almost every year he played between 1936 and 1947, when he started to slow down. But he found that his youngest brother Dom had even better defensive numbers and deserved a bunch of GGs. But the astounding thing he found was that although his defensive peak was shorter, Vince might have been the best defensive CFer of the trio. Certainly Mama DiMaggio turned out great defensive CFers.

The most prolific brother group were the Delahantys at the turn of the century. Ed is a Hall of Famer -- 16 seasons with a career .346 and power (in the dead ball era). Jim was an all-star quality (of course, they didn't have an all-star game then) second baseman, who played 13 seasons and had a career .283 average. Frank, Joe and Tom were pretty mediocre -- but each had three big-league seasons each. That's a combined 38 major league seasons.

Just a couple of more that deserve mention -- the Bretts (George is a HOF 3rd baseman; Ken was an all-star pitcher). As long as we're doing multi-generational links, there are always the Boone's -- three generations of big leaguers. There are also the Hills -- Calvin an all-pro running back and son Grant a pretty fair basketball player.

[fitimi1]

Rick and Wes Ferrell.

Mike and Jerry McGee

[phaedrus]

There are 6 brother combinations currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Doug and Max Bentley
Georges and Frank Boucher
Lionel and Charlie Conacher
Bill and Bun Cook
Phil and Tony Esposito
Maurice and Henri Richard

And as mentioned previously, the Sutters have the lead in pure volume with 6 siblings in the NHL, all with solid careers.

And at present, the Sedin twins have won the last two scoring titles with one twin winning the MVP two seasons ago and the other as the runner-up last season. And there are 3 Staal brothers currently in the NHL, all of whom are very good players (and there's a 4th playing in the minors).

Another remarkable pair of NHL brothers were the brothers Hull, Dennis and Bobby, both said to have slapshots as hard as anyone before or since. In Ken Dryden's book, he describes how, when Bobby wound up for a slapshot, players would scramble away from the crease to avoid getting hit, and when Dennis wound up for a slapshot, players would crowd into the crease to avoid getting hit.

Bobby's treasonous son, Brett, was not bad either.

[davekay1971]

I guess, living within tabacky spittin' distance of Lowes Motor Speedway, I am obliged to mention the racin' families of the Earnhardts, Pettys, Labontes, Allisons, Andrettis, Busches, and probably a couple others I've forgotten...if you consider sitting in a car making left turns a sporting accomplishment.

[DU82]

I believe that Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. played on the same Mariners team for a season.

As did Tim Raines senior and junior, although briefly.

[Rogue]

I grew up on ACC basketball in the 1960's .

Clemson had four brothers who played for then, over a decade.


http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012109aaa.html

Nice artical byJim Sumner :cool:

From 1960 -1970 a Mahaffney brother played in every Clemson basketball game.

[theAlaskanBear]

Lets not forget the Catching Molina's of Puerto Rico! They are the only three brothers in ML history to each win the World Series...I think they have 5 WS between them?

[stillcrazie]

Lets not forget the Catching Molina's of Puerto Rico! They are the only three brothers in ML history to each win the World Series...I think they have 5 WS between them?

Yes, I mentioned this in a previous post. I am a huge Yadi fan.

[camion]

Yes, I mentioned this in a previous post. I am a huge Yadi fan.

Doesn't he play the pan flute?

[Olympic Fan]

From 1960 -1970 a Mahaffney brother played in every Clemson basketball game.

Not quite true ... Jim gets it right in the article you linked -- Clemson had a Mahaffey brother every season fromm 1960 to 1970, but not every game.

Richie, the last of the Mahaffey's was a senior in 1969. But because of a staff infection he played in just 10 of 25 games before he was sidelined. He was given a hardship year and allowed to return in 1970. Again he was limited by physical problems, but managed to play in 16 of 26 games. So for 25 games in 1969 and 1970, the Tigers were Mahaffey-less.

Still, the greatest brother combo in ACC history. Randy (the third brother) was the best -- he wasa starting forward for the first Carolina Cougars team in the ABA -- but all four were solid players.

I'm kind of surprised that Clemson has been Mahaffey-less since 1971. I thought with four brothers, the odds were good that at least one would have a son good enough to play for the Tigers.

Kind of like the Grants. Clemson had the twin Grant brothers -- Horace and Harvey -- in the mid-1980s. Horace stayed and was ACC POY in 1987. Harvey transferred to Oklahoma, where he was a started for the Sooner team that lost to Kansas in the '88 national title game. Harvey's son Jerai went to Clemson and just completed a very satisfactory four-year career.

[duke4ever19]

It's got to be Venus and Serena by a pretty large margin.

Venus dominated Women's tennis for a few years till Serena finally developed enough to pass her sister.

Serena was an absolute machine for quite some time and still looks capable of dominating anyone presently in the top 5 when fully healthy.

Also, they have won a few doubles titles playing together, which gives them the added bonus of individual and team success as siblings.

[Dev11]

Lets not forget the Catching Molina's of Puerto Rico! They are the only three brothers in ML history to each win the World Series...I think they have 5 WS between them?

How on earth do three boys growing up together all become catchers?? Who is pitching to them?? These are the questions that distract me from the important things in life.

Speaking of which, GTHC!

[weezie]

How on earth do three boys growing up together all become catchers?? Who is pitching to them?? These are the questions that distract me from the important things in life.

Speaking of which, GTHC!

Well, obviously, their sister!