The NFL Fathers Day celebration is more special than people think. The game has been around long enough to where it’s inhabited by family legacies.
Some of them can be considered for the Mount Rushmore of NFL history. They say bloodlines can run deep in the sports and football is no exception. There’ve been plenty of examples where father and son both left memorable marks on the league. The question, as always in these situations, is who was the best of the best.
Here is a list of the five most notable family legacies in the sport and why their placement was secured.
#5: Mark Ingram Sr. and Mark Ingram Jr.
This family may not be as high profile but their impact on the league over the years is impossible to deny. Ingram Sr. was a reliable wide receiver for the New York Giants and then the Miami Dolphins. While never a star, he was a master when it came to making the big play.
His two greatest claims to fame were converting a critical 3rd and 13 in Super Bowl XXV against Buffalo with the greatest extra effort by a receiver ever. He also caught the famed Dan Marino fake spike play against the Jets.
While his son Ingram Jr. doesn’t have any rings or big moments to his name as yet, he is definitely the better football player. During his career with the New Orleans Saints, he’s made the Pro Bowl twice and topped 1,100 yards or more from scrimmage in four-straight seasons.
#4: Bob Griese and Brian Griese
Two men who still never get the credit they deserve. Sure the needle is skewed a little in the elder’s favor but facts are facts. Bob Griese is a Hall of Fame quarterback who remains the only one in history to cap a perfect season as he did for the Miami Dolphins in 1972.
He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl champion. His numbers were never great but every time his team needed him to execute a drive to win the game, he’d deliver. Meanwhile, people never understood what his son had to go through.
Brian Griese not only had to live in the shadow of his father but also ended up being the man to replace John Elway in Denver. Others would’ve been crushed by that responsibility. Yet he played 11 years in the league and made a Pro Bowl.
#3: Clay Matthews Jr. and Clay Matthews III
The entire Matthews family is riddled with good football players, but the best father-son combination had to be Matthews Jr. and his youngster Matthews III. Dad was an ironman outside linebacker for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, playing a crazy 19 seasons.
He had 69.5 sacks for his career (though several more came before the stat became official) and made four Pro Bowls. Ready for this? Since he left Cleveland in 1994, the team has had exactly one trip to the playoffs since. Talk about losing impact.
His son though may be even better. Matthews III became the pretty boy of the Green Bay Packers defense that everybody loved to hate. It’s made worse by the fact he’s so good with 80 sacks, six Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring to his name already.
#2: The Longs
Howie Long was considered among the most impressive physical specimens to play in the NFL. Not only was he huge but he had a body that was crafted out of marble including the power, athleticism, and speed needed to dominate offensive linemen for years. Canton agreed.
One would imagine those genes would be able to produce some impressive offspring. Such became the case. Chris Long was the first to arrive and he has carved out a memorable career at defensive end which includes two Super Bowl rings and 63.5 sacks.
Not to be outdone, his younger brother Kyle overcame a troubled youth to emerge as one of the best guards in the NFL. Drafted in the 1st round by Chicago, he’s since gone to three Pro Bowls and should be in line for more if he can stay healthy.
#1: The Mannings
There was never much of a contest in this one. The true First Family of football was an remains the Mannings. Archie was the man who started it all when he arrived in New Orleans in 1971. Despite playing on a hopeless team, he made two Pro Bowls and got it to its first non-losing season in franchise history.
It would be his sons though that would elevate the mantle to unimaginable heights. Peyton became the gold standard of quarterback in NFL history. He owns all the major passing records, claimed five MVP awards, went to four Super Bowls and won two of them with two different teams.
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If that weren’t enough, the youngest Manning ascended to great heights too. Eli is the all-time New York Giants passing leader and holds two Super Bowl MVP honor. His odds of reaching the Hall of Fame should be all but secure. Nobody else can touch this legacy.