Siblings in Sports: A Family of Winners
Adam M. Young
| August 8, 2017
Bob Stoops recently retired as head football coach at Oklahoma University after 18 years on the job and one national championship. That doesn’t mean there are no Stoops left in college football, though. Bob’s brother Mark Stoops, has been the head coach at the University of Kentucky since 2012, and their brother Mike Stoops, formerly head coach at the University of Arizona, is defensive coordinator for Oklahoma. That’s not all. Another brother, Ron Stoops, Jr., is an assistant football coach at Youngstown State University. That’s a lot of football for one set of brothers.
But the Stoops aren’t the only ones keeping it in the family. From calling the plays to running the field, here’s a look at four of the top active (sorry Peyton and Eli) sporting siblings.
Speaking of football coaches, we’ll start the list with a pair of brothers who are arguably more famous than the Stoops brothers. In February 2013, Super Bowl XLVII featured brothers as opposing head coaches for the first time in that championship’s history. The Baltimore Ravens (John) beat the San Francisco 49ers (Jim) 34-31 that night in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Since taking over the head coaching job in 2008, older brother John has led the Ravens to the playoffs six times, including that Super Bowl victory. Jim left his coaching position in San Francisco after the 2014 season to become head coach at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Since his departure, the 49ers are 15-33, and Michigan has returned to its former glory as a football power with the hard-nosed Harbaugh at the helm.
Swedish identical twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin were drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with the second and third picks of 1999's NHL draft. The brothers have been in the Canucks’ organization ever since. Daniel, a sharp-shooting winger, and Henrik, a deft set-up man at center, certainly play together like they’ve been doing it their whole lives. In fact, Henrik and Daniel rank seventh and ninth in career points among currently active players in the league.
As they approach the age of 37, the Sedins show little signs of slowing down, but Father Time will eventually catch up. Until then, the fact that they’re so hard to tell apart makes strategy simple for opposing teams: See a Sedin, hit a Sedin.
The sons of former NBA baller Dell Curry, Stephen and Seth currently both follow in dad’s footsteps. Steph has played with the Golden State Warriors since 2009, and younger brother Seth finally found a home with the Dallas Mavericks last year, following short stints with Memphis, Tenn.; Cleveland; Phoenix; and Sacramento, Calif., since coming into the league in 2013.
In their most recent head-to-head meeting, Steph got the better of Seth, putting up 17 points and nine assists as the Warriors put a beat down on the Mavs, winning by 25 points.
The Williams sisters are tennis royalty, revolutionizing the sport with levels of power that hadn’t been seen before in the women’s game. The sisters have 29 grand slam singles titles between them and are unbeaten as doubles partners. They are the only two players to have played in four straight grand slam finals in tennis history. They’ve both been ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles, and they have won four Olympic gold medals.
But the Stoops aren’t the only ones keeping it in the family. From calling the plays to running the field, here’s a look at four of the top active (sorry Peyton and Eli) sporting siblings.
Jim and John Harbaugh
Speaking of football coaches, we’ll start the list with a pair of brothers who are arguably more famous than the Stoops brothers. In February 2013, Super Bowl XLVII featured brothers as opposing head coaches for the first time in that championship’s history. The Baltimore Ravens (John) beat the San Francisco 49ers (Jim) 34-31 that night in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Since taking over the head coaching job in 2008, older brother John has led the Ravens to the playoffs six times, including that Super Bowl victory. Jim left his coaching position in San Francisco after the 2014 season to become head coach at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Since his departure, the 49ers are 15-33, and Michigan has returned to its former glory as a football power with the hard-nosed Harbaugh at the helm.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin
Swedish identical twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin were drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with the second and third picks of 1999's NHL draft. The brothers have been in the Canucks’ organization ever since. Daniel, a sharp-shooting winger, and Henrik, a deft set-up man at center, certainly play together like they’ve been doing it their whole lives. In fact, Henrik and Daniel rank seventh and ninth in career points among currently active players in the league.
As they approach the age of 37, the Sedins show little signs of slowing down, but Father Time will eventually catch up. Until then, the fact that they’re so hard to tell apart makes strategy simple for opposing teams: See a Sedin, hit a Sedin.
Steph and Seth Curry
The sons of former NBA baller Dell Curry, Stephen and Seth currently both follow in dad’s footsteps. Steph has played with the Golden State Warriors since 2009, and younger brother Seth finally found a home with the Dallas Mavericks last year, following short stints with Memphis, Tenn.; Cleveland; Phoenix; and Sacramento, Calif., since coming into the league in 2013.
In their most recent head-to-head meeting, Steph got the better of Seth, putting up 17 points and nine assists as the Warriors put a beat down on the Mavs, winning by 25 points.
Serena and Venus Williams
The Williams sisters are tennis royalty, revolutionizing the sport with levels of power that hadn’t been seen before in the women’s game. The sisters have 29 grand slam singles titles between them and are unbeaten as doubles partners. They are the only two players to have played in four straight grand slam finals in tennis history. They’ve both been ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles, and they have won four Olympic gold medals.
