Two Sports, One Family
Pat Mahomes and more
Yesterday’s heroics by Pat Mahomes II recalled for me not only his father’s 8–0 record as a pitcher for the Mets in 1999 but also those other combinations in which father and son both played professionally at the highest level, though not in the same sport. Two or even three generations have cropped up in baseball often enough but two-sport combinations — in particular, baseball and football — have been so rare that this remains an all-time-great trivia question:
Q. Name three Hall of Famers who hit a home run in their first at bat.
A. Earl Averill, Hoyt Wilhelm (who played until he was 49 yet never hit another, and … Ace Parker, a 1972 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame who played baseball with the Philadelphia A’s in 1937–1938).
There are intriguing father-son duos who played different sports — Calvin Hill and Grant; Ken Norton Sr. and Jr; Barry Larkin and son Shane —yet few involve an MLB dad and an NFL son. Jerry Goff and son Jared form one such pairing, while Kenny Williams and son Kyle is the only other such I know, apart from the Mahomes duo. Equally rare appears to be an NFL father whose son went on to play in MLB: Manu Tuiasosopo and son Matt; Mark Schlereth and son Daniel; Jack Snow and son J.T. (If I have missed anyone, I will be pleased to be corrected.)
Note: Marty Appel just added Tim Berra, Yogi’s son who played for the Baltimore Colts in 1974. Jim Leefers added Lou Brock, Jr., who also had a brief career in the NFL.
On another day soon I may pile on a bit to discuss two-sport stars: individuals who played at the highest level in baseball and football.
