Top 10 Siblings in Sports

Top 10 Siblings in Sports

There's nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry to motivate you to be the best. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Siblings in Sports.

For this list, we’re taking a look at the brothers and sisters that have had considerable success in their chosen sports. However, we are limiting the list to those that have been successful as players: Jim Harbaugh was a good NFL quarterback, but he and his brother John are best known for their coaching, hence their exclusion.

#10: The Sutter Brothers

Brian, Darryl, Duane, Brent, Ron and Rich: These names make up the greatest family in the history of the NHL, with the first generation of brothers maintaining a presence in a number of teams from the mid-‘70s to the beginning of the new century, while all six played in the NHL for the bulk of the 1980s. Collectively, they won six Stanley Cups – both in a playing and coaching capacity – and played a combined 5,000 games in the big leagues. Individually they may’ve been superstars like some athletes on this list, but they more than deserve their spot for sheer longevity – and the fact that the next generation is now playing as well.

#9: Jack & Bobby Charlton

Only the second pair of brothers to lift the World Cup, the Charltons became part of English football legend when they won the trophy in 1966. Bobby will always attract more attention as one of England’s greatest ever players, but Jack’s role at the heart of the defense in their World Cup triumph was equally as important as Bobby’s flair. Both were also prolific club players as well: Bobby set several longstanding club records with Manchester United, while Jack helped Leeds United to several trophies during their careers, which combined spanned more than 1,200 games.

#8: Kurt & Kyle Busch

Both of the Busch Brothers have won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, with Kurt winning his cup in 2004 and younger brother Kyle doing the same in 2015. With roughly 60 combined appearances in the victory lane, the Buschs are incredibly talented drivers but share an unfortunate penchant for controversial behavior. Never afraid to speak their mind and call out fellow drivers, they have a tendency to polarize fans due to their aggressive approach. Kurt even landed at #3 on GQ’s 2006 list of Most Hated Athletes. That’s one accolade the family won’t be so proud of.

#7: Henrik & Daniel Sedin

One advantage siblings have when playing together is a connection and understanding that only families can have. That goes double for twins. These two have telepathy in abundance. Henrik, the “playmaker,” will set them up for Daniel to slot them away. These identical Swedish twins have played their entire NHL career for the Vancouver Canucks and have even traded Art Ross trophy wins in 2010 and 2011. Outside of professional hockey, the Sedins are also Gold Medal Olympians due to their role on the 2006 Swedish Olympic hockey team.

#6: Vince, Joe & Dom DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio’s achievements will always overshadow the careers of his two brothers, but their time in baseball is still connected in one way or another. Vince, Joe and Dom all played minor league baseball for the San Francisco Seals, with Vince – as the eldest – having paved the way for his younger brothers to follow suit. All three were MLB All-Stars, yet Joe is the only MLB Hall-of-Famer. It’s particularly unfortunate for Dom to have missed out on that accolade, as the youngest DiMaggio still holds the Boston Red Sox hitting streak record, which came to an abrupt end after 34 games in 1949 thanks to a magnificent catch by none other than his brother Joe.

#5: Phil & Tony Esposito

These two Canadians are both members of the illustrious Hockey Hall of Fame and regarded as two of the best players in their chosen positions. Phil, a center, is a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, having led the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season five times, while Tony was an innovative goaltender who won the Vezina Trophy for excellence in nets three times. They each have at least one Stanley Cup win and have been appropriately honored by their teams, with Phil’s #7 Boston Bruins jersey and Tony’s #35 Chicago Blackhawks jersey retired to honor the legends that are the Esposito brothers.

#4: Mack & Jackie Robinson

The successes of these brothers transcend sport and have ramifications that impact the world on a grander scale. At the infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics, Mack defied Adolf Hitler by trailing Jesse Owens by less than a second to silver in the 200m, while Jackie followed a similar path of fighting racial prejudice through sport by becoming the first black player to pick up a bat in the modern era of the MLB. Jackie would go on to become one of the best players the league has seen and earned a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Few can hope to match the legacy left by these two brothers.

#3: Maurice & Henri Richard

On The Hockey News’ list of the 100 greatest NHL players of all time, Maurice ‘the Rocket’ Richard sits at number five, while Henri the ‘Pocket Rocket’ clocks in at number 29. Both legendry members of the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice made his pro debut in 1942 and served the Habs until 1960 while Henri joined the ranks in 1955 and retired after twenty years. During their careers, both Richards were highly revered players, each with numerous appearances in the NHL All-Star Game, to say nothing of the eight Stanley Cup wins by Maurice and 11 by Henri – including five consecutive titles together from 1956-60.

#2: Peyton & Eli Manning

Even though Peyton is individually considered by many as the better player and holds more individual records, they both have two Super Bowl rings. Of course, the younger Manning has many more years ahead of him, and he would do exceedingly well to match Peyton’s five league MVP awards and record for most touchdown passes. The Mannings are the only set of brothers to both win a Super Bowl MVP and to this day remain two of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Before we reveal our top sibling combo, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions:
- Sterling & Shannon Sharpe
- Michael & Ralf Schumacher
- Vitali & Wladimir Klitschko
- Pavel & Valeri Bure
- Bob & Mike Bryan

#1: Venus & Serena Williams

Just over a year apart in age, the Williams sisters are the embodiment of competitive sibling rivalry and two of the greatest tennis players ever to step onto the court, with both having been ranked World number one during their career. The pair has met in eight Grand Slam finals with Serena coming out on top in six of those matches. Serena has 21 Grand Slam singles titles, the third most of any female player. As a doubles pairing, they have 13 Grand Slam titles as well as three Olympic gold medals. Their dominance has barely been rivaled in the modern game and we don’t see that stopping any time soon.

Do you agree with our list? Which sporting siblings do you look up to? For more familial top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.