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Top 10 sporting families

Eurosport
ByEurosport

Published 05/05/2015 at 15:00 GMT

New England cap Matt Jarvis's mum and dad Nick and Linda were both international tennis table stars, both of whom were ranked number one in England during the 1970s.

Eurosport

Image credit: Eurosport

But it's not just the tricky Wolves winger who can boast a
famous sporting heritage. Here's our rundown of 10 of the most talented
sporting families out there.
1. Bobby and Jack Charlton, and the Milburns
Football's most famous brother combination, and still the
only two brothers ever to be in a World Cup-winning side.
Midfielder Bobby remains arguably the greatest player ever
to pull on an England shirt, and his 49 goals for the national side remains a record.
Centre-back Jack's later exploits as Republic of Ireland
manager won him legendary status in the Emerald Isle, and even earned him the
Freedom of Dublin - an honour previously bestowed on such luminaries as JFK,
Nelson Mandela and William Gladstone.
With such strong footballing genes in their blood, it's
probably not surprising that there were more top footballers in the family:
Jack, George, Jim and Stan Milburn were uncles to the Charlton boys, while
Newcastle and England legend Jackie Milburn was their mother's cousin.
USA's Venus Williams (left) and Serena Williams (right) during their match against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova and Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2. Venus and Serena Williams
Back in 1997, when Venus Williams was an unseeded teenager
who had made the final of the US Open at her first attempt, her father Richard proudly
told the world how Venus was great, but that her younger sister Serena might be
even better.
It seemed scarcely believable at the time, but Richard was
as good as his word: between them, the Williams sisters have now won 18 Grand
Slam singles titles (11 to Serena, seven to Venus) as well as 12 doubles titles
while playing with each other.
3. Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning
Archie Manning had a great NFL career. He was selected
second overall by the New Orleans Saints, played for 13 seasons and ranks 17th
overall in career completions. Yet his sons Peyton and Eli have managed to go
one better.
They were both number draft one picks, and have both led
their teams - the Colts and the Giants - to Super Bowl victories, something
their father never managed to do. Archie's eldest son Cooper was also set to star, but doctors diagnosed him with spinal stenosis
which effectively ended the wide receiver's career.
4. Gary, Phil and Tracey Neville
Gary and Phil Neville shot to fame for their roles in the
heart of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, and while Gary recently hung up his
boots Phil is playing some of the best football of his career at Everton.
But it's not just the brothers who are talented: their sister
Tracey is one of England's most-capped netball players - and she claims the
boys often come to see her play. "We're a family who have always supported
each other," she says. "My brothers have been to my matches, and have
even been to support my mum's team in the local league because she still
plays."
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5. Old Tom and Young Tom Morris
The Morris family from Fife were pioneers in the world of
golf. Old Tom helped design Muirfield, Prestwick, Carnoustie and Moray and
introduced concepts of managing greens and hazards. Young Tom hit The Open's
first ever hole-in-one and first ever albatross.
It was at The Open that Tom Senior and Junior truly showed
their greatness. Old Tom won the competition in 1861, 1862, 1864 and 1867,
while Young Tom won in 1868, 1869, 1870 and 1872. For winning the competition
three years in a row, Young Tom kept the British Open's Championship Belt and
was the first person to have his name on the Claret Jug when it was introduced
in 1872.
6. Yannick Noah and Joakim Noah
1980s French tennis star Yannick is one of the brightest
tennis talents ever to come out of France, and won the French Open at Roland
Garros in 1983 - the first Frenchman to do so in 37 years, and the last to do
so since then.
His son Joakim is also a talented athlete: he was drafted
into the NBA in 2007, being picked by the Chicago Bulls, and has continued to
impress ever since.
It's not just Joakim's dad who has tasted the limelight: his
paternal grandfather, Zacharie, played professional football in Cameroon, while
his mother Cecilia Rodhe was crowned Miss Sweden in 1978.
7. Muhammad and Laila Ali
Following in the footsteps of one of the greatest
heavyweight champions and the man they call, "The Greatest" cannot be an easy task. But that hasn't stopped Laila Ali, the youngest of
Muhammad's nine children.
Laila began boxing in October 1999 with a knockout victory
against April Fowler. Her most famous win came over Jacqui Frazier-Lyde,
daughter of Joe Frazier, who Muhammad Ali fought three times in the 70s. Laila
Ali won the bout between the two daughters on a majority decision. She remains
unbeaten, winning 21 out of her 24 victories by way of knockout.
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8. Graham and Damon Hill
British hero Graham won two World Championships, with BRM
and Lotus, and is the only driver to win the Indy 500, Le Mans 24 Hours and
world title in the same year. He was tragically killed in a light aircraft
crash in 1975 when son Damon was 15.
Damon concentrated on motorcycle racing to begin with but after moving into Formula One went on to match Graham's title
feat when he beat Michael Schumacher in 1996 - becoming the only son of a world
champ to win the big one.
9. Billie Jean King and Randy Moffitt
The legendary American tennis star - born Billie Jean Moffitt
- won a dozen Grand Slam singles tennis titles to earn her place in the history
books.
But her brother Randy was also a top athlete, playing 12
seasons in Major League baseball as a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
10. Ian, Greg and Trevor Chappell
The Chappell brothers were superstars of Australian cricket
in the 1970s, with eldest Ian being a tough skipper with 5,000 Test runs to his
name and sublimely-talented batsman Greg finishing his 87-cap Test career with
an average of nearly 54.
Trevor was good, but undeniably the runt of the litter - and
we know that's a tough judgement on a player who represented his country in three
Tests and 20 one-day matches.
Even sadder, he's probably best remembered for being the man
who bowled a pea-roller in the final ball of an innings in a one-day match
against New Zealand when the Black Caps needed a six to win. The harshest irony
of all? He did so on the instructions of his brother, Greg, who was Australian
skipper for the match.
Honourable mentions: Manchester City star Ian Brightwell and his
Olympic gold medallist mother Ann Packer, Aussie cricket brothers Mark and
Steve Waugh, Danish footballing brothers Brian and Michael Laudrup, cricketer Ian
Botham and his professional rugby player son Liam.
Think we've missed some good ones out? Leave your suggestions in the comment box below.
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