$20 Sons in Sports Who Failed to Live Up to Their Father\'s Legacy$

20 Sons in Sports Who Failed to Live Up to Their Father's Legacy

By Jason Fletcher

Being the son of a professional athlete has to be difficult. Instantly, the kids are expected to live up to the legacy created by their fathers, and if they can’t, then the pressure put on them is immense. While there have been many successful second-generation athletes, there have been just as many who have crumbled under the pressure. Here are the 15 most popular sons of athletes who didn’t live up to their fathers’ legacies.

$20 Sons in Sports Who Failed to Live Up to Their Father\'s Legacy$

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Duron Carter — Carter is the son of former Minnesota Vikings and NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter. Duron is 24 years old and plays for the Indianapolis Colts, but he's yet to have anywhere near the impact of his father.

Nick Montana — Being the son of one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history was too much for Montana to overcome. His dad Joe won four Super Bowl rings, while Nick flamed out at Washington, and later at Tulane.

Barry Sanders Jr. — Barry Sanders Sr. is the greatest running back of all time in my eyes. He would've broken the NFL all-time rushing record had he not walked away from football at 30, despite being the lone offensive weapon for the Detroit Lions. Sanders Jr. is a senior at Stanford, and it's unlikely he will be drafted in 2016.

Deion Sanders Jr. — Sanders Jr. is a junior wide receiver at SMU who's recorded 30 receptions for 233 yards during his career, but he has yet to record a reception in 2015. It's a far cry from the Hall-of-Fame career his father produced.

Trey Griffey — Griffey decided to pursue football, as opposed to following in his father's footsteps with baseball. He's a junior wide receiver at Arizona who has posted 50 receptions for 637 yards and three touchdowns during his collegiate career.

Jerry Rice Jr. — Being born the son of the greatest NFL wide receiver of all time instantly doomed Rice Jr. from the start. There was no way he was ever going to equal his father's production, but the 24-year-old is playing professionally in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes.

Austin Collinsworth — A majority of the younger generation probably only knows Cris Collinsworth as the annoying analyst on Sunday Night Football, but he was actually a great NFL wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals back in the day. His son, Austin, is a defensive back at Notre Dame, but will likely never have the impact at the next level of his father.

Brent Barry/Jon Barry — Neither Brent, nor Jon, lived up to the legacy of their Hall of Fame father, Rick. Rick was one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, and had a better career than both of his sons combined.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. — Dale Earnhardt won seven Winston Cup Series titles during his career and brought home 76 checkered flags. While NASCAR will have you believe that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the greatest driver of all time, he's only won 25 races in his career and has never won a season title at racing's highest level.

Patrick Ewing Jr. — Patrick Ewing Sr. was one of the greatest centers in NBA history, and one of the greatest players to ever put on a New York Knicks uniform. Ewing Jr., was smaller than his father, but much more athletic, although he could never put it all together on the basketball court.

Tony Gwynn Jr. — Tony Gwynn Sr. is an MLB Hall of Fame player, and one of the all-time greatest hitters in baseball history. His son, Gwynn Jr., is a career .238 hitter with a .309 OBP. Gwynn Sr.'s .338 career batting average is 29 points higher than his son's OBP.

Luke Walton — Walton is the current interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors, but he used to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. His father Bill was one of the greatest big men in NBA history, but Luke wasn't blessed with his father's size.

Trevor Gretzky — Wayne Gretzky is arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, while his son, Trevor, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2011. Last season, Gretzky finished with a .242 batting average, two home runs and 21 RBIs in 264 at-bats at Single-A Burlington.

Jeff Jordan/Marcus Jordan — As is the story with Trevor Gretzky and Jerry Rice Jr., when your father is the greatest to ever have played a certain sport, it's impossible to live up to his legacy. Both Jeff and Marcus Jordan played basketball at the University of Central Florida, but neither was talented enough to make the NBA.

Pete Rose Jr. — Pete Rose is the all-time MLB hits leader, while his son never made it to the big leagues. Rose Jr. played 21 seasons in the minor leagues and independent leagues, but never could crack MLB.

Dale Berra — Berra's father, Yogi, has the most World Series rings of any MLB player in history with 10, is the greatest catcher of all time and might be the greatest New York Yankees player of all time. Dale hit .236 with 49 home runs and 278 RBIs over an 11-year career.

Brian Griese — Bob Griese is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, after passing for 25,092 yards and 192 touchdowns during his 14-year career with the Miami Dolphins. He also won two Super Bowl titles and was voted to six Pro Bowl teams. Brian, was voted to one Pro Bowl, and was the backup quarterback on the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl XXXIII team. He threw for 19,440 yards and 119 touchdowns during his 11-year career.

Chris Simms/Matt Simms — Phil Simms threw for 33,462 yards, 199 touchdowns and won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Chris and Matt have combined for 3,312 yards passing and 13 touchdowns during their NFL careers.

Anthony Dorsett — Tony Dorsett rushed for 12,739 yards and had 3,554 yards receiving with 92 total touchdowns during his 12-year career. He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is the eight-leading rushed of all-time. Anthony recorded 290 tackles and three interceptions during his eight-year NFL career.

Ryan Nece — A lot of people don't realize it, but Nece is the son of Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott. Lott is one of the greatest defensive backs to ever play the game and Nece recorded 304 total tackles, with three interceptions over a seven-year NFL career.

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