Happy Father's Day

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Thursday, June 16, 2005

Following in their footsteps

Fathers set examples for kids in ways big and small. But when a famous athlete has sports-playing offspring, the connection is more obvious - and very gratifying.

By Mike Dyer

Enquirer staff writer

While Sunday is the traditional time to honor fathers, Tim McGee, like many, says Father's Day should be more inclusive than its namesake.

"Father's Day is special to me because it is a time to reflect and have emphasis on family," the former Bengals wide receiver said. "It's more of a children's day, I'd say."

McGee, 40, is the head basketball coach at Ursuline, where his eldest daughter, Kiondra, will be a sophomore next season.

"I love it," said McGee, who played with the Bengals from 1986-1992 and 1994-1995. "I had an opportunity to coach with the Bengals and I've had other offers in the NFL, but I declined. My family is my No. 1 passion and love."

Pride and love of family were common themes for some of the area's top sports families. Today, we look at some of the better known ones and some of the deserving fathers worthy of being honored on Sunday.

No one is doubting pressure exists for athletes who have a successful sports history in their family. But most, whether sons or daughters, are proud to have played.

Organizing trips for the busy schedule of summer AAU basketball tournaments can wait. Father's Day, says former NFL player Carlton Gray, is a time to relax.

Who could argue?

Gray's daughter, Amber, is a basketball standout at Lakota West. This past season, she was named to The Enquirer first team and was honorable-mention all-state as a freshman after leading the Greater Miami Conference in scoring (17.3 points a game) and rebounding (10.4).

Carlton, an NFL cornerback from 1993-2001, is now defensive coordinator for the Lakota West football team, and he helps coach Amber in basketball during the summer.

"For a while she was my daughter; now it's almost like I'm Amber Gray's father," said Carlton, who will turn 34 June 26. "That is almost another sense of pride for me."

Bruce Kozerski is a former Bengals offensive lineman (1984-1995) who is now head football coach at Holy Cross. His son Matt will be a senior tight end/linebacker this season for the Indians.

Matt was six months old when Bruce played in Super Bowl XXIII.

"It's been awesome," Matt said of playing for his father. "I am just playing like any other guy on the team. He coaches me like anyone else."

Added Matt, "If he treats me any different, I get a whole bunch of (junk) from the guys."

Kozerski's 11-year-old son, Adam, plays football and baseball, and his 10-year-old daughter, Amy, plays basketball.

"They all have passion for playing," Bruce said.

But he keeps his children's athletics in perspective. Kozerski said he is proud of Matt's proficiency in math and science - he carries a 4.0 grade-point average.

Still, he has enjoyed coaching his son.

"It's the satisfaction of coaching any kid," said Bruce, who retired from the NFL in 1995 after 12 seasons. "Someone throwing a pass or making a catch - now translate that to your kids. When my son (made an interception last season) my feet left the ground."

Matt, 16, said watching his father play football with the Bengals provided him with plenty of memories.

"I could remember the day of his last game; he played (and) he got hurt (at Riverfront Stadium)," Matt said.

"I was sitting in the stands and after the play I looked for his number and didn't see it, but I heard his name on the loudspeaker. I jumped out (of my seat). When they wheeled him around in a cart, he said he was all right. After that, after every home game, we would go up to the press box and he would tell me everything. It was kind of the worst and best moment at the same time."

Matt said there is pressure playing for his father, but he hasn't let that affect him.

"He was a great athlete, pretty much," Matt said. "I'm not bad, but I know my brother is going to be a whole lot better than me, I'm sure."

The pressure to succeed might be more visible if you have your father's first name.

Leon Murray said he looks forward to spending time with family on Father's Day each year. Murray was a multisport standout for North College Hill from 1970-1974.

His younger son, Leon, is the quarterback for the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats.

The elder Murray said he attends all of his son's home games. For Mother's Day this year, the family drove to Nashville and saw the Kats win. The Murrays also watched the younger Leon's games for his previous team in Georgia.

There is also son Justin and daughter Jerrika, who play basketball for NCH and will be juniors next school year.

Leon, 28, won a high school state basketball title in 1995 in Louisiana. He played college football at Tennessee State and graduated in 2000.

"It's been a blessing," said the younger Leon of his family. "All my life I have played sports, and for them to drive 31/2 hours to come down and see me play - I'm grateful for their support."

Leon has fought adversity, battling injuries and struggling to get a shot at the NFL. He is thankful for the example of his father.

"I hear all the time about the things he accomplished," Murray said. "He doesn't say much about it anymore ... but my mom has kept some nice newspaper clippings and to see some things he did is unbelievable."

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Famous Sports Families

Some of the area's famous sports families

Some of the area's top sports families and their athletic accomplishments:

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. - Arguably the best known father-son combination in baseball history, Junior became the 20th member of the 500-home run club on Father's Day 2004 in St. Louis.

Senior hit 152 home runs in his 19-year big-league career and was part of the Reds' "Big Red Machine."

Pete Rose and Pete Rose Jr. - Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader hailed from Western Hills High School. This year, Rose Jr. entered his 16th season in professional baseball when he joined the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. He appeared in 11 games with the Reds at the end of the 1997 season.

Kara Molony-Hussey, Lyndsey Molony and Molly Molony - Molony-Hussey is in her third season of coaching the Notre Dame Academy tennis team, and the Pandas this spring won their 10th consecutive Ninth Region title.

From 1998-2001, Molony-Hussey played at the University of Cincinnati, where she was an All-American. This spring, Molony-Hussey was named to Conference USA's all-decade team.

Younger sister Lyndsey played at UC from 2001-04; youngest sister Molly plays collegiately for UNC-Wilmington.

The Kehoe family - Former St. Ursula volleyball standout Bryn finished her freshman season at Stanford by winning a national title. Her father, Steve, played volleyball at Ball State, and her mother, Amy, was a two-time All-America volleyball player at Western Michigan. Bryn's grandfather, Fred Kehoe, played football at Ball State.

The Wolf family - St. Xavier basketball standout Johnny, who will turn 19 Sunday, has signed with Xavier for next season. Johnny is the son of 1979 Xavier graduate Marty Wolf, 47, a member of the XU Athletic Hall of Fame who was a two-sport star in tennis and basketball for the Musketeers.

Johnny's uncle, Steve Wolf, is a former Musketeer basketball captain and 1983 XU graduate. He is the color analyst for Xavier on Fox Sports Net Ohio.

Marty had a proud paternal moment during the St. Xavier-Moeller basketball state semifinal last season.

Marty got up from his seat near halftime and went to the concession stand. It was then he realized Johnny and his brother Nick, 17, were playing in front of 16,000 people.

"It was a moment of 'wow,' " Marty said. "That was really cool."

The Bell family - The late Gus is a Reds Hall of Famer. His son, Buddy, recently was named manager of the Kansas City Royals, following previous managerial stints in Detroit and Colorado. Buddy and Gus combined for 4,337 major-league hits - the second-most for a father-son duo after Barry and Bobby Bonds, who have 4,348.

Buddy's son David plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Moeller in 1990. David's brothers, Mike and Ricky, also play professional ball.

Bruce and Matt Kozerski - A Bengals offensive lineman from 1984-95, Bruce is now the head coach at Holy Cross High School. His son, Matt, will be a senior tight end/linebacker this season.

Tim and Kiondra McGee - The former Bengals wide receiver is the Ursuline basketball coach, and his daughter will be a sophomore on the team next season. McGee was on the Bengals' Super Bowl team in 1988.

Carlton and Amber Gray - A former NFL player, Carlton is the defensive coordinator at Lakota West. In the summer, he also helps coach his daughter, Amber, a freshman basketball standout at West. This past season, Amber was named the No. 1 freshman wing forward in America by All-Star Girls Report. She also plays volleyball.

Ron and Jake Oester - Jake, a third baseman/pitcher for McNicholas this past season, has signed to play with Toledo next season. His dad, Ron, was a member of the 1990 world champion Reds and has a .265 career batting average. He was drafted by the Reds in 1974 after attending Withrow.

The Murray family - Leon Murray was a multisport prep standout for North College Hill from 1970-74. Murray's son Leon is the quarterback for the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats. And the elder Leon has two more children at NCH - Jerrika and Justin will be juniors next season. Both play basketball.

Tom and Tanner Browning - The former Reds left-hander has been a frequent visitor to Covington Catholic baseball games, to watch his son, Tanner. Tom was a member of the 1990 world champions and was a major-league All-Star in 1991.

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Click on the link to see the entire list of father/son NFL players.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8551964

For rookies, Father's Day is in September

They will definitely get him something for Father's Day on June 19. Maybe a snazzy new tie or a colorful golf shirt.

But the real Father's Day present from nine NFL rookies will be unwrapped from September 8-12 -- on NFL Kickoff 2005 Weekend. At that time, if all goes well, they will give dad a gift 140 sons have presented before -- following in his footsteps as NFL players.

The fathers can't wait.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of Braylon, because he's worked so hard to get to this point in his life," says Stan Edwards, the former Houston Oilers (1982-86) and Detroit Lions (1987) running back whose son Braylon was selected with the third overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Braylon Edwards became the first receiver in Big Ten history to record three 1,000-yard seasons while leading the Michigan Wolverines to back-to-back conference championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2003 and 2004. He is one of only five Michigan receivers in school history to wear the coveted No. 1.

Growing up in his father's hometown of Detroit, following him to Michigan, and now embarking on his first NFL season, Braylon has been retracing his father's footsteps for as long as he can remember.

"My father was my role model," says the rookie. "He definitely played a big role in helping me get to where I am today."

Stan Edwards instilled many values in his son along the way, but a few in particular stand out in Braylon's mind.

"He taught me the right things to do, and as a result, through hard work and perseverance, I'm where I am today because of myself, my family, and most importantly, my father."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-round selection Barrett Ruud not only followed his father Tom's lead when selecting a position (linebacker) and college (Nebraska), but he now will be learning from the same coach his dad had more than 30 years ago at Nebraska -- Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

"In my opinion, Monte Kiffin is one of the best football coaches alive," says Tom, who played for Buffalo (1975-77) and Cincinnati (1978-79) in the NFL. "I've got the utmost respect for him. Monte's a real special guy. The Bucs have a lot of pride and it starts at the top. Barrett's in a good situation there."

Ruud and tight end Alex Smith -- Tampa Bay's third-round draft choice from Stanford whose father Ed was a defensive end for Denver in 1973-74 -- become the fourth and fifth second-generation NFL players on the Bucs' roster, joining Brian Griese (Bob), Ryan Nece (Ronnie Lott) and Chris Simms (Phil).

In Seattle, new Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, the team's second-round choice out of USC, has already given his dad a present, and wouldn't mind duplicating it in the NFL.

After the Trojans won a share of the national championship in 2003, Lofa gave his championship ring to his father Mosi, a former Southern Cal fullback who played 14 years in the NFL (New England, 1978-90; L.A. Rams, 1991) and is now an assistant coach at Curry College.

"Lofa has a wonderful appreciation for his father's legacy," says his mother Linnea. "All these years, it's been 'This is Mosi's son, Lofa.' Now the script is flipping and it's 'That's Lofa's dad, Mosi.' His father was not only a good football player but is a great man, kind and considerate."

The other rookies this year who can join the NFL fathers-sons list are Dallas running back Marion Barber III, son of former New York Jets running back Marion, Jr.; Kansas City punter Dustin Colquitt, son of former Pittsburgh punter Craig; Miami linebacker Channing Crowder, son of former Miami and Tampa Bay defensive tackle Randy; Pittsburgh fullback Zach Tuiasosopo, son of former Seattle and San Francisco defensive lineman Manu; and Detroit cornerback Stanley Wilson, son of former Cincinnati running back Stanley.

There have been 140 father-son pairs and threesomes that have played in the NFL. The list includes names such as Dorsett (Tony and Anthony); Farr (Mel, Sr.; Mel, Jr.; and Mike); Jones (Dub and Bert); Kiick (George and Jim); Kramer (Jerry and Jordan); Klecko (Joe and Dan); Manning (Archie, Peyton and Eli); Matthews (Clay, Sr.; Clay, Jr.; and Bruce); Metcalf (Terry and Eric); and Shula (Don, Dave and Mike).