Fathers coaching their owns sons is not an uncommon occurrence at the high school level.
It's a touchy subject for some with fears of nepotism coming into play and the term "Daddy Ball" being used in hushed tones.
But father-son combinations have also teamed up for some incredible accomplishments and legacies at the high school level. From the Hurleys in New Jersey to the Tirapelles in California, here's a look at 10 of the greatest in prep sports history.
CucciaFather: Vic; Son: Ron
Long
before the passing game took hold at all levels of football, there was Vic
Cuccia and his son, Ron. A coach who was a head of his time, Vic led
Wilson (Los Angeles) to a 151-42-6 record in 22
years, including a 39-game win streak and three straight Los Angeles
City Section 3A championships from 1975-77.
The
quarterback on those teams was Ron Cuccia, who earned section Player of
the Year three seasons in a row and finished his career with a national
record of 8,804 yards passing.
Ron Cuccia left Wilson in 1977 as high school football's all-time leading passer. (Photo: Courtesy of Ron Cuccia)
Father: Phil; Son: Wes
Nobody has won more football games in the state of Texas than
Calallen (Corpus Christi)
coach Phil Danaher, who became the all-time leader in 2016 when he
surpassed G.A. Moore with 427 wins. He has 458 wins and 110 losses in a
45-year coaching career.
One of his best
players was his own son, Wes, who played four seasons on the varsity
(1992-95) and finished his career with 8,855 yards rushing. When he
graduated, Wes ranked second in the state in career rushing yardage only
to all-time great Ken Hall, who had 11,232 yards. Wes still ranks No. 6
in state history in career rushing yards.
FavreFather: Irvin; Son: BrettWhen
Brett Favre finished his NFL career, no player in league history had
thrown for more yards. Yet, when he was in high school at Hancock North
Central (Kiln, Miss.), he rarely threw the ball. That's because his
father, Irvin, who was the head coach, reportedly felt the team should
run the ball in the Wishbone due to the number of quality running backs
on the team.
Irvin, who coached for 24
years in the Hancock County School System, led St. John to a state
championship in 1970 and was a consistent contender at Hancock.
GrierFather: Chad; Son: Will
During
his tenure at Davidson Day, Chad had one of the best quarterbacks in
the nation, his son, Will. The Parade Magazine national Player of the
Year in 2013, Will finished his career with 14,565 yards passing and 195
touchdowns. His yardage total ranks No. 9 all-time nationally and the
touchdown total ranks No. 4. He was a Heisman Trophy candidate last fall
at West Virginia and is expected to be taken high in the 2019 NFL
Draft.
Hurley
Father: Bob; Sons: Danny, Bobby
Few
high school basketball coaches have been more celebrated than Bob
Hurley Sr. In 39 years as a coach at St. Anthony in Jersey City (N.J.),
Hurley won 26 state championships, four national titles and 1,185 games.
Both Danny and Bobby played for him with
great success. Bobby went on to an All-American career at Duke, leading
the Blue Devils to two NCAA championships. A car accident cut short his
NBA career, but he has joined his father in the coaching ranks and has
been Arizona State's head coach since 2015. Danny often challenged his
father for national supremacy while coaching at
St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) during the early 2000s. He has since coached at the NCAA level and is
currently at Connecticut.
MaukFather: Mike; Sons: Ben, MatyNo
coach in high school football history has coached more prolific passers
than
Glendale (Springfield, Mo.) coach Mike Mauk, and two of his most
prolific quarterbacks have been his sons, Ben and Maty. While at
Kenton (Ohio), Ben broke the national passing yardage record in 2002 when he
finished his career with 17,364 yards. Nine years later, younger brother
Maty broke Ben's record with 18,932 career yards.
The
brothers rank Nos. 1 and 2 on the national all-time career passing
yardage list. Mike Mauk recently overcame a battle with cancer and has
won 246 games in his coaching career in Ohio and Missouri.
McDonaldFather: Tim; Sons: TJ, Tevin
Tim
McDonald grew up in Fresno and was a star defensive player at
Edison (Fresno, Calif.)
before moving on to USC and eventually the NFL. He played 13 seasons in
the NFL and was a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
Following
his retirement, McDonald returned to Edison and became head coach.
There, he coached sons, Tim Jr. and Tevin. Tim Jr. was a high school
All-American, like his father, went to USC and was an All-American, like
his father, and is in his sixth season in the NFL. Tevin is currently
playing in the Canadian Football League.
MooreFather: Tom; Sons: Kirby, Kellen
There are few coaches with more success in Washington state than Tom Moore. The same is true for his sons, Kellen and Kirby. Tom began coaching at
Prosser in 1986 and won 21 league championships and four state crowns over the next 23 seasons.
Two of the biggest stars at Prosser during that time were his sons: Kellen, the quarterback, and Kirby, the wide receiver. Kellen set numerous state records, including passing yards in a season (4,600) and touchdown passes (67) while winning the Gatorade State Player of the Year award for the 2006 season. He finished his career with 11,367 yards. Kirby had 131 catches, for 2,126 yards and 34 touchdowns his senior year while earning Class 2A state Player of the Year honors. He holds the national record for career touchdown receptions with 95.
MorrisFather: Jack; Son: JoeFor
the better part of 50 years, the only name in high school football in
Mayfield (Ky.) is Morris. Jack Morris took over as head coach at
Mayfield in 1969 and posted a 254-50-2 record in 24 years. His team won
four state titles, including back-to-back seasons in 1977 and 1978 and
1985 and 1986.
Jack retired in 1992 and
son, Joe, who played for his father and was also an assistant coach,
eventually took over in 1999. He's posted a record of 239-49 in 20
seasons. Joe has not won fewer than 13 games in each of the past 10
seasons and has a record of 139-11 with six state championships,
including four in a row from 2012-15. Mayfield ranks No. 3 in state
history and No. 4 in national history for most all-time wins with 887.
Tirapelle
Father: Steve; Sons: Adam, Alex, Troy
No
school has dominated high school wrestling in California like the
Clovis Cougars. In a state that has only one state classification for
the state championship, Clovis has won 13 state titles, more than double
the next school. Tirapelle is in his 35th year of coaching and his 20th
at Clovis.
The Cougars have won seven
state titles under Tirapelle, including five in a row between 2011-15.
His team has placed in the top five in 18 of his 20 seasons . His sons
Adam, Alex and Troy combined for eight state championships with Alex and
Troy each winning three apiece. All three wrestled at the University of
Illinois. Adam assists his father at Clovis. Alex is an assistant at
Stanford. Troy is the head coach at Buchanan, which won the 2019
California state meet.
