Mike and Kyle Shanahan are a father-son combo that has done well in coaching, for sure. There are many sons that have followed their dad’s careers.
Eddie, Scott and Sean Sutton
The Suttons have held many jobs in college basketball. Eddie was the head coach of Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, and University of San Francisco. He has taken two schools (Arkansas and Oklahoma State) to the Final Four, and was the first coach to lead four schools to the NCAA tournament. Sean Sutton was a head coach of Oklahoma State University and Scott Sutton coached Oral Roberts University,
Rick and Richard Pitino
Rick Pitino coached at numerous colleges, most recently Louisville. His son, Richard, is the head coach at the University of Minnesota. Rick Pitino’s teams won two national championships, in 1996 and 2013. The title in ’13 was vacated by the NCAA.
Homer, Scott and Bryce Drew
The Drews are associated with Valparaiso in a big way. Home coached from 1998-2002. For the 2002–03 season, Drew’s son Scott took the head coach position, but then left after one year to become the head coach at Baylor. Homer Drew was rehired as head coach for Valparaiso’s men’s basketball team in August 2003, and led the Crusaders back to the NCAA tournament in 2004.On May 17, 2011, Homer Drew stepped down as the head basketball coach and was succeeded by his son Bryce Drew.
Doug and Chris Collins
Doug Collins was a first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers and went on to coach in the NBA for the Bulls, Pistons, Wizards and 76ers. His son, Chris, played college ball at Duke and is head coach at Northwestern.
Dick and Tony Bennett
Dick Bennett coached at Wisconsin Stevens-Point, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin and Washington State. Son Tony took over at Washington State before moving on to Virginia. He led the Cavaliers to the national championship in 2019.
Lefty and Chuck Driesell
Lefty Driesell was one of the more colorful characters in college basketball while coaching at Davidson and Maryland. Driesell left the Terps after the Len Bias tragedy. He later coached at James Madison and Georgia State, winning a total of 786 games in his career. Son Chucks erved from 2010-15, as the head basketball coach at The Citadel.
Tubby and G.G. Smith
Tubby Smith has coached some big-time programs: the University of Tulsa, the University of Georgia, the University of Kentucky, the University of Minnesota, Texas Tech University, and the University of Memphis. With Kentucky, he coached the Wildcats to the 1998 NCAA championship. G.G. Smith, who played for his father at the University of Georgia, was formerly the head coach at Loyola (Md).
John Thompson Jr. and John Thompson III
John Thompson Jr. coached the legendary Georgetown teams that won a national championship in 1984 from 1972-99. John Thompson III coached Princeton from 2000-04 and Georgetown from 2004-17. Younger son, Ronny Thompson, formerly an assistant coach at Georgetown, was the head coach at Ball State from 2006-07.
Butch and Jan van Breda Kolff
Butch van Breda Kolff was fiery and colorful and controversial. He coached at Lafayette College 1951-55. He then coached for Hofstra University from 1955-62, and Princeton from 1962-67. He is one of four men to have coached both an NCAA Final Four team (Princeton, 1965) and an NBA Finals squad (the Los Angeles Lakers, 1968-69). (The others are Larry Brown, Jack Ramsay, and Fred Schaus). Son Jan coached at St. Bonaventure.
Bobby, Terry and Tommy Bowden
Bobby Bowden is one of the great coaches in college football history. He coached West Virginia from 1970-75 and then moved on to Florida State. Bowden coached the Seminoles from 1976-2009. Tommy was the head coach at Clemson. Terry was the head coach at Auburn, where he was the 1993 Coach of the Year. A third son, Jeff Bowden, was the offensive coordinator at Florida State.
Lou and Skip Holtz
Lou Holtz coached numerous college teams and had a short stint with the New York Jets. He is best known for leading Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988, among other accomplishments. Son Skip currently coaches Louisiana Tech, of of a number of places he has been head coach.
Monte and Lane Kiffin
The controversial Lane Kiffin is the head coach at Ole Miss, recently named to the position. He has also been coach of the Raiders in the NFL, Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic. His dad, Monte, a long time defensive coordinator in the NFL.
Bob and Aaron Boone
The Boones are one of baseball’s royal families. They have been in the game for generations. Aaron is currently the manager of the New York Yankees. , Bob Boone is the son of a Major League player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and is the father of two Major Leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and former utility infielder Aaron Boone. All four family members were named All-Stars during their careers. Bob Boone managed the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds.
Buddy and David Bell
Buddy Bell managed the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals. Son David is the current manager of the Cincinnati Reds. When David was named Reds manager in October 2018, he and Buddy became the fourth father-son pair to serve as major league managers, joining George and Dick Sisler, Bob and Joel Skinner, and Bob and Aaron Boone.
Bob and Joel Skinner
Bob Skinner managed the Phillies and San Diego Padres. Son Joel was interim manager for the Cleveland Indians in 2002.
Dick and Mike Nolan
Dick Nolan had a long career in the NFL. He was head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints. Mike Nolan was also head coach of the 49ers.
The Jim Moras
Jim E. Mora, the dad, was head coach of the Saints and Colts. His son, Jim L. Mora, was coach of the Falcons, Seahawks and UCLA.
Marty and Brian Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer was a head coach for the Browns, Chiefs, Washington and Chargers. His son, Brian, has been an OC for a number of teams, currently with the Seattle Seahawks.
Don, Dave and Mike Shula
Don Shula spent 33 consecutive years as a head coach in the NFL. Along the way he would win two Super Bowls (VII, VIII). Both of Don’s sons followed in their father’s footsteps. Dave became head coach of the Bengals in 1992. Mike, has spent many decades in coaching roles in both NFL and college football, he served as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2003-06.
Bum and Wade Phillips
Bum Phillips (left) famously coached the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. His son Wade (second from right) has held numerous positions and has been a head coach for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He was also an interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans.
Buddy and Rex Ryan
The late Buddy Ryan was the architect of the 46 defense which led the 1985 Bears to a 15-1 record and Super Bowl XX victory. When Buddy became coach of the Cardinals in 1994, he gave his twin boys, Rob and Ryan, their NFL start by adding them to his Arizona coaching staff. Rex was a LB coach, while Rob was a DB coach. Rex would go on to become the D-line coach for the Ravens winning a Super Bowl XXXV ring in 2001. Rex has eight years of NFL head coaching experience, his most recent stint coming with the Bills from 2015-2016. The Ryans have five Super Bowl rings and 50 years of NFL coaching between the three of them.
Mike and Kyle Shanahan
Mike Shanahan coached the Raiders, Broncos and Washington. He won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver. Son Kyle is looking to join his dad as a Super Bowl champ if his Niners can defeat the Packers and then win the big game Feb. 2. They would be the first father and son to be head coaches of Super Bowl champs.
