7 Oft-Forgotten Sports Families

Just like heart disease, sports run in the family. And good genes definitely don't hurt in the hyper-competitive world of athletics, where everyone is looking for an edge. 

When you think of sibling rivalry in sports, the names Williams and Manning generally come to mind.

Well, in light of the Orioles drafting the youngest Ripken, the fourth generation to join the MLB with the Orioles, this gallery depicts seven famous, but often forgotten, families in sports. 

The Sutters

The Sutter family is probably the most successful and well-known family in the National Hockey League. The brothers have won a combined seven Stanley Cup trophies. 

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils, and Brian Sutter, the eldest of the Sutter brothers and one of the Kings' coaches, was a happy man.

While four of his brothers were drafted in the first round, Darryl was drafted No. 179 in the 1978 NHL draft. Although he played eights seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks, Darryl has had more success as a coach than a hockey player. 

Brian Sutter, the eldest son, played for 12 years, or 779 games, as a forward with the St- Louis Blues. He recorded 1,786 minutes in the penalty box and scored 303 goals. Shortly after his retirement in the late 1980s, Sutter began coaching the Blues. 

The youngest of the Sutter brothers were twins Rich and Ron, who played a total of 32 games together in the NHL for the Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1991, Ron's older brother Brian was his coach. 

Thirty years ago, brothers Duane and Brent won the Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders.

It was 19-year-old Brent's first year in the NHL. He went on to win another Stanley Cup with the Islanders, and then in 1997, after retiring from the game, he became the head coach for the New Jersey Devils. 

The Matthews

Football is more than just a sport for members of the Matthews family, as six members have played in the NFL.

They are one of only three families with three or more generations of NFL players. 

Clay Matthews Sr., played four seasons as a defensive lineman for the 49ers.

He was drafted 247th by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1949 draft but never played for them. Clay Sr. may have been the first Matthews to play professional football, but his sons and grandsons have popularized the Matthews name. 

Linebacker Clay Matthews Jr., played a total of 278 games in 16 seasons with the Cleveland Browns and three with the Atlanta Braves.

Like his brother Clay Jr., Bruce Matthews played a combined 19 seasons in the NFL, first for the Houston Oilers and then with the Tennessee Titans, where his son would later play.

In 2007, Bruce was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. 

Clay Sr.'s grandson, Clay Matthews III, was drafted in 2009 as a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. He was a member of last season's Super Bowl team that was defeated by the New York Giants.

In 2010, Bruce's 300-pound, 6' 3" son, Kevin Matthews, was drafted by the Tennessee Titans.

Rounding out the Matthews NFL clan, Casey Matthews, Clay Jr.'s son, joined the Philadelphia Eagles just last year. 

In total, that's six Matthews who have played in the NFL, and two more are currently playing college football. 

Ripkens

In the Ripken family, there's been three generations of baseball players and one general manager to have landed on the Orioles payroll. 

Cal Ripken Jr., played for 21 season with the Orioles. During his career, he hit 431 home runs and 3,000 hits. By 1995, Ripken had played in 2,130 games straight, earning the Iron Man nickname for the streak. He is now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

In 1987, Cal Jr.'s brother joined him and his father on the Orioles. It was the only time that an MLB team manager managed the career of his sons.

Earlier this month, Cal Jr's son and high school senior Ryan was selected in the MLB draft. He plans to play baseball for the University of South Carolina, and later, to play professional baseball.

The Barrys

The Barry family has basketball in their blood. 

The eight-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, Rick Barry, named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, set a high bar for his three sons who later played in the NBA.

His eldest son, Scooter, won an NCAA championship in 1988 with the University of Kansas, but he never made it to the NBA. 

Brent Barry is among the 15 all-time NBA three-point scorers, and he has won the NBA championship twice. Brent was drafted 15th in the 1996 draft by the Denver Nuggets.

He's averaged 9.9 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, a 40.5 three-point percentage and 3.2 assists per game. In 1996, he won the NBA's dunk contest.  

Like his father and brother, John Barry was known for his three-point shots.

In his 15-season, 801-game career with Milwaukee, Golden State, Atlanta, the Lakers, Sacramento, Detroit, Denver and Houston, John averaged 1.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 5.8 points per game. He's was first drafted in 1992 by the Boston Celtics. 

Only a year and a half after leaving Georgia Tech as an all-time assist leader, Drew Barry joined the Atlanta Hawks for 27 games in the 1997-98 season. He later played for the Golden State Warriors and the Seattle SuperSonics. 

The Alis

KOs run in the family, well, in the Ali family that's true anyways.

Muhammad Ali is, by far, the biggest name in boxing history, and his daughter Laila has followed right in his footsteps, becoming one of the most established female boxers.

Like her father, Laila uses psychological techniques to distract her opponents. 

In 2005, she was named Super Middleweight Champion by the International Women's Boxing Federation, and in 2002, she earned the same recognition from the International Boxing Association.

She had an undefeated professional career, winning 24-of-24 fights with 21 KOs. Laila is the second youngest of Muhammad's nine kids.

The Hughes

Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes was at the Winter Olympics in 2006, but not to compete in figure skating like she had done in 2002.

This time, Sarah sat in the crowd cheering on her sister, Emily Hughes, who was competing in her first Winter Olympic Games.

At the age of 16, Sarah upset six-time U.S National Champion Michelle Kwan and four-time European Champion Irina Slutskaya to win the women's figure skating title.

She was fourth in the short program, but she won the long-program with seven triple jumps. The two-time Olympians before Sarah in the short program crumbled under the Olympic pressure, as both fell on required jumps. 

Sarah's sister Emily, the reining bronze medalist at the 2005-06 U.S Nationals, had her Olympic debut four years later. Unlike Sarah, Emily came in seventh at the Olympics. She did not qualify for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Fun Fact: Both have attended Harvard University. 

The Liukins

The 2008 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion, Nastia Liukin, was almost destined to stand on the podium.

Her father and coach, Victor Liukin, won the team competition and horizontal bar at the 1988 Olympics in Korea.He also won the Olympic silver medal in the parallel bars and all-around events that year as well.

However, unlike her father, Nastia grew up and competed in the United States, rather than the former Soviet Union. 

Together, the Liukins have three Olympic gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze medal.

Nastia is a currently vying for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team. If she is selected, the Liukins are bound to increase their collective medal count. 

Nastia's mother is a former world champion rhythmic gymnast.