Image via Complex Original
It isn’t easy being the son of a celebrity. Comparisons to your father are inescapable, and you're never able to shake your family name and the attention it brings. Every action of yours is magnified, bringing with it way more attention than young people often can handle. This is especially true on the sports field, where the children of well-known figures tend to garner significant media attention even though these kids are just trying to have fun like everyone else.
A select few of these sons, whether rightly or wrongly, excite media and college recruiters alike with their skills on the field. Their fathers’ fame often helps propel them to a level of notoriety they might not otherwise have, and as a result they tend to find themselves even more in the spotlight. Some, like Romeo, prove that they don’t actually have the skills to match their fame. Others, like Cordell Broadus and James Laurinaitis, rise above the noise to achieve big things on the field. These are the Best Athlete Sons of Celebrities.
*Sons of famous pro athletes were excluded. Their genes already put them at an advantage. Word to the Manning brothers.
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12. Hud Mellencamp
Famous father: John Cougar Mellencamp
Sport: Football
Team: Duke
The son of rock legend John Cougar, Hud Mellencamp is currently a sophomore at Duke who managed to make the team as a walk-on cornerback. While he's got decent size (5'11"), he's also incredibly skinny (165 lbs.) for someone playing Division I football, which may be why he has never seen the field. Some of that may also have to do with the fact that he's made more headlines for his off-field behavior than on it.
Along with his younger brother Speck, he was arrested a few weeks ago for going to a house and assaulting someone whom the brothers believed punched Speck earlier in the night. Maybe there's something to the battery charge; Hud is also an accomplished boxer, having won the Indiana Golden Gloves tournament at age 14 in the 132-pound division.
11. Jesse Bongiovi
Famous father: Jon Bon Jovi
Sport: Football
Team: Notre Dame
Jesse Bongiovi was the latest progeny of a famous father to join the ranks of successful student-athlete, as he made the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team as a walk-on cornerback this season. Jon Bon Jovi's oldest son has yet to appear in a game this season, although for a freshman that isn't exactly news. Whether he's able to get any field time for Brian Kelly's squad remains to be seen, but by making the roster of 105 he's at least halfway there.
10. Trey Smith
Famous father: Will Smith
Sport: Football
Team: Oak Christian HS (didn't play in college)
Trey Smith, the subject of his father Will's hit song "Just the Two of Us" (remember that one?), was a high school football star before calling it quits to become a full-time DJ after graduating in 2010. Catching passes for star factory Oaks Christian Academy and quarterback Nate Montana (son of Joe), Trey Smith caught the attention of lower Division I recruiters and even earned a scholarship offer from FBS Subdivision school Northern Arizona. Somehow, four years in Flagstaff playing against the likes of Montana State and Idaho State didn't compare with the Hollywood life, and thus ended Smith's football dream.
9. Liam Stewart
Famous father: Rod Stewart
Sport: Hockey
Team: Spokane Chiefs
Liam Stewart has bucked the celebrity child trend, choosing to play hockey rather than the more traditional route of football. He's been pretty successful as well, playing two seasons in the minor league Western Hockey League as he tries to work his way up to the NHL. This past summer, the 18-year-old son of rock legend Rod Stewart and model Rachel Hunter was also called up to the Great Britain squad for the Under-20 World Championship. At this point, it seems to be only a matter of time before he lands on an NHL roster.
8. Romeo
Famous father: Master P
Sport: Basketball
Team: USC
Semi-famous in his own right, Romeo caused a stir in 2006 when he was invited to the prestigious ABCD camp where he went up against the likes of Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, and OJ Mayo. Things didn't go well for the son of rapper Master P, who averaged fewer than two points per game and looked genuinely overmatched against his skilled opponents.
That didn't stop USC from offering the point guard a full scholarship. Although, according to the Wall Street Journal, the offer had a lot more to do with securing the services of Romeo's buddy DeMar DeRozan, the current Toronto Raptor whom USC wanted badly. After playing in nine games over two seasons, Romeo left school prior to his junior season.
7. Colton Bigelow
Famous father: Bam Bam Bigelow
Sport: Football/Wrestling
Team: Edinboro University
Wrestling fans will fondly recall the career of Bam Bam Bigelow, the "Beast from the East." He had a successful run in WWE, ECW, and WCW for numerous years, showing a remarkable level of athleticism for a man his size throughout his time in the ring. He clearly passed these traits on to his son Colton, who had a successful run in high school as both a football lineman and a wrestler (real wrestling, mind you). Colton now wrestles for Pennsylvania's Edinboro University, and has said that his father's 2007 death serves as motivation for him out on the mat.
6. Cordell Broadus
Famous father: Snoop Lion
Sport: Football
Team: Diamond Bar High School
With perhaps the most involved father of all the celebrity children, Cordell Broadus has emerged as a star wide receiver for California's Diamond Bar High School. He's currently ranked as the No. 7 overall pass catcher in the class of 2015 and this past May received a scholarship offer from LSU, which joined Arizona State, California, Duke, Nebraska, Oregon State, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and Washington as schools that want his services.
Guiding him every step of the way is his dad, Snoop Lion, whose enthusiasm for football is well-documented and who has served as a coach and mentor for his son for the last several years. Hopefully Snoop is keeping him away from the rap legend's favorite herb. Oh wait.
5. Justin Combs
Famous father: Diddy
Sport: Football
Team: UCLA
Justin Combs was already at the center of controversy even before he set foot on campus at UCLA, as the public cried foul over his $54,000 scholarship he was handed by the Bruins to play cornerback. The furor may have something to do with the fact that Combs' father, Diddy, is reportedly worth $475 million and can probably afford to cover the cost of his son's tuition. However, moral crusaders can rest easy; the scholarships for sports do not affect the need-based aid given to regular students. Also, credit Justin for being smart; he carried a 3.75 GPA in high school, so he at least will help the team some ways right from the start.
4. John David Washington
Famous father: Denzel Washington
Sport: Football
Team: St. Louis Rams
A standout three sport athlete in high school, John David Washington attended Division II Morehouse College and made a strong impact there. His 1,198 rushing yards as a senior were, at the time, a school record, as the running back averaged an impressive 5.6 yards per carry to go along with 13 total TDs in his senior season (2005). He also held the school record for rushing yards in a game (242, which he set in 2003), and career rushing yards (3,699) until those marks were broken in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
He even signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006, staying with the team through training camp before being cut and signing to the practice squad. He plied his trade for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League until they folded midway through the 2012 season.
3. Rohan Marley
Famous father: Bob Marley
Sport: Football
Team: Miami
It's absolutely frightening how much Rohan Marley looks like his father Bob. Like, exactly the same. The stocky 5'8", 205 pounder was no peace lover on the football field, though, as he starred at linebacker for the University of Miami in the early 1990s. Playing alongside names like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Ray Lewis, Marley led the team in tackles during the 1993 season and went on to play a couple seasons in the Canadian Football League before calling it quits to run "Jammin' Java Coffee," his highly successful (and publicly traded) organic coffee company.
2. Justin Fargas
Famous father: Antonio Fargas
Sport: Football
Team: Oakland Raiders
Justin Fargas enjoyed a nice seven-year run with the Oakland Raiders, putting forth his best effort in 2007 where he earned the starting job after an injury to starter Lamont Jordan. Fargas responded with a 1,000-yard season. This followed an injury-marred college career, which saw Fargas play only one full season at running back for USC after transferring there from Michigan (who had converted him to safety). Fargas' father Antonio is well-known to fans of 1970s television, as he played Huggy Bear on the hit TV series Starsky & Hutch. Interestingly enough, Antonio's role was reprised in the 2004 film version by Snoop Dogg, another father on this list.
1. James Laurinaitis
Famous father: Joe Laurinaitis
Sport: Football
Team: St. Louis Rams
Perhaps the most successful of all celebrity athlete children, the Rams' James Laurinaitis comes from a family with a history of wearing football pads in their everyday lives. His father, Joe, was one half of the legendary WWE tag team the Road Warriors (or later, the Legion of Doom), winning numerous championships throughout his lengthy wrestling career. James is certainly no slouch himself, though; he won the 2007 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker, captured All-America honors three times at Ohio State, and was a member of the NFL's All-Rookie team in 2009. He currently starts at linebacker for the Rams.