Major League Baseball stars who have sons playing college football

By
Justin Giles
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Major League baseball has a rich history of sons following in their father’s footsteps.

Over the past century, more than 200 combinations have taken place with the likes of Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr., Yogi and Dale Berra, Bobby and Barry Bonds with even a number of three-generation families in the mix.

But now some of those Hall of Famers have a different game to watch as their sons trade their bats and gloves for pads and helmets.

Trey Griffey, Senior, WR (Arizona)

Son of Hall of Famer Ken Griffrey Jr., Trey played in 10 games this year and caught 23 passes for 382 yards and two touchdowns. The senior averaged 16.6 yards per catch to lead the Wildcats.

Father facts: Griffrey Jr., was a 13-time All-Star center fielder who won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves awards.

Shane Buechele, Freshman, QB (Texas)

Son of Steve Buechele, who played for three teams over 11 MLB seasons, Shane is the only true freshman quarterback at Texas to start the first two games of the season. The freshman gunslinger made his college debut against then-No. 10 Notre Dame in a double overtime thriller. Shane passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

For the season, Buechele completed 236 passed for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Father facts: Steve Buechele roomed with John Elway at Stanford before going on to play 11 years for the Rangers, Cubs and Pirates. He is currently the bench coach for the Rangers.

Torii Hunter Jr. Senior, WR (Notre Dame)

Torii Hunter Jr., is a two-sport athlete at Notre Dame. He was a team captain this year and finished the season with 38 catches for 521 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games.

The senior was second on the team in total yards receiving and averaged 13.7 yards per catch.

Father facts: Torii Hunter won consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder, was a five-time All-Star and is a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

Kenny Hill, Junior, QB (TCU)

Kenny Hill got the nickname Kenny “trill” after throwing for more than 500 yards in his college debut after taking over for Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manziel.

But after a rough year, Hill later transferred to TCU where he had to sit out a year. Hill finished this season by completing 269 passes for 3,208 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Father facts: Ken Hill pitched for 14 seasons and played in the 1995 World Series as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

Patrick Mahomes II, Junior, QB (Texas Tech)

After an amazing sophomore season in which he threw for 4,653 yards, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes II had an even better season this year in which the junior threw for 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns.

The gunslinger had arguably the most impressive game of the season as he completed 52 passes and tied an FBS record with 734 passing yards in a 66-59 loss to Oklahoma.

The senior led the nation in passing yards per game at 421 and gave up baseball to concentrate solely on football. Mahomes II announced this week that he was forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

Father facts: Pat Mahomes was a right-handed pitcher who went 42-39 during his 11-year career. He was part of the 1999 NL playoffs with the New York Mets.

Dante Pettis, Junior, WR (Washington)

Dante Pettis is a big reason why Washington had one of its best seasons in program history. The run ended in the College Football Playoff last week as the Huskies fell 24-7 to No. 1 Alabama.

Earlier this year, Pettis set a school record with his four punt return for a touchdown in a big win over Utah on the road.

Pettis ended the year with 53 catches for 822 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also ranks third on the team in average yards per catch at 15.5.

Father facts: Gary Pettis played 11 years for four different teams, had 354 career stolen bases and was a five-time Gold Glove winner.

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