Divisional Playoffs: Football + Family = Fun!

Big Ben is Getting Married to Lil' Ashley

A photo of Ashley Harlan from 2009.
Courtesy of ncnewsmedia.com.

Several sources say Ben Roethlisberger is engaged to Ashley Harlan, an employee of Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.  The wedding is planned for July.  Harlan's hometown newspaper has the scoop here.  Local residents unnamed in the article said Ben asked for her hand in marriage on Christmas morning and an engagement party took place on New Year's Eve.

Harlan was a three-sport athlete in high school and earned a bachelor's degree in health science and also has a master's degree.  There are no official comments affirming this information by either party or their families.  Apparently Ben was advised to keep things quiet until after the season.  The Steelers will be playing in the AFC Championship next week.

Some of the lovely family I saw this weekend.

Let's Talk Family

I spent time with my wonderful family this weekend, so it's the perfect time to talk about the families in the NFL.  There are families who own and manage the teams, but I would like to talk about the fathers, sons, and brothers who compete against each other on the field and then sit at the same dinner table afterward.

Our new coach in Dallas has combined family and football for a long time.  Jason Garrett and his two brothers, John and Judd, played college football under their dad, Jim, at Columbia University.  The brothers all transferred to Princeton after their dad left Columbia.  Jason is now the head coach of the Cowboys while John is an assistant coach and Judd is the director of pro scouting.  Their dad, Jim, has held positions with several teams and was a scout for the Cowboys for several years.

Another member of an NFL family has recently joined the Cowboys coaching staff.  Rob Ryan is the new defensive coordinator in Dallas.  His twin brother, Rex Ryan, is the head coach of the Jets.  From the '70s to the '90s, their father, Buddy Ryan, spent time holding both of those positions with five different teams.  I can only hope Rob didn't get the "big mouth" gene like his brother.

The Manning family at home in New Orleans in 1996.
Courtesy of nytimes.com.

The most publicized NFL family is the Mannings.  Of course, Peyton is the starting QB for the Colts, Eli is the starting QB for the Giants, and their dad, Archie, played for the Saints.  The oldest Manning son, Cooper, does not play football because of a spinal condition and is a business man in New Orleans.  Everyone knows about these guys because they're in commercials together and have allowed the NFL to show family videos whenever the brothers face each other on the field.

Another set of QB brothers are the Palmers of Cincinnati: Carson and Jordan.  Carson was the second true freshman to ever start for USC in school history.  Carson earned the Heisman Trophy in 2002 and was the first player selected in the 2003 draft.  Younger brother Jordan played at UTEP (the University of Texas at El Paso, where I saw him play a few times) and was drafted in the sixth round of the draft in 2007.  Jordan is currently the backup QB to his big brother.

Bruce and Clay Jr. in the 80s.
Courtesy of wikipedia.com.

The Matthews family may be the only one who could be considered a dynasty.  It all began with Clay Matthews Sr., who played for the 49ers in the 1950s.  He played one season, left for the Army during the Korean War, and then played four more seasons.

His eldest son, Clay Jr., played 19 seasons and 278 games (16th most in history).  He was the 12th overall pick in the 1978 draft and a four-time Pro Bowler.  Clay II's sons are in the family business also.  Clay Matthews III was the 26th overall pick in the 2009 draft and is a key player for the Packers (you may have noticed his long blond hair).  He has been selected to the Pro Bowl for both of the seasons he has played.  If you watched the college national championship, you would have seen Clay's brother, Casey, playing for the Oregon Ducks.

Another one of Clay Junior's sons, Bruce, played for the Oilers/Titans franchise for 19 years.  Bruce was voted to the Pro Bowl 14 times and is considered one of the greatest offensive linemen in history.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 and is a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team.  His son, Kevin, was signed as a free agent by the Titans in 2010.  A younger son, Jake, plays for Texas A&M.