# Any sport have multiple HOF players with the same name who are NOT related?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [March 18, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908 "2010-03-18T17:12:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/1 "2010-03-18T17:12:56Z")
Many famous people have rather common names. Michael Jordan, for example, has a fairly common first and last name; and in a specific instance I personally know of, my wife recently had a student named Joe (“please, call me Joseph”) DiMaggio, who is from the Bronx and no relation (except possibly as a fan) to the Yankee Clipper.
Then there are the big name Juniors. Ken Griffey, Sr. and Jr., Cal Ripken Sr. and Jr.; Tony Gwynn, Sr. and Jr.; etc. Not sure how many HOF father/son pairs there are in sports, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if there were any.
On the other hand, there are the occasional namespace collisions that are completely random. There have been multiple players named Kenny Smith, Joe Smith, Pedro Martinez, Bobby Jones (just a few off the top of my head), across sports and even within the same sport. But have any unrelated namesakes ever separately reach the highest honor in sports, to be in that sport’s Hall Of Fame?
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### Author:  [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/2 "2010-03-18T17:37:11Z")
Frank and Brooks Robinson are in Cooperstown. 1st ones that came into my head.
ETA:Just thought of Jim and Paul Brown in the NFL hall (though Paul was not a player)
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/3 "2010-03-18T17:43:40Z")
> [@robardin](#):
>
> On the other hand, there are the occasional namespace collisions that are completely random. There have been multiple players named Kenny Smith, Joe Smith, Pedro Martinez, Bobby Jones (just a few off the top of my head), across sports and even within the same sport. But have any unrelated namesakes ever separately reach the highest honor in sports, to be in that sport’s Hall Of Fame?
I’m pretty sure it hasn’t happened in baseball. The closest is probably [Frank Thomas](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomafr04.shtml), the modern-day slugger, and [Frank Thomas](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomafr03.shtml?redir), who played outfield, third base, and first base for 7 teams in a 16-year career in the 50s and 60s and made the all-star team three times. The modern-day Frank Thomas will probably make the Hall of Fame; the older one had a nice career but never got close and never will.
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### Author:  [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/4 "2010-03-18T17:47:52Z")
Oops. Didn’t catch on that you meant first and last names the same. yeah, I would guess that hasn’t happened.
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/5 "2010-03-18T18:00:00Z")
Yeah, I meant first and last names. Sorry I wasn’t more clear on that.
What prompted my question was reading an article about a college basketball player, a point guard named Isaiah Thomas, whose last name is legitimately Thomas and who was named after the former Pistons guard, but ironically, only because his father [lost a bet](http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/a-lost-bet-and-a-familiar-name/)over the 1989 NBA Finals. I’m not suggesting that Isaiah The Younger might ever reach the NBA, much less develop into a HOF point guard, but the possibility is there.
That brought to mind that for one or two years, the Mets had two pitchers on the roster both named Bobby Jones (one lefty and one right), who had actually faced off against each other a year or two before that in a “Bobby Jones Throwdown” (the winning pitcher was, in fact, Bobby Jones – not a relief pitcher). They even have the distinction of being two players with the same name on the same team for two DIFFERENT teams (they were “reunited” in a trade to again both play for another team, I think the Padres).
Neither Jones was of HOF caliber though, though I was at Shea Stadium to see Bobby J. (“Righty”) Jones in his finest hour, a jaw-dropping and out of character one-hitter against the Giants in the 2000 NLDS (and that double was inches away from being caught!).
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/6 "2010-03-18T18:12:26Z")
There were multiple Brian Hunters in the league for a while, and multiple Pedro Martinezes; I don’t think the two Pedros ever pitched against each other, though they were in the same division - the other Pedro was never more than a marginal relief pitcher.
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/7 "2010-03-18T18:12:41Z")
Found one!
[Samuel Crawford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Crawford)- Baseball Hall of Fame
[Samuel “Rusty” Crawford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty_Crawford) - Hockey Hall of Fame
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/8 "2010-03-18T18:13:53Z")
Unless of course you mean they both have to be in the same sport… in which case, boo!
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/9 "2010-03-18T18:47:38Z")
> [@Jas09](#):
>
> Unless of course you mean they both have to be in the same sport… in which case, boo!
At this point that would be gravy. But unrelated HOF players with the same name, even in different sports, is still pretty cool!
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/10 "2010-03-18T18:49:18Z")
Neither of them was quite good enough to make the Hall of Fame, but in the late Sixties and early Seventies, botht the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco Forty-Niners had All-Pro wide receivers named Gene Washington.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/11 "2010-03-18T18:57:37Z")
> [@robardin](#):
>
> At this point that would be gravy. But unrelated HOF players with the same name, even in different sports, is still pretty cool!
Not to mention that they were contemporaries. They were about the same age and played their sports around the same time. I wonder if they heard of each other.
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/12 "2010-03-18T19:01:06Z")
If only the KC Royals’ Willie Mays Aikens or the Hartford Whalers’ Gordie Howe Roberts had been good enough, they’d qualify in a way. Roberts was actually a teammate of Howe’s, briefly.
Between sports, if the former Boston Bruins forward had been good enough as well as popular enough, Derek Sanderson and the Yankees’ Derek Sanderson Jeter would qualify under the same rule.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/13 "2010-03-18T19:43:06Z")
In the future, there will PROBABLY be two guys named Dan Reeves in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Dan Reeves who owned the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams is already in, and I suspect the Dan Reeves who took the Broncos and Falcons to the Super Bowl WILL be a Hall of Famer some day.
And there’s already a 49ers defensive back named Jimmy Johnson in the Hall of Fame. It PROBABLY won’t happen, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the Cowboys’ coach Jimmy Johnson made it in some day.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/14 "2010-03-18T20:01:33Z")
> [@robardin](#):
>
> That brought to mind that for one or two years, the Mets had two pitchers on the roster both named Bobby Jones (one lefty and one right), who had actually faced off against each other a year or two before that in a “Bobby Jones Throwdown” (the winning pitcher was, in fact, Bobby Jones – not a relief pitcher). They even have the distinction of being two players with the same name on the same team for two DIFFERENT teams (they were “reunited” in a trade to again both play for another team, I think the Padres).
The original Mets had Bob Miller and Bob Miller (though neither was HOF quality, though the latter was one of the top NL relievers once he left the Mets).
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/15 "2010-03-18T20:04:55Z")
The Red Sox currently have 2 Ramon Ramirezes. Neither is going to be in the Hall, though.
And they missed the brief window of opportunity to have Javy Lopez pitch to Javy Lopez.
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### Author:  [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/16 "2010-03-21T04:52:02Z")
Jim Nance is in the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Jim Nantz will likely end up in one sports broadcasting hall of fame or another.
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### Author:  [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/17 "2010-03-21T14:21:42Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> The original Mets had Bob Miller and Bob Miller (though neither was HOF quality, though the **latter** was one of the top NL relievers once he left the Mets).
[Bolding mine]
You sure it was the latter and not the former who was the good one? Could’ve sworn it was the other way around…
Oh well. Ignorance fought!
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### Author:  [@Zen\_Postman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zen_Postman)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/18 "2010-03-21T14:57:04Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#):
>
> … and multiple Pedro Martinezes; I don’t think the two Pedros ever pitched against each other, though they were in the same division - the other Pedro was never more than a marginal relief pitcher.
They pitched in the same game twice.
[September 13, 1993](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN199309130.shtml)
[July 5,1996](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON199607050.shtml)
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/19 "2010-03-21T21:37:48Z")
There are 48 guys named Williams in the NFL now. 2 Brandons, 2 Kyles, 2 Roys, and 2 Chris so there is a shot there. There are 46 guys named Johnson - 2 Chris and 2 Michaels. There are 43 Smiths - 2 Alexs, 2 Antonios, 2 Marcus, and 2 Steves.
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### Author:  [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sport-have-multiple-hof-players-with-the-same-name-who-are-not-related/532908/20 "2010-03-22T13:52:26Z")
Another opportunity for same lastname-firstname combo\*, sadly missed due to the lack of HOF talent on one end, is the case of future NBA HOFer Ray Allen, who briefly had a Celtics teammate named Allan Ray (who will not be a HOFer).
- qualification carefully phrased so as to allow this duo to qualify.
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