The 15 Most Athletic Couples
Emma Martinez Quick Links
Being an athlete isn’t easy. Whether it’s basketball, football, hockey, or even wrestling, these players knew this since day one. They wake up every morning knowing that whatever competition is approaching they must be at the top of their game, practicing their skills for hours. They have plenty of support from family and friends to back them up especially on bad days when they feel like they just want to quit. What is better, however, is having a significant other to be their personal cheerleader. So when a player becomes an MVP, a champion, or if they're a lucky Olympian, things must be sweeter because they must feel like they have it all.
These days we see tons of athletes with celebrities in a committed relationship. Many of them are the typical “actress and athlete” combo like Olivia Munn and NFL Green Bay Packer Quarterback hunk Aaron Rodgers or Gabrielle Union and Miami Heat star player Dwayne Wade. Granted, these guys are power couples in their own right because they both have great careers. Then of course you have the athletes who married their childhood/high school/college sweethearts. However, the media covers these kinds of couples all the time. So what about the power couples in sports, where both are highly talented athletes, have made outstanding achievements in whatever field they're in and found love with each other? So here's our list of some of the most “athletic” power couples, married or dating, in the world of sports.
15. Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The pair have been dating since 2013 and things still seem to be going strong for this power couple. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a rising star on the racetrack, being named Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year in 2013. So he seems to be a great match for Indycar's most powerful lady on the track. In 2008 she won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the only female to be victorious in the Indycar series. The two got together not too long after Patrick announced her divorce from her husband of seven years, Paul Hospenthal. Patrick and Stenhouse Jr. have competed against each other in the Sprint Cup NASCAR Series. Kind of reminds you of that phrase “who plays together stays together”, doesn’t it?
14. Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra
Women’s soccer star Mia Hamm and her husband, Sportsnet LA analyst Nomar Garciaparra have been together for more than 10 years. Hamm has two Olympic gold medals and was a winner of FIFA’s Woman of the Year award. Garciaparra is a former baseball player, having played for many teams such as the Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs. He was also a six time All Star. Both he and Hamm were members of the USA Olympic team for their sports in the early to mid-'90s and early 2000s, with Garciaparra on the '92 baseball Olympic team and Hamm with the US women’s soccer team. In 2012, Hamm gave birth to their son, Garrett Anthony, and they have twin daughters.
13. Laila Ali and Curtis Conway
I’m sure you were expecting this power couple to appear on this list and how can we not add them? Laila Ali is of course the daughter of the legendary boxing champ Muhammad Ali but she is a winning fighter in the ring in her own right. She has an awesome undefeated record going 24-0 in her career. Conway is a former NFL wide receiver for the Chicago Bears. He has also played for the Jets, the Chargers, and 49er's. The two were married in 2007. In 2011, Ali gave birth to their second child.
12. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf
Tennis fans already know about legendary player Andre Agassi. He is considered to be one of the greatest players ever in tennis. Agassi has won the Grand Slam tournament 8 times and was winner of the gold medal in the 96’ Summer Olympics. His beautiful wife, Steffi Graf, is also a tennis player with an impressive record as well. She has 22 Grand Slam single title wins and is ranked as having the most major wins of either male or female players in tennis. So, you see the connection between the two here. The two have been married since October 2001. They have two kids and have both retired from tennis.
11. Misty May and Matt Treanor
Matt Treanor is an MLB catcher. He has played for numerous teams like the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. In May 2014, he retired from the sport. His gorgeous wife, Misty May, used to play professional beach volleyball. She holds 3 gold Olympic medals and since 2012 she is the most successful player in her field with over a hundred single championship wins here and abroad. She currently serves as an ambassador for the Special Olympics of Southern California. The two met in 2003 and got married a year later.
10. Aaron Ross and Sanya Richards
Like many on this list, these two college sweethearts are at the top of their game. Aaron Ross is an NFL cornerback. He was drafted to the New York Giants in 2007 and has two Super Bowl wins. He’s even played with Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, and and the Cleveland Browns. His lovely wife Sanya Richards is a star in track and field. Richards has multiple gold Olympic gold medals and is a five-time medalist for the World Championships in Athletics. The couple met in their early days at University of Texas in 2003 and married in 2010. The two not only love sports but may have a soft spot for reality TV as they have their own show Glam and Gold.
9. Fabio Fognini and Flavia Pennetta
This hot Italian couple wows people with their skills (and looks!) on the tennis court. Fognini is Italy’s number one male tennis player. In March 2014, he ranked number 13 worldwide for singles and ranked number 7 for doubles in 2015. Last year, he won the doubles in the Australian Open, making him the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam. His girlfriend Flavia Pennetta is Italy’s other golden player but for the women’s tennis singles. Like her beau, she’s also a Grand Slam champ. She’s also kind of royalty now, given she was granted the title “Knight of Order of Merit of the Republic” by the President of Italy in 2007. This alone puts the “power” in power couple
8. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H
Some may not always consider wrestling a sport but these two are together as a couple in and out of the ring. Stephanie McMahon, as a member of the McMahon clan, has worked her way up the ranks in the WWE business since her teen years, selling merchandise to her current title as Chief Brand Officer. She has one WWE Women’s Championship title. She met her husband, Triple H (Paul Levesque), at a screen test for a scripted romance. He is not only a pro wrestler with 25 championships under his belt but is also the WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative. They’ve been married since 2003.
7. Annett Davis and Byron Davis
Annett Davis and her partner Byron Davis are not a well known couple. Annett Davis is pro-beach volleyball player. In 1999, she won the silver at the Beach Volleyball World Championships. Davis was dubbed “Queen of the beach” by the Association of Volleyball Professionals. Byron Davis is a former professional swimmer. He was close to becoming the first African-American male to be on the Olympic team but barely missed the cut. He is still highly regarded and is a role model for swimmers, particularly those who are people of color. The two married in 2009 and today they both dedicate their lives to coaching others.
6. Ray Ferraro and Cammi Granato
You can say Ray Ferraro and Cammi Granato are king and queen of hockey because they both rule in this category. Ferraro was a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League and is now a broadcaster on TSN. He played for quite a few teams throughout his career that included the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, and Los Angeles Kings. He’s played for a total of 18 seasons. Cammi Granato has retired as a pro ice hockey player. In 2010, she was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and is one of the first females to achieve this. Granato was also the US Team Captain for the 98’ Winter Olympics and won the gold. The couple have two sons and live in British Columbia.
5. Laird Hamilton and Gabrielle Reese
Laird Hamilton and his wife Gabrielle Reece are practically conquerors of the sea, since they each do well in surfing and beach volleyball, respectively. Laird Hamilton is a “big wave” surfer and also helped invent tow-in surfing. He is also known for being the first surfer to do a complete 360 while catching a wave. Gabrielle Reece is an accomplished beach volleyball player. Her 4-person team became the first to win the Beach Volleyball World Championship. She’s also a model, author, and actress. The two married in 1997 and the two split their time between Malibu and Hawaii, raising their 3 children.
4. Candace Parker and Sheldon Williams
Candace Parker is a member of the Los Angeles Sparks and of Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg. This girl's got some mad skills. She is the first woman ever in the NCAA Tournament to dunk in a game! On the court, Parker holds various positions such as forward, guard, and center. Her partner-in-crime, Sheldon Williams, has impressive basketball credentials himself. He played for Duke University but now is on China’s Tianjin Ronggang team. On the court, he’s known as “The Landlord” due to his blocking abilities and aggressiveness. He definitely made a name for himself at Duke, becoming the third player ever to record a triple double and the third player in the history of the ACC to earn 1,500 points, 350 blocks and 1000 rebounds. The duo's successes definitely makes them shine as an unstoppable couple.
3. Jennie Finch and Casey Daigle
This gorgeous couple has tremendous success in their careers as well as in their union since tying the knot in 2005. Jennie Finch has been playing softball throughout her life since childhood. She’s both a first baseman and pitcher, having played for the USA National Softball Team, Chicago Bandits, and Arizona Wildcats. Finch has a gold medal from the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and is revered by Time Magazine as the most famous softball player ever! Her husband, Casey Daigle, is currently a pitcher in the minor leagues, but he has had success playing in the major leagues for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in the MLB for 3 seasons.
2. Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner
These two are some of gymnastics finest. Nadia Comaneci is a beautiful Romanian woman who won 3 gold medals in the 76’ Summer Olympic games. She’s also the first gymnast ever to land a perfect 10 in any Olympic event. Meanwhile, Bart Conner is from Chicago, Illinois and won the gold, along with his men’s team, but specifically for the parallel bars event, in the 84’ Summer Olympics. In 1997, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame and in 2012, he became a Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee. The couple married in 1996, meaning they will be celebrating 20 years of marital bliss.
1. Kristi Yamaguchi and Bret Hedican
This power couple is on the list because they remain one of sports' long lasting couples on the ice, being married since 2000! The two met at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games. Kristi Yamaguchi is a two-time Ice Skating World champion. In 1992 she won the Olympic gold medal in her field. Apparently, all that work on the ice has even helped with her dance moves. In 2008, she became the winner of Dancing with the Stars. Her hubby, Bret Hedican, is a retired ice hockey player and Stanley Cup champion.. He’s played for various teams such as the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. The two have settled down in Northern California with their two children.
Sources: thesportster, bleacherreport
