With brothers Jim and John Harbaugh coaching on opposite sides in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Harbaughs have — temporarily — become the most famous family in football.
“I think the greatest joy I got in my life — after seeing all of the ups and downs, and the ins and outs, and all of the different things involved in the coaching profession — is that [coaching] is something they would decide [to do],” said Jack Harbaugh, a former college coach and the father of Jim and John. “It was something they wanted to do.”
Here in New York, however, there are another pair of famous on-field football families who can stake a claim to the title of Football’s First Family. Eli Manning is the third Manning quarterback to star in the NFL, while Rex Ryan learned from one of the league’s great defensive minds — his father, Buddy Ryan.
VOTE: WHO IS FOOTBALL’S FIRST FAMILY?
So which family is No. 1? Here’s a look at how they stack up:
MATTHEWSES
Who they are: Clay Matthews Sr. (OT, 1950-55); Clay Matthews Jr. (LB, 1978-1996); Bruce Matthews (OL, 1983-2001); Clay Matthews III (LB, 2009-present); Kevin Matthews (C, 2010-present); Casey Matthews (LB, 2011-present)
Why they’re a First Family: It’s a numbers game with the Matthewses. Besides the 53 total years in the NFL between six different players, they have produced a Hall of Famer (Bruce) and Pro Bowl players on offense and defense. The Matthews family have been represented in the NFL for all but seven seasons (2002-08) since 1978.
Did you know: Matthews Sr., now 84 years old, is the patriarch of the family. His sons, Clay and Bruce, both made Pro Bowls, he has three grandsons currently in the NFL (Clay Matthews III, Casey, Kevin) and two more grandsons play at Texas A&M (Jake, Mike).
Combined years in NFL: 53
Super Bowl titles: 1
HARBAUGHS
Who they are: Jack Harbaugh (HB, 1961); Jim Harbaugh (QB, 1987-2000; coach, 2002-03/2011-present); John Harbaugh (coach, 1998-present)
Why they’re a First Family: Perhaps you have heard brothers Jim and John are coaching against each other in the Super Bowl. They were the first brothers to face off in a regular-season game last season, and now they’re making history on the biggest stage in sports. In seven combined seasons as NFL head coaches, the Harbaugh brothers are 92-38-1.
Did you know: Jack Harbaugh was drafted in the 1961 AFL Draft by the Bills but did not play. He was a college head coach for 19 seasons and won a Division I-AA title in 2002 at Western Kentucky. Jim and John’s sister, Joani, is married to Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean.
Combined years in NFL: 34
Super Bowl titles: 0 (soon to be 1)
MANNINGS
Who they are: Archie Manning (QB, 1971-84); Peyton Manning (QB, 1998-2012); Eli Manning (QB, 2004-present)
Why they’re a First Family: Quarterback is the most recognizable position in sports, and no family is more synonymous with the position than the Mannings. Though father Archie toiled for years on losing Saints teams, brothers Peyton and Eli have appeared in four Super Bowls. Of all these famous families, the Mannings are in the public eye the most, whether on the field or in commercials.
Did you know: The three Mannings have thrown for a combined 114,925 yards in their NFL careers and 772 touchdown passes. That is nearly twice as many yards as the Jacksonville Jaguars have thrown for in their franchise history (62,602).
Combined years in NFL: 38
Super Bowl titles: 3
RYANS
Who they are: Buddy Ryan (coach, 1968-90, 1993-95); Rex Ryan (coach, 1994-95, 1999-present); Rob Ryan (coach, 1994-95, 2000-present)
Why they’re a First Family: Their case has taken a hit in recent years with Rex and Rob struggling, but few families have had as much impact coaching defense in the NFL. Buddy Ryan was the architect of one of the greatest defenses of all time, the 1985 Bears, and Rex somehow appeared in consecutive AFC title games with Mark Sanchez at quarterback.
Did you know: After the Bears won Super Bowl XX, players carried Buddy Ryan off the field, though he was the defensive coordinator. Ryan also memorably fought fellow Oilers coach Kevin Gilbride on the sidelines during a “Monday Night Football” game in 1994.
Combined years in NFL: 67
Super Bowl titles: 5
LONGS
Who they are: Howie Long (DL, 1981-93); Chris Long (DL, 2008-present)
Why they’re a First Family: One of the best father-son pairings on defense, two generations of Longs have terrorized NFL quarterbacks. Howie Long was a Hall of Fame defensive lineman with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, collecting 91 1/2 sacks in his career. Son Chris, selected by the Rams with the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft, has 24 1/2 sacks the past two seasons.
Did you know: Another Long — Kyle Long — is expected to be one of the first offensive linemen selected in April’s NFL Draft. The Oregon senior originally played on the defensive line but switched positions in 2011.
Combined years in NFL: 18
Super Bowl titles: 1
PHILLIPSES
Who they are: Bum Phillips (coach, 1967-70, 1974-85); Wade Phillips (coach, 1976-2000, 2002-present)
Why they’re a First Family: The challengers to the Ryan family’s title as First Family of Defense, the Phillipses are Texas football royalty. Bum, known for wearing his trademark cowboy hat on the sidelines, led the Oilers to a pair of AFC title games. Wade spent more time at the NFL level instead of college, like his father, and has been defensive coordinator for seven different teams, as well as two head-coaching stints.
Did you know: The Mora family twice has taken interim head-coaching jobs from Wade — Jim Mora replaced him with the Saints and Jim Mora Jr. with the Falcons.
Combined years in NFL: 52
Super Bowl titles: 0
WINSLOWS
Who they are: Kellen Winslow Sr. (TE, 1979-87); Kellen Winslow Jr. (TE, 2004-present)
Why they’re a First Family: The elder Winslow redefined the tight end position with the Chargers, and his 1,290 receiving yards in 1980 were the most by a tight end until Rob Gronkowski broke the record in 2011. Winslow Jr. came into the league with much fanfare as the next great tight end, but never reached his father’s heights, making the Pro Bowl just once (2007), and has been on three different rosters since his last start (Buccaneers, Seahawks, Patriots) and is not currently on a roster.
Did you know: Winslow Sr. is one of just eight tight ends in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In a 1981 playoff victory against the Dolphins, Winslow Sr. caught 13 passes and blocked a field goal with four seconds left to force overtime.
Combined years in NFL: 19
Super Bowl titles: 0
SHULAS
Who they are: Don Shula (DB, 1951-57; coach, 1960-95); Dave Shula (WR, 1981; coach, 1982-96); Mike Shula (coach, 1988-2002/2007-present)
Why they’re a First Family: With the exception of 2003-06, a Shula has coached in the NFL every season since 1960, since Don Shula got his start with the Lions. He went on to win a pair of Super Bowls and appear in four more, and coached the 1972 undefeated Dolphins. His son Dave was head coach of the Bengals for four-plus seasons and Mike, who coached at Alabama in the 2000s, remains in the league as the Panthers’ recently-promoted offensive coordinator.
Did you know: After being fired as head coach of the Bengals in 1996, Dave Shula left football and now works with his father running the family’s steakhouse business, Shula’s Steak Houses.
Combined years in NFL: 80
Super Bowl titles: 2
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FRONT-OFFICE FAMILIES
When discussing great families in football history, the Maras and Rooneys merit consideration. The two families are intertwined through marriage and their love of football. Here’s a look at the tale of the tape:
ROONEYS
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
First NFL owner: Art Rooney Sr.
Year founded: 1933
Current owner: Rooney Family (Dan Rooney, Art Rooney II)
NFL championships: 6
Notable contribution to league: Rooney Rule requiring minority candidate to be interviewed for new head coach opening named for Dan Rooney
Hollywood connection: sisters Rooney and Kate Mara (great-granddaughters of Art Rooney Sr., great nieces of Dan Rooney)
MARAS
Team: New York Giants
First NFL owner: Tim Mara
Year founded: 1925
Current owner: John Mara, Steve Tisch
NFL championships: 8 (4 in pre-Super Bowl era)
Notable contribution to league: Wellington Mara agreed to share television revenue with smaller markets such as Pittsburgh and Green Bay
Hollywood connection: sisters Rooney and Kate Mara (great-granddaughters of Tim Mara; granddaughters of Wellington Mara; nieces of John Mara)
hgoodman@nypost.com