Illustration by Donough O'Malley
Ringing the Bells
Gus, Buddy, and David Bell go together in this city like the perfect three-way. Gus played nine of his 15 MLB seasons in Cincinnati, including the Reds’ 1961 National League pennant winners. His son, Buddy, was an outstanding player at Moeller before launching an 18-year MLB career in 1972 with the Indians. He joined the Reds in 1985 and hit a career-high 20 home runs the following season. He later was a Reds coach and managed three MLB teams. Buddy’s son, David (actually all three men’s given names are David), was also a Moeller star, powering them to the 1989 state championship. He played for six teams over his 12-year MLB career, then returned to Cincinnati to manage the Reds for six seasons.
The ’Cisco Kids
Keeping with the Moeller theme, the Francisco brothers helped create a football superpower under coach Gerry Faust. Hiawatha was a Sherman tank of a running back, bulldozing Moeller to three state titles in the 1980s and playing four years for Faust at Notre Dame. D’Juan, two years younger, ran alongside his sibling in the Moeller backfield and then at Notre Dame, though Lou Holtz replaced Faust before D’Juan set foot on campus. Three years later he led Notre Dame to the national title; he was drafted by the Redskins, but knee issues dashed his NFL hopes.
Grubers Make the Pitch
The Gruber family’s impact on Xavier sports started with James, who led XU baseball in hitting all four years on campus (1962–1966), including .417 his freshman year. He was drafted by the Phillies and played five years of minor league ball before knee injuries forced him to retire. Daughter Amanda, a 1998 graduate, holds XU soccer records for most goals in a season (24) and career (67) and became the Muskies’ first-ever All-American as a senior. Her sister, Annette, a 2001 graduate, played soccer all four years and led the Muskies to their first two Atlantic 10 Conference titles. All three Grubers are in XU’s Hall of Fame.
Keatings in the Pool
The roots of St. X as Ohio’s dominant high school swimming program were watered with three generations of Keating athletes. The patriarch, Charles Jr., was an all-American swimmer in the 1940s before becoming UC’s first swimmer to win a national championship. His brother, Bill, was also a nationally recognized swimmer at the same two institutions—all-state at St. X and captain of the UC team for two years—before becoming one of the state’s top attorneys, judge, U.S. congressman, and Enquirer publisher. His son, Bill Jr., continued the AquaBombers’ domination alongside Charles’ son, Charles III, who won two state championships before swimming for Indiana University and representing the U.S. in the 1976 Olympics. Bill Jr.’s daughters Liz (former city councilmember) and Caroline swam at UCLA and Bowling Green respectively.
Kelce Capers
Who doesn’t know Travis and Jason Kelce? Unstoppable on the football field, hilarious on their podcast; one is a dedicated family man, the other has a girlfriend of some note. Prior to the fame, though, they prowled Nippert Stadium before launching All-Pro NFL careers. Both Cleveland Heights natives have Super Bowl rings, and Travis, still with the Chiefs, is shooting for one more. The brothers haven’t forgotten UC, bringing their New Heights podcast to campus for a sold-out live taping at Fifth Third Arena.
Norse Foursome
The McDonald family has made its mark on NKU athletics, particularly Drew, who poured in 2,066 points and grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds and was named Horizon League Player of the Year in 2019. He held the school’s career scoring record until last year. His mother, Christie, scored 1,339 points and took down 850 rebounds in her own Norse career before serving as Newport Catholic’s women’s basketball coach. Drew’s father, Jeff, played tennis at NKU, and grandfather Bill Aker remains a legend, founding the Norse baseball program and coaching it for 29 years.
The Wolf Pack
The Wolf family’s impact local began with Charley, who coached Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals from 1960 to 1963. A three-sport St. X athlete who played in the Reds farm system, he also coached the Detroit Pistons. He had six sons, all athletes, and they had kids, nearly all of whom are athletes. All told, there are almost two dozen Wolfs who prove that athletic talent runs in the family. A small example: Jeff and Marty Wolf (Charley’s sons) won six and five Cincinnati Metro tennis titles, respectively. Johnny Wolf (Marty’s son) played basketball for St. X and for XU in coach Sean Miller’s first term. Sabrina Wolf powered Mt. Notre Dame to two state volleyball championships, while her cousin, Margo, was Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year (also for MND). Nick Wolf was a Division II All-American hoops star at Rollins College. Kristen played tennis at Sycamore High School and Xavier, while her cousin, Andrea, played tennis at MND. And then there’s 26-year-old JJ Wolf (Jeff’s son), a Cincinnati Country Day and Ohio State tennis phenom who’s earned nearly $2.5 million so far in his professional career.
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