It’s not too rare for athletes to date one-another, but how many athletes through the years have tied the knot with someone who is just as accomplished in their own sport?
Here are five of the surprisingly many pairs of athletes who were wed and share some incredible accomplishments in their previous (or current) athletic careers:
Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm-Garciaparra – Married in 2003
In the late-90s and early-2000s, Norma Garciaparra ranked among the best shortstops in Major League Baseball not named Derek Jeter. He was a two-time AL batting champion, the 1997 Rookie of the Year, and a Silver Slugger award winner. Garciaparra made five of his six All-Star appearances as a member of the Boston Red Sox and was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014.
Mia Hamm is arguably the greatest women’s soccer player of all-time. She won two World Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and was the first woman in history to score 100 international goals.
Zach Ertz and Julie Ertz – Married in 2017
Over the last 10 years Zach Ertz has been about as sure-handed of a tight end in the NFL. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.
Julie Ertz is a star midfielder for the United States women’s national soccer team. She’s a two-time World Cup champion and won bronze with the team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
J.J. Watt and Kealia Ohai Watt – Married in 2020
A future Hall of Famer, J.J. Watt was one of the most dominant pass rushers of this generation before he retired at the end of the 2022 season. With 114.5 sacks, five Pro Bowls, five First-Team All-Pro selections and a Walter Payton Man of the Year award on his mantle, Canton will come calling for the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Kealia Ohai overcame blindness in one eye to enjoy an eight-year professional soccer career with 35 goals scored in the NWSL. Her skill as a striker earned her three caps for the USWNT and scored a goal just 48 seconds into her first appearance on the pitch – a USWNT record that still stands.
Aaron Ross and Sanya Richards-Ross
Individual accolades may have eluded Aaron Ross, but titles did not. He was a starting cornerback for the New York Giants in their two Super Bowl wins over the New England Patriots in 2007 and 2011. He also won a national championship with the Texas Longhorns in 2005.
Sanya Richards is a track & field legend who specialized in 400m races. She won gold in the 4 x 400m relay in 2004, 2008 and 2012, gold in the 2008 400m race and gold in the 2012 400m race.
10x World Champion Sanya Richards-Ross and 2x Super Bowl Champion Aaron Ross are expecting their first baby. -> https://t.co/80eT1yG2CY pic.twitter.com/5blsPD3iPh
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) February 16, 2017
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanovic – Married in 2016
One of the best soccer midfielders in the history of Germany, Schweinsteiger won pretty much every title imaginable as a member of Bayern Munich from 2002 to 2015. At the international level, Schweinsteiger helped lead Germany to a World Cup title win over Argentina in 2014.
From 2005 to 2016, Ana Ivanovic was a force to be reckoned with in tennis. Ivanovic won the 2008 French Open over Dinara Safina, enjoyed a storied rivalry with the likes of Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, and reached World No. 1 in 2008.
Who’s your favorite pair of athletes who got married?