Father’s Day weekend is here.
Since last Father’s Day, a flurry of Dallas-area stars have become parents, including Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and the world’s No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler.
In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a look back at some of The Dallas Morning News’ best stories celebrating sports dads from over the years.
Texas Rangers’ 2023 baby boom put World Series run in ‘eye-opening’ perspective
By Evan Grant
The Rangers’ run to the 2023 World Series title created memories that will be remembered for generations to come.
And we’re just talking about their expanding families.
Along the way to winning the first World Series in franchise history, the Rangers experienced a baby boom. Thirteen players who appeared for the Rangers in 2023 had children during the calendar year.
Our Evan Grant shares some of their stories here.
Father-son bonds helped build the Dallas Cowboys, from front office to the field
By Calvin Watkins
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has the name “Ebarb” tattooed on his right thigh.
It’s a reminder of his grandfather, Glyn Ebarb, who set the blueprint for Prescott to become a man and father.
Prescott said his father, Nat, remains a steady figure in his life. Growing up, however, grandpa also showed the way.
“When I think about a man, he was the ultimate man,” Prescott said. “Up every morning. By 6 o’clock, grandma’s coffee, newspaper, everything set up for when she wakes up at 6:30. It was all done up by the time we got up. He was ready to jump on the day.
“He was loving and in the same sense very demanding and had a standard. When I was little and [got in] trouble and talked [back] in school, my mom would say ‘Hey I’m going to call your grandpa.’ And I’d lock up and start crying.”
Prescott, who became a first-time dad in April when girlfriend Sarah Jane Ramos delivered a baby girl named Margaret Jane Rose, recently reflected on what it means to be a father. On this Father’s Day, Prescott and several teammates describe fatherhood as an honor, a blessing and a responsibility not to be shunned.
Son’s pitch to ailing dad to take in a game becomes gift for both
By Evan Grant
I took my father to a baseball game Friday. It was his last.
He is 87, dying from congestive heart failure and has been in the care of a hospice nurse for two months. We know what lies ahead shortly.
And yet, this is not a sad story. Not in the least.
Through triumph and tribulation, Scottie Scheffler finds strength in family
By Brad Townsend
Scott and Diane Scheffler’s grandchild barely was an hour old when they excitedly arrived at Medical City Dallas Hospital, their son Scottie having kept them in suspense about the baby’s gender and name.
Scottie and his wife, Meredith, were visibly tired, but their faces were aglow with bliss and awe. One moment they’d been a couple and the next, at 8:40 a.m., they became a family with the birth of Bennett Boone Scheffler, now nestled in Meredith’s arms.
“Seeing your child and his wife as new parents is incredible,” Scott Scheffler said. “You could see it in their eyes, this joy, like, ‘Wow, look at this gift from God.’”
Indeed, Boone means blessed — by God, not because Dad happens to be the world’s No. 1 golfer.
And not because Scottie is on his sport’s most dominant roll in nearly a quarter-century and favored to win this week’s U.S. Open, which would be quite a way to celebrate his first Father’s Day as a dad.
Luka Doncic silences Minnesota crowd in front of surprise guest
By Brad Townsend
Afterward, Luka Doncic hugged teammates and coaches, but someone was missing.
As the Mavericks gathered for the Western Conference finals trophy presentation in Target Center following Thursday night’s Game 5 rout of Minnesota, Doncic kept gazing around the court.
Finally, he spotted the person for whom he was looking, his father, Sasa. They embraced. Sasa almost didn’t make it from Dallas to Minneapolis in time because his original commercial flight had to return to DFW Airport due to storms.
“They had a seven-hour delay, but he made it, so that meant a lot to me,” Doncic said.
New look, new vibe for new dad Dak Prescott
By Calvin Watkins
Dak Prescott has a new look and vibe entering this offseason along with the same pressures of the high-profile job he holds.
The Cowboys’ quarterback announced Monday he’s a father. He didn’t reveal the name, only referring to his daughter as “baby MJ” and that mom and baby are doing fine. During the 2023 season, Prescott noted the baby girl might come earlier than the March due date. Baby MJ was welcomed to the world Feb. 29.
“I feel different,” he said. “I guess especially when you wake up in the morning and you see that baby. You understand that responsibility. Everything that I’ve always wanted for myself but you want that for somebody else even more. Yeah, it’s special.”
We know Dirk the Mav; now meet Dirk the Dad
By Brad Townsend
Dirk Nowitzki had long wanted children. He thought he would be great with them, being a fun-loving, 7-foot lunk of a kid himself.
Responsible? He’d long been the rock of the Mavericks franchise, fiercely shepherding it an improbable NBA title. He’d even been his country’s Olympic flag bearer.
Nowitzki and his wife Jessica weren’t prepared, though, for the emotions that hit them on that late July 2013 day when they buckled newborn daughter Malaika into her car seat and drove away from the hospital, as a family, for the first time.
“That was the realest thing, probably ever in my entire life,” Nowitzki says. “That’s when you know, ‘Now this is all you. This is a responsibility for now on, for the rest of your life.’”
What Father’s Day means to Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos and soon-to-be dad Elvis Andrus
By Adam Grosbard
It’s Father’s Day weekend at Globe Life Park.
The Rangers are sporting their powder blue and charcoal grey alternate caps. Delino DeShields is wearing matching cleats that honor his MLB lineage. Fathers and children can be seen taking selfies throughout the blistering hot stands. And kids like Carlos Gomez’s son are wandering the Texas clubhouse.
One junior Ranger who won’t be at the park on Sunday is David Chirinos, the son of Rangers catcher Robinson. David will be at his own baseball tournament during the day while the Rangers face the Seattle Mariners, so the Chirinos clan is planning a “family day” after the game Saturday.
Life of Mavs Dads: Balancing NBA grind, birthday parties, modeling strong fatherhood
By Callie Caplan
A few weeks ago, Theo Pinson walked into the Mavericks’ practice facility and saw a distinct look on Dorian Finney-Smith’s face.
While Finney-Smith received treatment on the training table, he sat with his eye half closed, head tipped back.
Pinson, dressed in a sweatshirt with no T-shirt underneath and slides with no socks, could relate.
“Long night, wasn’t it, Doe?” Pinson joked.
“Little man did not want to go to sleep,” Finney-Smith responded.
“I already know,” Pinson said, “because I feel the same exact f---ing way.”
Welcome to the life of the Mavs Dads, no different from the typical erratic sleep and random mess all other parents with young kids face but with the additional challenge of balancing full-time NBA careers with their own late game nights and 41 road stops. That’s before hope for months of playoff focus, too.
A sentimental Father’s Day for Rangers CF Delino DeShields
By Evan Grant
Rangers manager Chris Woodward keeps a matrix of future lineup possibilities on his desk at all times. It includes pertinent notes, like night-to-day turnarounds and individual matchups.
This week’s grid has included one very important memo above Sunday: “Delino vs. his dad on Father’s Day.”
Even in the heart of the championship season for a surprising team that must secure every win possible, there are moments when sentimentality becomes the highest priority. A chance for DeShields to face off against his father, Delino L. DeShields, the Reds’ first base coach on Father’s Day qualifies as just that.
See Stars’ dads and hear stories of their sacrifice
By Mike Heika
The fact the Stars haven’t been perfect in their past two games was maybe perfect for the annual dad’s trip.
It allowed for plenty of conversation between the fathers and sons, who sat in meetings together, shared bus rides, and even bunked down in the same hotel rooms.
“Yeah, we definitely still talk...or at least we listen,” joked defenseman Jordie Benn said. “You always listen to what your dad tells you.”
Jordan Spieth announces birth of second child. He’s now a girl dad
By The Associated Press
Jordan Spieth missed out on the Ryder Cup scouting trip to Marco Simone outside Rome, and for good reason. His wife gave birth to their second child.
Spieth posted on social media that his wife gave birth to a girl named Sophie. She was born on Sept. 12, right after the U.S. team returned from Italy.
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.