It’s pretty common to see kids wanting to leave behind the legacy of their parents and build something for themselves. The farmer’s son wants to move to the city, the accountant’s son wants to study literature, and the defense contractor’s son becomes a die-hard pacifist. You know the drill. Is it similarly transgressive when a running back’s son grows up to be a cornerback?

Marlon Humphrey made it big in 2017 when the Baltimore Ravens snapped him up with a first-round pick. He’s since made himself practically a permanent fixture with the team, with first a 4-year contract and then a 5-year extension on top. Given he’s making slightly under $23 million this year at 28-years-old, things have worked out pretty well for him. He has the positive influence of his family to thank for that.

Who is Marlon Humphrey’s father, Bobby?

Bobby and Marlon Humphrey might play in different positions, but they grew their love of football at the same place. They’re both Alabama boys, and it’s with the Crimson Tide that they both steadied their feet. Marlon might have been an early bloomer in comparison, making the USA Today All-USA high school football team twice (2012 and 2013). But Bobby led the way; in 4 years at college, he rushed 3420 yards, caught 60 passes, and scored 40 touchdowns.

Bobby would go on to be picked by the Denver Broncos in 1989’s supplemental draft. His first two seasons with them as a running back practically went like a dream. He had 1151 yards the first year, 1202 the second, and 7 rushing touchdowns both years. Toss in a touchdown reception in the first year for a bonus and it’s a very tidy record. You’d have thought this would be the foundation of a very lucrative future with the Broncos, but they let him go at the end of 1991.

Why, you might wonder? Well, he’d held out of training camp, trying to leverage his performance for a better contract, but it never came. The Broncos refused to negotiate, and when Bobby Humphrey gave in at Week 14, it was too late. He’d been replaced by Gaston Green and burned through goodwill. He was then traded to the Miami Dolphins in 1992, where he had an unimpressive year. He tried to make a comeback with the Buffalo Bills a couple years later in 1995, but that didn’t pan out either.

Instead, Bobby went back to college and got a degree in social work in 1998, before venturing into coaching for the Birmingham Steeldogs, an arena football team. As of now, he seems to be involved in administration in the City of Hoover, Alabama.

Who’s Marlon Humphrey’s mother, Barbara?

Of course, the drive to succeed doesn’t come from just one side. His mother, Barbara Humphrey’s been a major guiding force in his life, and the source of some funny headlines back in 2018. “NFL player moves back in with his parents” is a great way to grab eyeballs and raise a fuss about player pay. It was out of his mother’s concern for his academic career, really. It doesn’t matter that his career earnings will exceed $100 million by next year, of course. “You’ve got to get that degree, that’s something nobody can take from you. And you do realize that you don’t play football forever. So you’ve got to have that backup plan,” his mother reportedly told him before he moved back in.

Barbara was a gifted athlete herself, earning a full scholarship to UAB in 1986, where she graduated with a history degree. She set a 400 meters school record, which still stands to this day, more than 3 decades later. She went on to find the Speed City Summer Track Club in Birmingham Alabama, where she serves as head coach. She’s also the head track-and-field coach at Simmons Middle School, in Hoover, Alabama.

This support on two sides from two athlete parents was instrumental in Marlon Humphrey finding success. He had the talent and put in the hard work, and they gave him the support he needed.