The soft side of sports: Athlete power couples over the years
Josh Werle, Sports Editor
Valentine’s day is nearly upon us, love is in the air. It is in that spirit that we reminisce about some of the most prominent athlete couples over the years. We all know the big-time celebrity-athlete crossover couples — Mike Fisher and Carrie Underwood, Alex Rodriguez and Jenifer Lopez — but what about the couples that feature two athletes? Surprise, surprise, there have been a few of those over the years as well.
Laila Ali and Curtis Conway
July 31, 2007 marked the day female boxing champion Laila Ali married former National Football League (NFL) First team All-American wide receiver, Curtis Conway. Conway played in the NFL from 1993-2004, suiting up with the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. He spent most of his career with the Bears recording 329 catches with the team, awarding him the fourth most receptions in the team’s history.
Ali — taking after her father, Muhammad Ali — is widely regarded as one of the top boxers in the sport’s illustrious history. Ali was active from 1999-2007, winning numerous boxing titles and going undefeated with a record of 24-0. After her retirement she married Conway. The two are still married to this day.
Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne
Both former mixed martial arts competitors under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner, Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne are one couple that you don’t want to mess with. A trailblazer in the industry, Rousey was once one of the most dominant female competitors in the sport. She used her immense skills in the sport of judo to sweep, flip and submit most of her competition, eventually scoring some knockout victories as well. Rousey was so popular among fans that she was even cheered in places like Brazil when she was facing off against Brazilian martial artist Bethe Correia. Eventually, she lost two consecutive fights via knockout against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, and decided to take her talents to professional wrestling in the WWE ring.
Rousey married Browne in 2017. Browne was a former UFC contender in the heavyweight division having squared off against some of the sports best such as, Fabrício Werdum, Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. After defeating Matt Mitrione via knockout in 2016, Browne had a record of 18-3-1 and was seemingly one win away from title contention. He ended up losing his next four fights and retiring from the sport.
Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods
Lindsey Vonn was almost on this list twice — she also dated former National Hockey League (NHL) star P.K. Subban — but Tiger Woods gets the nod here.
Vonn is a former olympic ski racer and multi-time medalist. She won two bronze and one gold medal in her olympic career, along with four world cup victories — the only American woman to accomplish these feats.
She met Tiger Woods in 2012 and dated him from 2013-2015. Woods — highly regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time — has had a long and illustrious golf career with numerous documented trials off the course. He is currently tied with Sam Snead for most Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour victories with 82. Although the relationship didn’t last very long, these two were one of the most widely recognized couples on this list, due to their extreme success in their respective sporting fields.
