Among the players whose names will be called in the 2023 NFL Draft, it's arguable that none has a family that boasts quite the athletic pedigree of Christian Gonzalez's.
The Oregon cornerback, who is projected by The Sporting News to be one of the first defenders off the board in April's draft — and the first defensive back taken — is just one of several top-level athletes in his family. Now, he will have the largest audience of any of his family members, at least in the United States.
Gonzalez's father, Hector, was a basketball player at UTEP. Older sisters Melissa (Texas) and Samantha (Miami) were both two-time All-Americans in track and field who went on to athletic careers in Colombia following college. The sisters also made the Colombian national track and field team, with Melissa competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Christian Gonzalez has the same athletic traits that made his father and sisters successful. He is listed at 6-2 and 201 pounds and was himself a celebrated track and field athlete in high school. Per The Athletic, he ran 10.72 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.65 seconds the 200 meters. He also traveled 42 feet, 8.5 inches in the triple jump and 22 feet, 4 inches in the long jump.
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That combination of size, athleticism and speed is the stuff NFL general managers, coaches and scouts live for in the pre-draft process. He put it to good use at Colorado and Oregon: 128 tackles (six for loss), four interceptions and 17 passes defensed in three seasons.
Whether he can do enough at the NFL Combine to cement his draft stock — and his post-college career — remains to be seen, though his athletic pedigree certainly doesn't hurt his chances.
The Sporting News looks at the Gonzalez family's athletic careers and everything else you need to know about the Ducks defensive back ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft:
Christian Gonzalez's father: Hector Gonzalez
Hector Gonzalez, who stands 6-9, is listed as having played two seasons for UTEP's men's basketball (1992-93 and 1993-94). In his first season, he is credited with playing in 30 games (two starts) while averaging 0.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. He is credited with playing 29 games (eight starts) in his second season, with marginal improvements in points (1.6) and rebounds (3.0) per game.
Gonzalez was not selected in the NBA Draft. He briefly played semiprofessional basketball in Colombia. According to latinbasket.net, he played for the Piratas in 1999-2000, though his player profile does not list any stats during his time there.
He and his wife, Temple, have four children: Melissa, Samantha, Christian and Lily.
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Christian Gonzalez's sister Melissa Gonzalez
Melissa Gonzalez — who is married to NFL quarterback David Blough — was a high school state champion hurdler in Texas before going on to a four-year track and field career at Texas from 2012-16. She was a member of the Longhorns' national runner-up team in 2014.
She competed in indoor and outdoor events and was an All-America selection in two events in the 2015 track and field season. She earned first-team honors in the 4x400 relay and second-team honors in the 400-meter hurdles.
Her personal bests at Texas:
Outdoor:
- 100m hurdles: 13.83 seconds
- 400m hurdles: 57.78 seconds
Indoor:
- Pentathlon: 3,757 points
- 60m hurdles: 8.72 seconds
- Shot put: 10.34 meters
- High jump: 1.56 meters
- Long jump: 5.49 meters
- 800 meters: 2:17.35
- Triple jump: 11.64 meters
- 400 meters: 56.31 seconds
- 600 yards: 1:20.49
- 600 meters: 1:33.78
After her collegiate career, she joined the Colombian national track and field team. At the South America U23 Championships in 2016, she finished first in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x400 relay.
She has competed in international events, including in the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 in Tokyo).
| Competition | Event | Time | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 World Championships | 400-meter hurdles | 56.49 seconds | 26th |
| 2020 Summer Olympics | 400-meter hurdles | 57.47 seconds | 20th |
| 2022 World Championships | 400-meter hurdles | 55.13 seconds | 17th |
Gonzalez has won gold medals in these competitions:
- 2016 South American U23 Games (400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay)
- 2018 South American Games (4x400 relay)
- 2019 South American Championships (400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay)
- 2021 South American Championships (400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay)
- 2022 Ibero-American Games (400-meter hurdles)
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Christian Gonzalez's sister Samantha Gonzalez
Samantha Gonzalez starred at Miami from 2016-19 after being named Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year in Texas in 2015. She won the Texas state championship in the 300-meter hurdles.
Her career highlight at Miami came in her senior season when she earned second-team All-America honors in the indoor 4x400 relay and helped the Hurricanes win the ACC championship in the event.
She says in her LinkedIn profile she has "dreams of competing" in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
