USA250: Ranking 10 greatest college athletes from Kentucky
· Yahoo Sports
With no professional teams and two major colleges, college sports resonate in Kentucky in a way they don't in many other parts in the country.
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In a commonwealth most commonly associated with horse racing, basketball is king. It's home to two of the 10 most accomplished men's college programs in the sport's history in Kentucky and Louisville, who share a rivalry so intense it once prompted a fight at a dialysis clinic (Duke and North Carolina could never).
The passion for basketball extends beyond that notable duo, as Western Kentucky, Murray State and Morehead State have all had strong men's basketball programs that have won at least one NCAA tournament game in the past 20 years. On the women's side, Louisville and Kentucky have both emerged as consistently top 25 programs that have each produced a No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick in the past 20 years.
In football, Louisville has been a steady winner for much of the past 30 years, with two BCS bowl wins and a Heisman Trophy winner, while Kentucky, once an SEC doormat, became a regular bowl participant under Mark Stoops and Rich Brooks. In non-revenue sports, Kentucky colleges have produced Olympic gold-medalists and NCAA record-holders.
From that crowded group of star athletes, who stands out the most?
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, USA TODAY Sports is ranking the top 10 college athletes from each state. The athlete doesn't have to be from the state, but is required to have attended college there to be considered. There's a caveat that applies to all of these state lists, but is worth keeping in mind that much more for a place like Kentucky: This is based purely on what these athletes did in college.
So while Johnny Unitas went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in professional football history, his time at Louisville, where he threw more interceptions than touchdowns (albeit in a much different era for the sport offensively), doesn't merit inclusion.
10 greatest college athletes from Kentucky
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
In fewer than 20 years, Louisville football went from a program that went 1-10 while playing in a dilapidated minor-league baseball stadium to a place that produced a Heisman Trophy winner. It took a special player to earn that distinction. Jackson was as electrifying a player as there has been in college football history. In two full seasons as the Cardinals' starter, he threw for 7,203 yards and 57 touchdowns while adding another 3,172 yards and 39 touchdowns on the ground. In 2016, the future two-time NFL MVP became the youngest player ever to win the Heisman, at only 19 years and 337 days old. His 4,928 total yards that season were the second-most ever for a Heisman winner.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Kentucky
Before she became a four-time Olympic gold medalist, McLaughlin-Levrone was rewriting the record book at Kentucky. She spent just one season at the school, but made her mark in that brief time, winning the NCAA and SEC championships in the 400-meter hurdles. While winning the SEC championship, the New Jersey native set the collegiate record (52.75 seconds) in the 400 and set the world junior indoor record in the 400 at the NCAA indoor championships.
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Davis was only at Kentucky for one season, but boy did he ever make it count. Despite finishing fourth on his team in shot attempts, Davis produced one of the best freshman seasons in college basketball history, averaging 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and a ridiculous 4.7 blocks per game. He won nearly all of the major national player of the year awards, was named the national defensive player of the year and led the country in blocks. He finished things off by helping lead the Wildcats to their first NCAA championship in 14 years and earned Final Four most outstanding player honors after pulling down 16 rebounds and blocking six shots in the national title game.
Darrell Griffith, Louisville
The man behind one of the great nicknames in sports history, Dr. Dunkenstein, Griffith is perhaps the best and most important player in Louisville's long and decorated men's basketball history. Griffith was the top-ranked player nationally coming out Male High School and opted to stay home, where he helped transform an already ascendant program. As a senior in 1980, he was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Wooden Award before leading the Cardinals to their first-ever national championship. Griffith scored 23 of his team's 59 points in the national title game, earning him Final Four most outstanding player honors. Nearly 50 years after his last game, he remains the program's career scoring leader.
Jenny Hansen, Kentucky
Even at a basketball-obsessed school like Kentucky, gymnast Jenny Hansen put together a lengthy resume that can't be overlooked. She won eight individual NCAA championships, nine SEC championships and remains the only woman to win the NCAA all-around gymnastics title in three consecutive years, from 1993-95. She remains tied for the most career perfect 10s, with 28, and in 2006, the NCAA named her the most outstanding gymnast of the previous 25 years.
Wes Unseld, Louisville
With the possible exception of Donovan Mitchell, Louisville has never produced a better professional men's basketball player than Unseld, a five-time NBA All-Star and the 1969 NBA MVP. He wasn't too bad in college, either. The Louisville native and Basketball Hall of Famer starred for his hometown program in the 1960s, earning consensus first-team All-American recognition twice. For his career, he averaged 20.6 points and 18.9 rebounds per game, and that doesn't include assist totals for arguably the greatest outlet passer of all-time, as the NCAA didn't begin officially tracking assists until 1983.
Dan Issel, Kentucky
No player in Kentucky's long and storied men's basketball history has scored more points than Issel. He's the program's all-time leader in career points (2,138) and scoring average (25.8). And, to think, he racked up those numbers in just three seasons and in an era that didn't have a shot clock or 3-point line. As a senior in 1969-70, the future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer averaged 33.9 points and 13 rebounds per game while shooting 55.8% from the field, helping him earn consensus first-team All-American honors. That season, he scored a then-program record 53 points in a 120-85 victory against Mississippi.
Angel McCoughtry, Louisville
Coach Jeff Walz has built Louisville women's basketball into a program that has made the NCAA tournament in each of the past 15 years it was held. That wouldn't have been possible without McCoughtry. The Baltimore, Maryland, native transformed the Cardinals into a national power during a career in which she finished as the program's all-time scoring leader. She has the three best scoring seasons in Louisville history both in total points and points per game. As a senior in 2009, she was a first-team All-American and led the Cardinals to their first-ever Final Four.
Jim McDaniels, Western Kentucky
Though it's often overlooked nationally and even in its own state, Western Kentucky is one of the more accomplished programs in men's college basketball history, ranking in the top 20 of Division I in all-time wins (with 1,929). The Hilltoppers have never produced a player better than McDaniels, who's tied for the program lead in career points and averaged 27.6 points and 13.8 rebounds during his time in Bowling Green. As a senior in 1971, he earned consensus first-team All-American honors and led Western Kentucky to its first and only Final Four appearance.
Valerie Still, Kentucky
At perhaps the most basketball-obsessed college in the country, nobody — man or woman — has scored more points than Still. Her 2,763 career points and 1,525 career rebounds are the most of any Kentucky basketball player ever. In each of her four seasons, she led the Wildcats in scoring, finishing with a career average of 23.2 points per game. A three-time consensus All-American, Still led Kentucky to its highest-ever national ranking (No. 4) and helped the Wildcats rack up a 30-game home win streak from 1980-82. In 2003, she became first female letterwinner in any Kentucky sport to have her jersey retired.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: USA250: Ranking 10 greatest college athletes from Kentucky