School with all-time greats in multiple sports

[Vshukla]

Putting this in the basketball forum since it gets the most traffic even though it’s not basketball specific. I figured it would be an interesting discussion.

While “greatest” is always open to debate, I think it’s safe to say SU can make a claim to have the greatest player of all time in two sports with Jim Brown and Gary Gait. This led me to think if any other school can make a similar claim. Like I said, you can debate greatest so I opened it up all time greats (top 10-15 in their sport, with the understanding that different positions should be considered especially in football). Off the top of my head, I came up with:

UNC - Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor (my pick for greatest LB ever).

USC – OJ in football (yeah, I know but the guy was a heck of a RB) and Tom Seaver in baseball (there have been many great USC baseball players but I grew up idolizing The Franchise).

Texas - Earl Campbell and Roger Clemens* (yes I put the asterisk there intentionally).

Are there any schools who can claim an all time great in 3 sports? Even though we are best known for basketball, I think that is where we fall short. I’ll say Carmelo is our best basketball player of all time (Bing was before my time) but to me he is a top 50 guy and won’t come up in the conversation of all-time top guys.

Auburn has a pretty good top 3 with Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas but I don’t think any of them are top 10 all time (although who knows what Bo could have done).

Anybody have thoughts?

 

[HoustonCuse]

I would tend to agree on Melo as he probably wouldn’t be considered a Top 10 all time NBA player but he is in the Top 10 of all time scoring so he’s certainly not completely out of the type of conversation you’re talking about. He’s more accomplished than Bo Jackson (understanding his career was cut short by injury, but still) was in either sport, for example.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Also USC, while I haven’t looked it up, probably has a litany of elite level track and field alumni as well.

 

[ars88]

Putting this in the basketball forum since it gets the most traffic even though it’s not basketball specific. I figured it would be an interesting discussion.

While “greatest” is always open to debate, I think it’s safe to say SU can make a claim to have the greatest player of all time in two sports with Jim Brown and Gary Gait. This led me to think if any other school can make a similar claim. Like I said, you can debate greatest so I opened it up all time greats (top 10-15 in their sport, with the understanding that different positions should be considered especially in football). Off the top of my head, I came up with:

UNC - Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor (my pick for greatest LB ever).

USC – OJ in football (yeah, I know but the guy was a heck of a RB) and Tom Seaver in baseball (there have been many great USC baseball players but I grew up idolizing The Franchise).

Texas - Earl Campbell and Roger Clemens* (yes I put the asterisk there intentionally).

Are there any schools who can claim an all time great in 3 sports? Even though we are best known for basketball, I think that is where we fall short. I’ll say Carmelo is our best basketball player of all time (Bing was before my time) but to me he is a top 50 guy and won’t come up in the conversation of all-time top guys.

Auburn has a pretty good top 3 with Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas but I don’t think any of them are top 10 all time (although who knows what Bo could have done).

Anybody have thoughts?

If you want to add women's sports in to the mix, Mia Hamm went to UNC as well.

 

[Eric15]

LSU has Shaq, Bob Pettit and Pete Maravich (I don't think any other school can match those three).

And then obviously their football player pedigree is very deep. Not sure if anyone is Top 10 all-time.

 

[Timonen]

Putting this in the basketball forum since it gets the most traffic even though it’s not basketball specific. I figured it would be an interesting discussion.

While “greatest” is always open to debate, I think it’s safe to say SU can make a claim to have the greatest player of all time in two sports with Jim Brown and Gary Gait. This led me to think if any other school can make a similar claim. Like I said, you can debate greatest so I opened it up all time greats (top 10-15 in their sport, with the understanding that different positions should be considered especially in football). Off the top of my head, I came up with:

UNC - Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor (my pick for greatest LB ever).

USC – OJ in football (yeah, I know but the guy was a heck of a RB) and Tom Seaver in baseball (there have been many great USC baseball players but I grew up idolizing The Franchise).

Texas - Earl Campbell and Roger Clemens* (yes I put the asterisk there intentionally).

Are there any schools who can claim an all time great in 3 sports? Even though we are best known for basketball, I think that is where we fall short. I’ll say Carmelo is our best basketball player of all time (Bing was before my time) but to me he is a top 50 guy and won’t come up in the conversation of all-time top guys.

Auburn has a pretty good top 3 with Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas but I don’t think any of them are top 10 all time (although who knows what Bo could have done).

Anybody have thoughts?

Ucla had Jabaar, aikman and Jackie Robinson.

 

[Briancuse]

Pretty crazy that UNC has the goat in bball and the goat on defense in football.

 

[Eric15]

If we're talking all-time college players, Ohio State has Jerry Lucas and Archie Griffin.

 

[Toga]

Jim Brown and Jim Brown

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Putting this in the basketball forum since it gets the most traffic even though it’s not basketball specific. I figured it would be an interesting discussion.

While “greatest” is always open to debate, I think it’s safe to say SU can make a claim to have the greatest player of all time in two sports with Jim Brown and Gary Gait. This led me to think if any other school can make a similar claim. Like I said, you can debate greatest so I opened it up all time greats (top 10-15 in their sport, with the understanding that different positions should be considered especially in football). Off the top of my head, I came up with:

UNC - Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor (my pick for greatest LB ever).

USC – OJ in football (yeah, I know but the guy was a heck of a RB) and Tom Seaver in baseball (there have been many great USC baseball players but I grew up idolizing The Franchise).

Texas - Earl Campbell and Roger Clemens* (yes I put the asterisk there intentionally).

Are there any schools who can claim an all time great in 3 sports? Even though we are best known for basketball, I think that is where we fall short. I’ll say Carmelo is our best basketball player of all time (Bing was before my time) but to me he is a top 50 guy and won’t come up in the conversation of all-time top guys.

Auburn has a pretty good top 3 with Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas but I don’t think any of them are top 10 all time (although who knows what Bo could have done).

Anybody have thoughts?

Lacrosse?

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

UCLA - Basketball - many
Baseball. Jackie Robinson
Football - Jonathan Ogden/Troy Aikman

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

UCLA - Basketball - many
Baseball. Jackie Robinson
Football - Jonathan Ogden/Troy Aikman

Just saw someone beat me to the punch

 

[jordville]

University of Michigan - Tom Brady, Chris Webber, Barry Larkin, Rick and Scott Steiner (Rechsteiner). I'm not a hockey guy, but there has to be a great that went to Michigan.

University of Georgia - Dominique Wilkins & Herschel Walker. I thought there might be an all-time baseball player. Bonus points for Bill Goldberg (football player who became a HOF wrestler).
Edit: Bubba Watson for UGA as well.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Putting this in the basketball forum since it gets the most traffic even though it’s not basketball specific. I figured it would be an interesting discussion.

While “greatest” is always open to debate, I think it’s safe to say SU can make a claim to have the greatest player of all time in two sports with Jim Brown and Gary Gait. This led me to think if any other school can make a similar claim. Like I said, you can debate greatest so I opened it up all time greats (top 10-15 in their sport, with the understanding that different positions should be considered especially in football). Off the top of my head, I came up with:

UNC - Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor (my pick for greatest LB ever).

USC – OJ in football (yeah, I know but the guy was a heck of a RB) and Tom Seaver in baseball (there have been many great USC baseball players but I grew up idolizing The Franchise).

Texas - Earl Campbell and Roger Clemens* (yes I put the asterisk there intentionally).

Are there any schools who can claim an all time great in 3 sports? Even though we are best known for basketball, I think that is where we fall short. I’ll say Carmelo is our best basketball player of all time (Bing was before my time) but to me he is a top 50 guy and won’t come up in the conversation of all-time top guys.

Auburn has a pretty good top 3 with Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas but I don’t think any of them are top 10 all time (although who knows what Bo could have done).

Anybody have thoughts?

add Kevin Durant to Texas and you might have the winner

 

[SU in Hershey]

If we're talking all-time college players, Ohio State has Jerry Lucas and Archie Griffin.

Ohio State:
Jack Nicklaus-Golf
Jesse Owens-Track

Now we're talkin'

 

[SU in Hershey]

University of Michigan - Tom Brady, Chris Webber, Barry Larkin, Rick and Scott Steiner (Rechsteiner). I'm not a hockey guy, but there has to be a great that went to Michigan.

University of Georgia - Dominique Wilkins & Herschel Walker. I thought there might be an all-time baseball player. Bonus points for Bill Goldberg (football player who became a HOF wrestler).

I think Michael Phelps went to Michigan as well.

 

[721Comstock]

I think Michael Phelps went to Michigan as well.

You are correct, sir! YES!

TB12 & Phelps is pretty solid.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Michigan St: Magic Johnson, Bubba Smith, Steve Garvey/Kirk Gibson/Robin Roberts

 

[capt.cuse]

If we're talking all-time college players, Ohio State has Jerry Lucas and Archie Griffin.

Also John Havlecheck and Paul Warfield

 

[Ernj]

Michigan St: Magic Johnson, Bubba Smith, Steve Garvey/Kirk Gibson/Robin Roberts

Kirk Gibson has always been interesting to me. I feel like there are people who absolutely love him and I just don't get it. Played 16 seasons. Only played more than 130 games 4 times (half his seasons less than 100 games). Never hit more than 30 home runs, never had more than 100 RBIs (the standards before the steroid/juiced ball eras), never made an all-star team and won NL MVP but Strawberry should have won it in '88. He will always be revered because of 1 play (that play was what won him the MVP). Take away that home run in the World Series and he is nothing more than an average MLB baseball player.

Of course, here the talk is college. Strangely, he was known in college as a All-American WR in football. Baseball was a secondary sport for him.

 

[Vshukla]

Ucla had Jabaar, aikman and Jackie Robinson.

UCLA is a tough one. I thought of Jabbar and Aikman but forgot about Jackie Robinson. Sometimes Robinson’s importance as a player overshadows his greatness as a player.

Aikman is interesting. I think of him as a top QB but outside the tier of all-time great. To me, all-time greats are guys like Brady, Montanna, Elway, Marino, Manning, Favre etc. I feel like Aikman is a notch below them.

 

[Vshukla]

Jim Brown and Jim Brown

Yeah, Jim Brown is his own category, isn’t he?

 

[Vshukla]

Lacrosse?

When I think of schools with all time great lacrosse players, the other school besides SU that comes to mind is Hopkins. However, I don’t recall any greats from other sports.

I suppose you could say Georgetown since they have Ewing in basketball and Brodie Merrill in lacrosse, but that would require me to compliment Georgetown and I just can’t do that.

 

[Vshukla]

University of Michigan - Tom Brady, Chris Webber, Barry Larkin, Rick and Scott Steiner (Rechsteiner). I'm not a hockey guy, but there has to be a great that went to Michigan.

University of Georgia - Dominique Wilkins & Herschel Walker. I thought there might be an all-time baseball player. Bonus points for Bill Goldberg (football player who became a HOF wrestler).
Edit: Bubba Watson for UGA as well.

As far as the Steiner brothers and Goldberg, then you must give special credit to University of Minnesota since The Nature Boy Ric Flair attended briefly. Wooooo!

 

[Vshukla]

Lots of good replies, but I feel like there is a difference between really good/great and all time great. Looking at the names in this thread I see names that are all time greats like Brady, Durant, Magic, Phelps, Jabbar, Seaver, etc. But names like Garvey, Yount, Larkin, Chris Webber, Dominique, Herschel Walker and others fall outside of all-time great.

I’m not sure I’ve seen a better 1-2 punch than our own Brown-Gait combination. UNC comes closest with Jordan and LT. Possibly the two most dominant and intimidating players in their sport.