| 20th Century Top 50 |
| Rank | Profile |
| 1 |
Barry Sanders,
Wichita
Holds NCAA season rushing record (2,628); retired in 1999 as NFL's second-leading alltime runner (15,269).
|
| 2 |
Dean Smith,
Emporia
Won 1952 NCAA basketball title as Kansas guard; holds college record for wins, with 879, as North Carolina coach.
|
|---|
| 3 |
Walter (Big Train) Johnson,
Humboldt
Strikeout record (3,508) stood for 56 years; won 416 games with Senators from 1907 to '27; only Cy Young won more.
|
|---|
| 4 |
Adolph Rupp,
Halstead
Played on national basketball champs at Kansas in 1922, '23; four NCAA titles and 876 wins in 41 years as Kentucky coach.
|
|---|
| 5 |
Jim Ryun,
Wichita
First high school miler to break four-minute barrier; silver medal at 1968 Olympics in 1,500 meters; set record in mile twice.
|
|---|
| 6 |
Lynette Woodard,
Wichita
High school (Wichita North) and college (Kansas) basketball All-America; captained gold-medal-winning Olympic team in '84.
|
|---|
| 7 |
John Riggins,
Centralia
Won two high school state titles in 100-yard-dash; NFL's 10th-leading alltime runner (11,352); Super Bowl XVII MVP.
|
|---|
| 8 |
John Hadl
Lawrence
All-America halfback and quarterback at Kansas; six Pro Bowls with Rams and Chargers; 33,503 passing yards.
|
|---|
| 9 |
Jess Willard,
Saint Clere
Knocked out Jack Johnson for heavyweight title in 1915; lost it to Jack Dempsey in '19.
|
|---|
| 10 |
Nolan Cromwell,
Ransom
Three-time high school state track champ; Big Eight offensive player of the year at Kansas in 1975; four-time Pro Bowl safety.
|
|---|
| 11 |
Maurice Greene,
Kansas City
Bolted to 100-meter world record (9.79 seconds) last June; swept 100 and 200 at 1999 world championships.
|
|---|
| 12 |
Joe Tinker,
Kansas City
One third of baseball's most famous double play combo; hit .263 in 15 major league seasons.
|
|---|
| 13 |
Lynn Dickey,
Osawatomie
Kansas State leader in career passing yards (6,208); threw for 4,458 yards with Packers in 1983.
|
|---|
| 14 |
James Bausch,
Wichita
Set decathlon world record at 1932 Olympics; also received Sullivan Award that year.
|
|---|
| 15 |
Gene Mauch,
Salina
Only three men managed more games than his 3,942; won 1,902 games, two division titles and three NL Manager of the Year awards, but never a pennant.
|
|---|
| 16 |
Thane Baker,
Elkhart
Four-time All-America sprinter at Kansas State; won gold in 4x100 relay at 1956 Olympics.
|
|---|
| 17 |
Ralph Miller,
Chanute
Set state high school hurdles record; quarterback at Kansas; led Jayhawks basketball team in scoring in 1940 and '42; retired in '89 as sixth-winningest college hoops coach (674).
|
|---|
| 18 |
Glenn Cunningham,
Elkhart
Held world record in the mile from 1934 to '37; won Sullivan Award in '33; took silver in 1,500 meters at '36 Olympics.
|
|---|
| 19 |
Johnny Adams,
Iola
Won Preakness aboard Hasty Road in 1954; fourth jockey to win 3,000 races; on the board with 8,609 of 20,159 mounts.
|
|---|
| 20 |
Otto Schnellbacher,
Sublette
All-America Kansas end; played a year in NBA; Pro Bowl halfback with Giants in 1951 and '52.
|
|---|
| 21 |
Cleo Littleton,
Wichita
Became first player west of the Mississippi to score 2,000, at Wichita State in 1955; only four-time All-Missouri Valley pick.
|
|---|
| 22 |
Darren Daulton,
Arkansas City
Phillies catcher from 1985 to '97; three-time All-Star led NL in RBIs (109) in '92.
|
|---|
| 23 |
Bill Nieder,
Lawrence
In 1952 became first schoolboy to put 12-pound shot more than 60 feet; high school football All-America; won silver in shot at '56 Olympics, gold in '60.
|
|---|
| 24 |
Ray Evans,
Kansas City
Football and basketball All-America at Kansas in 1940s; still holds Jayhawks' record for career interceptions (17).
|
|---|
| 25 |
Fred Clarke,
Winfield
Player-manager of Pirates team that lost first World Series of modern era (1903); club's winningest manager (1,422).
|
|---|
| 26 |
Mike McCormack,
Kansas City
Kansas star won two NFL championships and went to six Pro Bowls as Browns and Giants tackle from 1952 to '62.
|
|---|
| 27 |
Steve Renko,
Kansas City
Last to letter in three sports (baseball, football, basketball) at Kansas; pitched 15 years in majors (1969-83).
|
|---|
| 28 |
Steve Grogan,
Ottawa
Kansas State standout spent 16 seasons with Patriots; holds NFL record for rushing TDs by a quarterback, with 12 in 1976.
|
|---|
| 29 |
Antoine Carr,
Wichita
All-America forward at Wichita Heights High; took Wichita State to Elite Eight as sophomore in 1981; played on five teams in 14 NBA seasons.
|
|---|
| 30 |
Fred Etchen,
Coffeyville
Trapshooting legend captained 1924 Olympic gold medal team; won international championship in '32.
|
|---|
| 31 |
William Roy (Link) Lyman,
McDonald
Defensive tackle won five NFL championships with four teams from 1922 to '34.
|
|---|
| 32 |
Lon Kruger,
Silver Lake
Big Eight basketball player of the year as Kansas State guard in 1973 and '74; coached Florida to Final Four in '94.
|
|---|
| 33 |
Elden Auker,
Norcatur
Three-sport Kansas State star from 1929 to '32; won 130 games as submarine pitcher for Tigers, Red Sox and Browns.
|
|---|
| 34 |
John Kuck,
Wilson
Set world records in shot put and javelin in 1926; won gold in shot put at '28 Olympics.
|
|---|
| 35 |
John McLendon,
Kansas City
Pro basketball's first black coach, with Cleveland Pipers of American Basketball League in 1961; 523-165 mark with five college teams.
|
|---|
| 36 |
Sandra Myers,
Little River
Won 13 individual state track titles at Little River High in 1970s; set U.S. women's record in 400-meter hurdles in '80.
|
|---|
| 37 |
Ralph Houk,
Lawrence
Spent parts of eight years with Yankees as Yogi Berra's backup; won 1961, '62, '63 AL pennants as New York manager.
|
|---|
| 38 |
Steve Little,
Overland Park
Led Shawnee Mission South to 1973 state football title; All-America kicker at Arkansas in '76, '77; tied NCAA record with 67-yard field goal in '77.
|
|---|
| 39 |
Ernie Barrett,
Wellington
All-America guard on Kansas State basketball team that went to 1951 NCAA Finals.
|
|---|
| 40 |
Jim Colbert,
Kansas City
Won eight events on PGA Tour from 1966 to '90; Senior tour player of the year in '95.
|
|---|
| 41 |
Arthur (Dutch) Lonborg,
Horton
Basketball All-America at Kansas in 1919; helped organize first NCAA tournament in '39.
|
|---|
| 42 |
Veryl Switzer,
Bogue
Big Seven indoor long jump champ at Kansas in 1952; All-America halfback in '53; led NFL in punt-return average as Packers rookie in '54.
|
|---|
| 43 |
Gerald Roberts,
Strong City
All-around rodeo world champ in 1942 and '48, North American champ in '50.
|
|---|
| 44 |
Pete Mehringer,
Kinsley
All-Big Six tackle at Kansas in 1932 and '33; won wrestling gold at '32 Olympics.
|
|---|
| 45 |
Ernie Schmidt,
Winfield
Carried Winfield High to state basketball titles in 1927, '28, '29; led Kansas State College (now Pittsburg State) to 47 straight wins from '29 to '32.
|
|---|
| 46 |
Jeff Farrell,
Wichita
Made 1960 Olympic swimming team six days after emergency appendectomy; three weeks later anchored gold-medal-winning teams in 4x100-medley relay and 4x200-freestyle.
|
|---|
| 47 |
Gary Spani,
Manhattan
Two-time All-America linebacker at Kansas State; played with Chiefs from 1978 to '86.
|
|---|
| 48 |
Bullet Joe Rogan,
Kansas City
Negro leagues star on mound and at plate; had 113-45 record, hit .343 and led Kansas City Monarchs to four league titles.
|
|---|
| 49 |
Brian Shay,
Paola
At Emporia State in 1998 became alltime leader in any division in career rushing, career all-purpose yards and career points.
|
|---|
| 50 |
Iva Pembridge Jarvis,
Phillipsburg
Two-time North American trapshooting champ; state champ 12 consecutive years, from 1949 to '60. |
|---|
