USA250: The 10 greatest college athletes from Texas ranked

Nairavoice | Jul 30, 2026 1h ago 131 0 6 min read

USA250: The 10 greatest college athletes from Texas ranked

The state of Texas is not only one of the biggest states in the country, but also one of the most talent-rich areas. It’s also home to 25 Division I schools, which is one fewer than California for the most in the country.

Texas is also home to huge public universities like the University of Texas and Texas A&M, two of the richest athletic programs in college sports that also happen to be fierce rivals. Other schools like Baylor and Houston have all experienced the highest highs of college sports.

With a long list of schools, especially ones with illustrious pasts in sports, landing on the 10 best college athletes in the state’s history wasn’t easy, and certainly resulted in some all-time players being left out. The list features Heisman Trophy winners, all-time greats and players that were equally as important culturally as they were on the field.

Here’s a look at USA TODAY’s 10 best college athletes from Texas, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary:

Carl Lewis needs no introduction, as he’s one of the most decorated Olympic athletes in history. Lewis still owns Houston records in the indoor 55-meter dash and both indoor and outdoor long jump records. He won six national championships and was a six-time All-American for the Cougars before capturing a whopping 10 Olympic medals, nine of which were gold with four at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. He’s one of six athletes to win a gold medal in the same individual event (long jump) in four consecutive Olympics. Lewis has been the track and field head coach at his alma mater since 2022.

Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is one of the greatest centers in basketball history, and he got his start at Houston. He redshirted as a true freshman and was a part-time starter his first year playing, but then emerged as a dominant force near the rim. As a junior in 1983-84, he averaged 16.8 points with 13.5 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game, earning first-team All-America honors. The 7-foot center led the Cougars to runner-up finishes in both 1983 and 1984 before going No. 1 overall in the 1984 NBA Draft.

One of the dominant pitchers of his eras, Clemens had a 25-7 record and was a two-time All-American in his two standout seasons with the Longhorns. He started with a 12-2 record with 1.99 ERA and helped Texas to the College World Series in 1982. The following season, Clemens posted 13-5 record with 3.04 ERA and was the winning pitcher when the Longhorns defeated Alabama to win the national title.

One of the most physically imposing forwards in college basketball history, Baylor’s Britney Griner led the Lady Bears to one of the best men’s or women’s seasons ever in 2012, which ended with a national championship and a perfect 40-0 season. The 6-foot-9 center won back-to-back national player of the year awards in 2012-13, was a four-time All-American and a three-time national defensive player of the year winner while breaking the NCAA single-season shot-blocking record with 223 as a true freshman.

Texas is home to Cat Osterman, one of the greatest softball pitcher ever. The three-time USA Softball Player of the Year at Texas was dominant, ending her career in 2006 with a 0.51 ERA with 20 no-hitters. She also has the NCAA record for strikeout ratio per seven innings at 14.35, and is the only three-time national player of the year. She’s also the only player in NCAA history to lead the country in ERA three different times, doing so in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12

Young narrowly missed out on college football’s top individual award, but had one of the most impressive runs to a national championship. The Heisman runner-up to Reggie Bush in 2005 got the last laugh, though, as his last-second touchdown scramble gave the Longhorns the national title over Bush and Southern California. In that junior campaign, Young was a unanimous All-American and the first player to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. He ended his career with 6,040 passing yards and 44 passing touchdowns, along with 3,127 rushing yards and 37 additional scores.

Olympic star Michael Johnson won four Olympic gold medals, but first won five national championships as a sprinter at Baylor. He won the indoor 200-meter in 1989 before winning the event again in both indoor and outdoor in 1990. His other two national titles came in the 4×400 relay in both indoors and outdoors in 1990. He’s the only male to win both the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash in the same Olympics.

Ricky Williams starred at Texas from 1995-98 and finished his career as one of the most prolific running backs in college football history, winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior. He ran for a then-record 6,279 yards for his career, which now ranks third all-time behind Donnel Pumphrey and Ron Dayne, who broke his record a season later in 1999. Williams also scored 75 total touchdowns, and rushed for an NCAA-leading 2,124 yards with 28 total scores as a senior. Williams wasn’t just an all-time running back, either. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and played four seasons of minor-league baseball while in college.

Equally as dominant on the field as he was controversial off the field, former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will never be forgotten. He became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012, and led the Aggies to an improbable upset win over No. 1 Alabama on the road. He finished his two seasons as a starter with 7,820 passing yards and 63 passing touchdowns to 22 interceptions, while rushing for 2,169 yards with 30 more scores.

LaDainian Tomlinson is one of the best running backs of his generation, and his two seasons as TCU’s full-time starter from 1999-2000 were remarkable. LT ran for 2,158 yards with 22 rushing yards as a senior in 2000, finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting before being selected No. 5 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. The All-American ended his career with 5,263 rushing yards and 54 rushing scores and led the country in rushing his final two seasons with the Horned Frogs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: The 10 greatest college athletes from Texas ranked

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