# Best college players from the other sport **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 20, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155 "2012-01-20T18:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/1 "2012-01-20T18:19:21Z")
Who is the best player to play the opposite sport, between football and basketball, at a college, based on the sport the school is known for? Examples I can think of: Lawrence Taylor Johnny Unitas Gale Sayers Glenn Rice John Havlicek Rick Barry ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/2 "2012-01-20T18:26:17Z")
Troy Aikman Kevin Durant Howie Long Shaquille O’Neal ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/3 "2012-01-20T18:29:57Z")
You folks want to include the school they came from so we don’t have to look up dozens of names? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/4 "2012-01-20T18:32:41Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Troy Aikman > Kevin Durant > Howie Long > Shaquille O’Neal UCLA Texas Villanova LSU ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/5 "2012-01-20T18:41:02Z")
You didn’t ask about baseball…but Bo Jackson from Auburn would fit and not fit. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/6 "2012-01-20T18:49:31Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You didn’t ask about baseball…but Bo Jackson from Auburn would fit and not fit. I didn’t include baseball, and hockey for that matter, because players are almost as likely to have not attended college as do. BTW, Howie was another name I thought of. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/7 "2012-01-20T18:51:22Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Who is the best player to play the opposite sport, between football and basketball, at a college, based on the sport the school is known for? Examples I can think of: > > Lawrence Taylor > Johnny Unitas > Gale Sayers > Glenn Rice > John Havlicek > Rick Barry For **Munch** : UNC Kansas Michigan Ohio St Miami-FL ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/8 "2012-01-20T18:54:12Z")
Robert Horry - Alabama Jim Brown - Syracuse Chauncey Billips - Colorado ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/9 "2012-01-20T19:04:45Z")
Some of these don’t make much sense. LSU had a pretty good basketball team even before Shaq, and their football team at the time was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/10 "2012-01-20T20:06:59Z")
**Best Football Players from "Basketball Schools"** Sonny Jurgensen Pete Pihos (you’ve probably never heard of him, but he’s a Hall of Famer) Gale Sayers or John Riggins (tie) George Blanda Johnny Unitas Randy White Randall Cunningham Lawrence Taylor Jim Brown Don Maynard Troy Aikman ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/11 "2012-01-20T20:15:19Z")
Add a few: Tony Canadeo & Max Krause (neither is famous, but both are Pro Football Hall of Famers) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/12 "2012-01-20T20:24:48Z")
**Great Basketball Players From "Football Schools"** Charles Barkley - Auburn Adrian Dantley - Notre Dame ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/13 "2012-01-20T20:26:50Z")
Brad VanPelt of Michigan State. who played football (All Pro), basketball and baseball. He came out of college before free agency. He was in the enviable position of having the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants bidding for his services. There were a number of great players who starred in football and baseball. Probably a much longer list. After Bo, the first I’d add is Alan Page of Notre Dame. You can add to the original list of football and basketball, but far down on it as to greatness, Charlie Ward of Florida State. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/14 "2012-01-20T20:41:50Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > You can add to the original list of football and basketball, but far down on it as to greatness, Charlie Ward of Florida State. Nah, Sam Cassell was better, at least in overall career - I didn’t follow closely enough to say who was better in cbb. Harold Minor - USC Eddie House - Arizona State Randall Cunningham - UNLV Jimmer Fredette - BYU ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/15 "2012-01-20T21:01:03Z")
Nebraska: Eric Piatk… Nope, I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/16 "2012-01-20T21:17:02Z")
Is Blake Griffin the best NBA player ever from from the Univ. of Okalahoma? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/17 "2012-01-20T21:26:41Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Is Blake Griffin the best NBA player ever from from the Univ. of Okalahoma? [The other candidates would probably be Waymon Tisdale, Gar Heard, Alvan Adams, and if you’re a fan of grunge or the Atlanta Hawks, Mookie Blaylock.](http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.cgi?college=oklahoma) ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/18 "2012-01-20T21:39:36Z")
Jim Brown Ernie Davis Larry Csonka Floyd Little Joe Morris Donovan McNabb or conversely Carmelo Anthony Derrick Coleman Dave Bing Rony Seikaly John Wallace (depending on if you see Syracuse University as a football school or basektball school ) or Jim Brown (again) Paul Gait Gary Gait Casey Powell Ryan Powell Mike Powell Pat McCabe (Syracuse may be best known as a lacrosse school) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/19 "2012-01-20T22:53:14Z")
**Furious** -Many people consider Brown the greatest lacrosse player of all time. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155/20 "2012-01-20T23:44:02Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > **Furious** -Many people consider Brown the greatest lacrosse player of all time. Indeed, he also was on the SU basketball and track teams, excelling at both. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-college-players-from-the-other-sport/610155.md?page=2)