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Missouri is home to five Division I programs, although it only has one high-major school.
The University of Missouri, a former Big 12 member and now in the SEC, leads the way with eight players on USA TODAY's top-10 list of best college athletes to play in the state. The state has produced some of the best female athletes in history, too, with four women's standouts making the list.
Eight of the 10 athletes were Missouri products, although Missouri State landed two spots on the list thanks to a pair of all-timers.
Here's a look at USA TODAY's top-10 college athletes that played in Missouri, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States:
One of the most prolific passers in college football history, Chase Daniel passed for over 12,000 yards and 100 touchdowns as a three-year starter at Missouri. Daniel finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was a second-team All-American as a junior in 2007 after passing for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns while completing 68.2% of his passes. He followed that up with a season of 4,335 yard passing with 39 touchdowns. Daniel became a 14-year NFL veteran after college, mostly as a backup.
Jackie Stiles at one point held the NCAA's all-time scoring record in women's basketball, before Kelsey Plum broke Stiles' mark of 3,393 points in 2017. The three-time All-American led the nation in scoring in both 2000 and 2001. Stiles averaged 26.3 points with 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for her career, and led Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) to an upset win over top-seeded Duke in the Sweet 16 in 2001 after scoring 41 points. She won the Honda Sports Award in 2001 as the nation's top women's basketball player, and became the NCAA's first 1,000-point scorer in a single season.
USA 250 LISTS:Alaska | Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri
Missouri's first first-round pick in baseball, Max Scherzer was dominant for the Tigers. He pitched to a 1.87 ERA as a sophomore and a 2.25 mark as a junior before he was selected 11th overall in the 2006 MLB Draft. Scherzer, still pitching to this day, went on to win three Cy Young Awards in MLB, and hods an MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a 9-inning game. He has two no-hitters and is considered an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Kellen Winslow, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, is considered one of the best tight ends in football history. His No. 83 jersey is retired by Missouri after finishing his college career with 71 receptions for 1,089 yards and 10 touchdowns, which were gaudy numbers for a tight end in the 1970s. He was named a consensus All-American as a senior in 1978. The eventual Pro Football of Famer then went on to be a four-time All-Pro for the San Diego Chargers from 1979-87.
Ryan Howard, also known as "the Big Piece," can absolutely rake. The Missouri State Hall of Famer hit 50 home runs with 183 RBIs and a .335 batting average across three seasons from 1999-2001. He was the first player to have his jersey number retired by Missouri State in 2010. He was later drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Phillies, where he blossomed into a National League MVP winner in 2006 while becoming the fastest player in MLB history to hit 100 and 200 home runs in a career.
PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12
Defensive lineman Justin Smith is tied for being the highest-drafted player in Missouri program history after being selected as a first-team All-American his junior season in 2000. The No. 4 overall pick was one of the most-feared pass rushers in college football from 1998-2000, with 19 sacks in his final two seasons, including 11 as a junior. Smith set then-Missouri school records for sacks (11) and tackles for loss (24) in a season, both of which were achieved in 2000. A freshman All-American in 1998 and a two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick, Smith went on to become a four-time All-Pro with the San Francisco 49ers, and earning five Pro Bowl trips.
Karissa Schweizer became the first female track athlete to win an individual national championship in program history when she won 5000 meter indoor national championship in 2017. It was the first of her five individual NCAA titles, also winning the 5000 meter outdoor championship in 2017, before repeating as the champion in both events in 2018, along with a 3000 meter national title. Schweizer went on to compete at both the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics for the United States, although she didn't medal.
Wrestler Ben Askren finished his final two seasons at Missouri with a perfect 87-0 record, winning back-to-back national titles at 174 pounds, along with back-to-back Dan Hodge Trophy wins, the Heisman Trophy of college wrestling. He finished his career with 91 pins, the third-most in NCAA history, and with a dominant 153-8 career record. He also finished runner-up at the NCAA championships as a freshman and sophomore in 2004 and 2005. He competed at the 2008 Olympics before pursuing an MMA career.
A three-time national champion, J'Den Cox finished his career at Missouri with a wildly impressive 136-5 all-time record at 197 pounds. He and Askren are the only multi-time national title winners in program history for wrestling. The Columbia native, went on to win the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics before winning gold at the World Championships in 2018 and 2019. He retired in 2024.
Chelsea Thomas was a three-time conference pitcher of the year at Missouri, winning the award in back-to-back Big 12 seasons in 2011 and 2012 before winning the honor again as an SEC member in 2013. Thomas ranks in the top-10 in NCAA history in both no-hitters (11) and perfect games (3), and also holds Missouri records for wins and strikeouts. She ended her career with a 1.22 all-time ERA, along with 1,174 strikeouts in 925 innings. Thomas is also a part of an NCAA-record pitching duel against Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts, when the duo combined for 33 strikeouts in Missouri's 2011 defeat of the Sooners. Thomas had 17 strikeouts in the win.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: The 10 best college athletes in Missouri history ranked
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The University of Missouri, a former Big 12 member and now in the SEC, leads the way with eight players on USA TODAY's top-10 list of best college athletes to play in the state. The state has produced some of the best female athletes in history, too, with four women's standouts making the list.
Eight of the 10 athletes were Missouri products, although Missouri State landed two spots on the list thanks to a pair of all-timers.
Here's a look at USA TODAY's top-10 college athletes that played in Missouri, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States:
10 greatest college athletes from Missouri
Chase Daniel, Missouri
One of the most prolific passers in college football history, Chase Daniel passed for over 12,000 yards and 100 touchdowns as a three-year starter at Missouri. Daniel finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was a second-team All-American as a junior in 2007 after passing for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns while completing 68.2% of his passes. He followed that up with a season of 4,335 yard passing with 39 touchdowns. Daniel became a 14-year NFL veteran after college, mostly as a backup.
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Jackie Stiles, Missouri State
Jackie Stiles at one point held the NCAA's all-time scoring record in women's basketball, before Kelsey Plum broke Stiles' mark of 3,393 points in 2017. The three-time All-American led the nation in scoring in both 2000 and 2001. Stiles averaged 26.3 points with 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for her career, and led Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) to an upset win over top-seeded Duke in the Sweet 16 in 2001 after scoring 41 points. She won the Honda Sports Award in 2001 as the nation's top women's basketball player, and became the NCAA's first 1,000-point scorer in a single season.
USA 250 LISTS:Alaska | Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri
Max Scherzer, Missouri
Missouri's first first-round pick in baseball, Max Scherzer was dominant for the Tigers. He pitched to a 1.87 ERA as a sophomore and a 2.25 mark as a junior before he was selected 11th overall in the 2006 MLB Draft. Scherzer, still pitching to this day, went on to win three Cy Young Awards in MLB, and hods an MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a 9-inning game. He has two no-hitters and is considered an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Kellen Winslow, Missouri
Kellen Winslow, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, is considered one of the best tight ends in football history. His No. 83 jersey is retired by Missouri after finishing his college career with 71 receptions for 1,089 yards and 10 touchdowns, which were gaudy numbers for a tight end in the 1970s. He was named a consensus All-American as a senior in 1978. The eventual Pro Football of Famer then went on to be a four-time All-Pro for the San Diego Chargers from 1979-87.
Ryan Howard, Missouri State
Ryan Howard, also known as "the Big Piece," can absolutely rake. The Missouri State Hall of Famer hit 50 home runs with 183 RBIs and a .335 batting average across three seasons from 1999-2001. He was the first player to have his jersey number retired by Missouri State in 2010. He was later drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Phillies, where he blossomed into a National League MVP winner in 2006 while becoming the fastest player in MLB history to hit 100 and 200 home runs in a career.
PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12
Justin Smith, Missouri
Defensive lineman Justin Smith is tied for being the highest-drafted player in Missouri program history after being selected as a first-team All-American his junior season in 2000. The No. 4 overall pick was one of the most-feared pass rushers in college football from 1998-2000, with 19 sacks in his final two seasons, including 11 as a junior. Smith set then-Missouri school records for sacks (11) and tackles for loss (24) in a season, both of which were achieved in 2000. A freshman All-American in 1998 and a two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick, Smith went on to become a four-time All-Pro with the San Francisco 49ers, and earning five Pro Bowl trips.
Karissa Schweizer, Missouri
Karissa Schweizer became the first female track athlete to win an individual national championship in program history when she won 5000 meter indoor national championship in 2017. It was the first of her five individual NCAA titles, also winning the 5000 meter outdoor championship in 2017, before repeating as the champion in both events in 2018, along with a 3000 meter national title. Schweizer went on to compete at both the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics for the United States, although she didn't medal.
Ben Askren, Missouri
Wrestler Ben Askren finished his final two seasons at Missouri with a perfect 87-0 record, winning back-to-back national titles at 174 pounds, along with back-to-back Dan Hodge Trophy wins, the Heisman Trophy of college wrestling. He finished his career with 91 pins, the third-most in NCAA history, and with a dominant 153-8 career record. He also finished runner-up at the NCAA championships as a freshman and sophomore in 2004 and 2005. He competed at the 2008 Olympics before pursuing an MMA career.
J'Den Cox, Missouri
A three-time national champion, J'Den Cox finished his career at Missouri with a wildly impressive 136-5 all-time record at 197 pounds. He and Askren are the only multi-time national title winners in program history for wrestling. The Columbia native, went on to win the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics before winning gold at the World Championships in 2018 and 2019. He retired in 2024.
Chelsea Thomas, Missouri
Chelsea Thomas was a three-time conference pitcher of the year at Missouri, winning the award in back-to-back Big 12 seasons in 2011 and 2012 before winning the honor again as an SEC member in 2013. Thomas ranks in the top-10 in NCAA history in both no-hitters (11) and perfect games (3), and also holds Missouri records for wins and strikeouts. She ended her career with a 1.22 all-time ERA, along with 1,174 strikeouts in 925 innings. Thomas is also a part of an NCAA-record pitching duel against Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts, when the duo combined for 33 strikeouts in Missouri's 2011 defeat of the Sooners. Thomas had 17 strikeouts in the win.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: The 10 best college athletes in Missouri history ranked
Continue reading...
