The GOATs of College Sports

When you’re looking around and seeing the term GOAT, you might be thinking of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, The Williams sisters, or Michael Phelps, all names that equate to greatness in their fields. When looking at many athletes who go into the records as the Greatest Of All Time, it's easy to forget many of them started in college before joining professional leagues. Here’s a list of some of the athletes who still are considered the GOAT in college sports, names that are synonymous with the sports they played.

Hockey: Chris Drury

Drury helped win the 1995 title for Boston University as a freshman, then went on to be the Hockey East Defensive Player of the year three times. He went All-America twice and won the Hobey Baker Award in 1998 as national player of the year. Following those achievements, Drury went professional and is now an executive in the NHL. 

Football: Doug Flutie

A beloved professional football all-time great is Doug Flutie. While his records have been surpassed, his notoriety and fame persevere amongst sports historians. With 3,454 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in his final season, Flutie earned All-American honors and Boston College’s first Heisman Trophy. By the end of his college career, he had set NCAA I-A records for passing and total yards in offense. 

Basketball: Lew Alcindor

Lew Alcindor helped his team win over UCLA as a freshman team. In his first game at Pauley Pavillion, he earned 31 points and 21 rebounds. Over his college career, he went varsity and won the national title, and won the Naismith Player of the year in 1969. While in the league, the NCAA outlawed dunking due to his abilities and court prominence.

Basketball: Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner lead her college team, The Bears, to the national title as a junior before being drafted into the WNBA. While in college, she was All-America three times and the Naismith Player of the Year twice, solidifying herself as a name to be forever remembered in women’s basketball history.

Wrestling: Dan Gable

As a collegiate wrestler, Dan Gable went virtually undefeated with a 118-1 record, with his only loss being the finals in the NCAA 1970. We won two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal two years later. He later went on to be the head coach of Iowa for 21 years. In those years, Iowa went to 15 nationals, 9 of which were in a row. 

Baseball: Lou Gehrig

Before starting at Columbia, Gehrig had already been on a professional team. He was allowed to start with a one-year penalty suspension. In his second year, he hit a .444 and was Columbia’s best pitcher, striking out 17 players in a singular game while also playing on Columbia’s football team. Following his collegiate career, Gehrig went on to play 17 solid seasons, only retiring due to his illness. 

Track: Sally Kipyego

Kipyego won seven junior college national titles across track and cross country at South Plains College before transferring to Texas Tech. He won three national titles between 2006 and 2008, as well as six titles in distance and indoor/outdoor track. Afterward, Kipyego took silver in 10,000 meters for the London Olympics. 

The list of athletes that could be considered the GOAT in their sports in college for their era is extensive because new records are being made all the time. That being said, these names have withstood the test of time despite some of them having their records broken or tied. These are players who changed the game for their teams and leagues.