From the Puget Sound to the Palouse, there have been some iconic college athletes in Washington.
The top of the Pacific Northwest doesn't get as much credit as it should for playing a significant role in the prestige of college sports. Not only has it seen its fair share of incredible play, but some players even set NCAA records during their careers.
The greatest talent across the Evergreen State stretches across several sports, including football, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. Don't think it just applies to the major universities, as the 10 top college stars from the state of Washington come from all five Division I programs, where they became legends before embarking on some very successful professional careers.
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Here's our list of the best of the best:
10 greatest college athletes from Washington
Elgin Baylor, Seattle
Likely the most popular Seattle University athlete for good reason. After transferring from the College of Idaho, Baylor had a stellar first season with Seattle, averaging 29.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game, but the final season was his peak. He averaged with 32.5 points and 19.3 rebounds per game and led the program to its first national championship game with upsets of title contenders San Francisco and Kansas State. Despite losing to Kentucky in the final, Baylor set a tournament record with 135 points and was named most outstanding player. Baylor was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft.
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Steve Emtman, Washington
One of the dominant interior defensive lineman of his era, Emtman was a key piece of Washington being one of the elite college football teams of the early 1990s. As a sophomore, he earned a second-team All-America selection and was co-defensive player of the year in the Pac-10 with the Huskies finishing 10-2 and winning the Rose Bowl. His junior season would be one of the greatest campaigns for a defender. Emtman anchored a defense that allowed just 9.7 points per game, won both the Lombardi and Outland trophies and placed fourth in Heisman Trophy voting as Washington won a share of the 1991 national title. He finished his career with 134 tackles, 14 sacks, and 36 tackles for loss before being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Kelsey Plum, Washington
Breaking several freshmen scoring records in her first year was an indicator of greatness for "Plum Dawg." Plum led Washington to national prominence with its first Final Four trip in 2016 as a No. 7 seed. Her senior season was one for the record books. Plum broke the all-time NCAA scoring record with 3,527 points, thanks to a Pac-12 record 57-point outing in the final game of the regular season. Her 1,109 points in her senior campaign set the NCAA single-season scoring record and she also broke the NCAA career free throw record at 912. She won several national player of the year awards en route to becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft.
Ryan Leaf, Washington State
The pride of Montana, Leaf stayed as a quarterback for Washington State to give the Cougars their greatest season in program history. After a solid sophomore season, he guided Washington State to a 10-2 season in 1997 with the team earning a share of the Pac-10 championship and making its first Rose Bowl appearance since 1930. During the campaign, he threw for 3,968 passing yards and 34 touchdowns including his stats from the bowl game, both school records. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy race, the highest finish for a player in school history, and was selected No. 2 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft.
Adam Morrison, Gonzaga
Gonzaga was continuing to build itself as a basketball contender, and it took a great leap with Morrison becoming a nationally recognized player. He had a fast start to his career, averaging 11.4 points per game and making the West Coast Conference all-freshman team. After honorable mention All-America recognition as a sophomore, Morrison started his junior with big expectations. He lived up to them, leading the country with 28.1 points per game, earning first-team All-America honors and winning the Oscar Robertson Trophy. In his three seasons with the Bulldogs, Morrison had a record of 83-12.
PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12
Bob Houbregs, Washington
Houbregs is one of the standout players in Washington men's basketball history. His junior year in 1953 saw him earn second-team All-America recognition. The following season, he took the Huskies to their first Final Four appearance with a 30-3 record. In the third-place game, he dropped 42 points to become the first player to score at least 40 points in a Final Four game, capping off a run where he averaged 34.8 points in the NCAA Tournament to earn all-tournament team honors. He was named the NCAA player of the year and was a consensus All-American, the first and only Washington men's player to win each honor.
John Olerud, Washington State
Whether it was on the mound or the batter's box, Olerud was a standout for the Cougars. His sophomore season in 1988 when he was national player of the year was sensational. He hit .464 with 23 home runs, 81 runs batted in and and a .876 slugging percentage. On the mound a pitcher, he went 15–0 with a 2.49 ERA and 113 strikeouts, becoming the first player in NCAA history to win 15 games and hit 20 home runs in the same season. His final season for the Cougars was an inspirational one. Before the season, a subarachnoid hemorrhage — a type of brain seizure — and brain aneurysm resulted in him missing the first 28 games. He returned and still hit .359 with five home runs and 30 RBI in the final 27 contests before he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the MLB draft.
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
If you look at the Championship Subdivision records for receivers, you'll see Kupp's name everywhere after a remarkable run at Eastern Washington. He posted 1,000-plus yard seasons in all four campaigns for the Eagles in addition to four consecutive All-American honors. In 2015, he won the Walter Payton Award for best FCS player in the country, the second received to achieve the feat. Eastern Washington won the Big Sky title three times with Kupp. In 52 career games, he set 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 26 schools records. Some astonishing FCS career records include 73 touchdowns, 428 receptions and 124.3 receiving yards per game, but his greatest achievement is the NCAA record of 6,464 yards career receiving yards to finish of one of the best careers for a receiver.
Danielle Lawrie, Washington
The Pac-12 has always been a major force in softball, and even with so many powerhouse programs, Washington broke through thanks to the stellar pitching and hitting of Lawrie. As a sophomore, she was first-team All-American and helped the Huskies to the Women's College World Series. After taking a break in 2008 to play for Canada in the Summer Olympics, Lawrie returned in 2009 with one of the best seasons in program history. She won national player of the year with 42-8 record and powered Washington to its first national championship while being named the WCWS most outstanding player. Her senior season was marked by another first-team All-America selection and return to the WCWS. For her career, she posted a 126-33 record with 1,703 strikeouts and added 32 home runs and 121 RBIs from the plate.
Hope Solo, Washington
Washington was where Solo transitioned from field player to goalkeeper for the women's soccer team. In just her sophomore season, she was named Pac-10 player of the year, the first goalkeeper to win the award. Offenses struggled against Solo, who became a three-time All-American and set the school's all-time record in shutouts (18), saves (325) and goals against average (1.02). It was her impressive run in Seattle where she caught the eye of the U.S. women's national team, and she eventually became of the best international goalkeepers of all-time.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Washington rankings
