There’s more to the Empire State than the Big Apple. That’s especially true of New York’s wide variety of institutions of higher learning.
In the current college athletes landscape, power conferences like the ACC and Big East are represented in the state. Then there are a couple of Ivy League locales, and the state is also home to a slew of other schools from Long Island to the Finger Lakes to Buffalo and beyond. And we must also not forget the United States Military Academy with its unique pageantry and tradition.
That made for some difficult choices and significant omissions when compiling the best college athletes in the state of New York.
10 greatest college athletes from New York
Jim Brown, Syracuse
No name is more synonymous with Syracuse football, although Brown also moonlighted for the Orange lacrosse
team during his time on campus in the mid 1950’s. To illustrate just how dominant he was on the gridiron, he set a school record that still stands in his final home game against Colgate by scoring 43 points, kicking seven PATs in addition to six touchdowns.
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Doc Blanchard, Army
Army’s first Heisman winner, Mr. Inside to Glen Davis’s Mr. Outside scored 38 touchdowns from 1944-46. But he wasn't only a running back for the Black Knights. Blanchard was the team's placekicker and punter and also played linebacker while helping Army to a 27-0-1 record and three national titles during his varsity three seasons.
Bob Lanier, St. Bonaventure
The eight-time NBA all-star center played his college ball at St. Bonaventure, close to his Buffalo area roots. In an era where freshmen were ineligible, Lanier was a second-team All-American as a sophomore, leading the Bonnies to an unbeaten regular season before a loss to North Carolina in the 1968 NCAA Tournament. As a senior, he was a first-team All-American but was injured in the game that sent St. Bonaventure to the Final Four. The Bonnies lost in the semifinals and third-place game without him. He averaged 27.5 points and 15.7 rebounds over his career.
Gary Gait, Syracuse
No other player revolutionized the modern game of lacrosse more than Gait, whose athleticism and acrobatics ushered in the Syracuse dynasty in the late 1980’s. Teaming up with twin brother Paul for the Orange, he scored 192 goals leading team to three consecutive national championships from 1988-90. A three-time first-team All-American, Gait was player of the year in 1988 and 1990.
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Chris Mullin, St. John's
One of the brightest stars of the golden age of Big East basketball, Mullin was a prolific scorer with a deadly left-hand shot. He took his hometown St. John’s squad to the 1985 Final Four. During that senior campaign the sharp-shooting guard put up 19.8 points a game and was named league player of the year for a third time. He remains the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,440 points.
Ernie Davis, Syracuse
Syracuse’s first Heisman winner, the first African-American so honored, tragically had his career and life cut short by Leukemia. But he broke many of Jim Brown’s rushing records while leading the Orange to an undefeated season and national championship in 1959 and claimed the sport’s top individual award in 1961.
Eamon McEneaney, Cornell
With 92 career goals and 164 assists over three All-America seasons, McEneaney helped put Cornell lacrosse on the map while leading the Big Red to back-to-back men's lacrosse national championships in 1976 and 1977. A 1992 inductee in the sport’s national hall of fame, he sadly was a victim of the World Trade Center terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.
Jamie Lee Rattray, Clarkson
The Patty Kazmaier Award winner led Clarkson to its first national title in women’s ice hockey in 2014. She notched 77 goals and 104 assists over her career with the Golden Knights before helping Team Canada to Olympic gold in the 2022 Beijing games.
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
He spent just one year at Syracuse, but a season like that merits ‘Melo’ a place on this list. The national freshman of the year and the 2003 NCAA Tournament's most outstanding player averaged 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds in leading the Orange to their first national championship.
Kyle Dake, Cornell
Dake became just the third wrestler to win four individual national titles and the first to achieve the feat in four different weight classes, starting at 141 pounds before winning at 149, 157 and 165. Following his final season, he was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy for the nation's top wrestler and finished his career with a 137-4 record with victories in his final 77 matches.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: The 10 greatest college athletes from New York
