Athletic Alumni Threesomes

This post is inspired by a local sports talk radio host somewhere in “The Swamp” country of North Florida. While driving through the area, I listened to an interesting show talking about which college has the best trio of athletic alumni. Before continuing with my thoughts on this topic both regionally (Kentuckiana) and nationally, some ground rules. The rankings are based on both collegiate and professional careers (sorry Tim Couch), advantage is given to trios representing three different sports, athletes from any sport are eligible, and all eras are taken into consideration (with people closer to my generation getting the benefit of the doubt).

We’ll start with the local schools, beginning, of course, with my Hoosiers. After careful perusal of the thousands and thousands of fabulous athletes from Indiana University, I narrowed the list to two definite choices and numerous question marks. Isiah Lord Thomas III (1979-1981). Before ruining both the CBA and the New York Knicks, Thomas was one of the best point guards that ever played. Zeke's resume includes an NCAA championship and Tournament MOP award (’81), two NBA championships (’89, ’90), 12 NBA All-Star games, selection as one of the greatest 50 NBA players of all time (’96), and induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame (’00).

Mark Spitz (1968-72). While not an athlete in a mainstream sport, Spitz is arguably the best swimmer of all-time. His performance in the 1972 Munich Games is one of the greatest individual Olympic performances ever, winning seven gold medals, winning gold in every individual event he entered, and setting new world records in each. All told, Spitz won nine Olympic gold medals, 8 individual NCAA titles, broke 33 world records, and was named World Swimmer of the Year on three occasions.

This is where I thought things would begin to go downhill for Indiana’s list. Trent Green and Antwan Randle El actually become possibilities, and that is not a good thing. The school has an incredible soccer program, but on the world stage none of them have accomplished much. So, we head back to basketball, where Steve Alford, George McGinnis, and Alan Henderson are all options. However, then I was reminded of Calbert Cheaney (1989-1993). Except for not winning a title, there are few with better individual college resumes. In his final three seasons at IU, the Hoosiers went 87-16. He averaged 19.8 points per game for his career and is the Big Ten’s All-Time leading scorer. A three-time All-American, Cheaney won all 12 National Player of the Year awards in 1992-93 after averaging 22.4 ppg and leading IU to a 31-4 record and the number one national ranking. A solid NBA career went downhill after season five, but the lefty still averaged 9.5 points per game in 13 seasons.

Moving on to UK, not surprisingly, you find a list of athletic alums dominated by basketball players. However, in my mind the most famous UK alum is George Blanda (1945-48). The quarterback/placekicker holds or held NFL records for most seasons played (26), most PATs made and attempted, and most points in NFL history (now broken), and holds the distinctions of being the oldest player to play in an NFL game and the only player to play in four decades. Blanda was also elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (’81).

From here you turn to basketball and Jamal Mashburn (1990-93). Monster Mash was an incredible college player with the Wildcats, with a career average of 18.8 ppg. He helped UK to the Final Four as a junior, averaging 21.0 ppg while being named a First-Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year. Mashburn left early for the NBA and was drafted fourth by the Mavericks. An NBA All-Star on one occasion, he had a stellar but somewhat injury-plagued 12-year NBA career. Mashburn averaged 19.1 point per game in the NBA, and is one of only six players to have averaged over 20 points per game in his final NBA season.


Like Indiana, Kentucky struggles to pull a third athlete from anywhere other than the hardwood. Maybe one day J.B. Holmes, but for now we look at basketball. Alex “point shavin” Groza, Keith Bogans, Kenny “Sky” Walker, and Tony Delk are all options, but all-time leading scorer Dan Issel (1966-70) rounds out the trio. Issel was a two-time All-American at UK with a career scoring average of 25.7 points per game. He led the ABA in scoring as a rookie for the Kentucky Colonels. Issel was named First-Team All-ABA and All-Star Game MVP in 1972, and in 1975 led the Colonels to the ABA title. Issel also spent 10 seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets and accumulated over 27,000 points in his ABA and NBA careers combined.

Like Indiana and Kentucky, Louisville’s athletic history is also dominated by men’s basketball. However, the most accomplished Cardinal athlete of all-time is Johnny Unitas (1951-54), one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. Despite this claim, Unitas did not have a lot of success while at Louisville. In his four seasons, Louisville went through major roster cuts and struggled to a 12-23 record. Unitas’ greatness came in the professional ranks, where he was a three-time MVP in the NFL. He holds the record for most consecutive games with a TD pass (47), won four NFL championships, and was voted the league’s all-time best player when the NFL celebrated its first 50 years.

Heading to the hardwood, Wes Unseld (1965-68) and Darrell Griffith (1976-80) both earn spots in UL’s best trio. Unseld is the lone Louisville player in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. A Seneca High School grad, Unseld averaged 20.6 points and 18.9 rebounds per game in three years. Unseld had an even better pro career with the Bullets. In his rookie season of 1968-69, Unseld became only the second player ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Unseld won an NBA championship and was named Finals MVP in 1978. One of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, Unseld was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.

Griffith, aka “Dr. Dunkenstein,” led the Cardinals to the NCAA Championship in 1980. Griffith was named the Wooden Player of the Year and a consensus All-American that season as UL went 33-3. Griffith left Louisville as the all-time leading scorer (2,333 points, 18.5 ppg). He averaged 16.2 points per game in 10 seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, who retired his number in 1993. In his first season with the Jazz in 1981, Griffith was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

My top trios
1. UCLA - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jackie Robinson, Troy Aikman (also have Arthur Ashe, Bill Walton, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee to name a few)
2. Stanford - Tiger Woods, John Elway, John McEnroe
3. Ohio State – Jessie Owens, Jack Nicklaus, John Havlicek
4. UNC – Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Mia Hamm
5. Texas – Roger Clemens, Earl Campbell, Ben Crenshaw
6. Arizona State - Barry Bonds, Phil Mickelson, Reggie Jackson
7. Houston – Carl Lewis, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler
8. USC - Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson, Mark McGwire
9. Syracuse - Jim Brown, Dave Bing, Larry Csonka
10. Tennessee - Peyton Manning, Bernard King, Reggie White
11. Wake Forest - Arnold Palmer, Tim Duncan, Chris Paul

Other trios
All-Jailhouse: West Virginia - Adam "Pacman" Jones, Bengals' Chris Henry, Bob Huggins
All-Small School: Louisiana Tech - Karl Malone, Terry Bradshaw, NFL Hall of Famer Fred Dean
All-Busts: Utah - Andrew Bogut, Alex Smith, Keith Van Horn
All-Centre College - Coy Zerhusen, Joe Conley, Jed Hilbert

Okay, now add your own threesomes from a different school or tell me why you think mine are wrong...Whose trio do you think is the best among the three local schools? My vote is for Zeke, Spitz, and Calbert of course.