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There are at least 100 athletes deserving of recognition when considering the best players produced by colleges in the state of Florida. However, our list only allows for 10, making the process of elimination as difficult as any state when you evaluate the achievements of those men and women across multiple disciplines.
Florida, Florida State and Miami — the three biggest athletic programs in the state — have produced eight Heisman Trophy winners. Only two were able to make our top 10. Those three schools have also combined for 11 football national championships, meaning several of the sport's biggest names could not be included.
Those schools have also produced national champions in other major sports worthy of inclusion. And that's before you get to the 11 other Division I institutions in the state. To pare the list down, a high bar was set for selection: Just being an All-American or national champion wasn't enough. There had to be greater impact in your sport, with preference given to two-sport athletes.
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It wasn't easy, but we go there in the end with a list sure to generate disappointment for those who were excluded.
10 greatest college athletes from Florida
Charlie Ward, Florida State
Ward was a dominant quarterback while moonlighting as a guard for the Seminoles basketball team during his time in Tallahassee. He would lead Florida State to its first college football national title and win the Heisman Trophy in 1993. On the hardcourt, he managed to scored 740 points in 91 games across four seasons played (after his football season was complete). Ward would opt for a professional basketball career after going undrafted in the NFL, spending 11 seasons in the NBA.
Deion Sanders, Florida State
Simply being one of the great defensive backs of his era would be enough for Sanders to merit consideration. However, he was also significant player for the Seminoles baseball team that reached the College World Series and ran track for one season. But it was the gridiron where Sanders shined the most. A two-time unanimous All-American, he won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988, finishing his career with 14 interceptions. He was also one of the nation's best return men, finishing with a school-record 1,429 yards on punt returns with three touchdowns and leading the nation in return average as a senior.
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Ed Reed, Miami
The best of many standout defensive backs for the Hurricanes, Reed patrolled the back of the defense from his safety position and made plays all over the field. He finished his career with 21 interceptions, including 17 in his final two seasons, when he was twice a consensus All-American. The Hurricanes would go unbeaten in 2001 and win a national title. But Reed wasn't only a football player: He also threw the javelin and was Big East champion in 1999.
Tim Tebow, Florida
After serving as an important backup in Florida's national title campaign in 2006, Tebow would have one of the great college seasons for a quarterback as a sophomore. He threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns and ran for 895 yards and 23 scores on his way to the 2007 Heisman Trophy. The following season was just as productive as he led the Gators to a national title and finished third in the Heisman race. Tebow finished his four-year career with 9,285 passing yards and 88 touchdowns and totaled 2,947 rushing yards and 57 scores.
Tracy Caulkins, Florida
Caulkins made an immediate impact with the Gators women's swimming team, leading them to a national championship as a freshman in 1982. Florida would finish second the following year and third in 1984, as Caulkins won 12 individual and four relay national titles. She received 21 All-America honors and won the Honda Award winner for swimming and diving in each of those three seasons before turning professional after the 1984 Olympics.
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Rick Barry, Miami
Barry only played 77 games across a college career that spanned three seasons in the 1960s. In that time, he scored 2,298 points, including a senior campaign where he led the national in scoring with 37.4 points per game and was a first-team All-American. Barry selected No. 2 in the NBA draft in 1965 and would be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame after his professional career.
Pat Burrell, Miami
Burrell turned down professional baseball career after being drafted in high school and had a dominant college career. He made history as the first freshman to lead the nation in hitting with a .484 average along with 23 home runs. Burrell would be named the College World Series most valuable player that season, despite the Hurricanes losing the title game. Two more trips to the CWS and two more All-America honors would follow. Burrell would finish his career as a winner of the Golden Spikes Award and a .442 batting average with 61 home runs.
Bob Hayes, Florida A&M
Hayes was a two-sport athlete who dominated on the track and also was a standout football player. During his time at Florida A&M, Hayes never lost a 100-yard or 100-meter competition in college. He competed in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, winning gold in the 100-meter dash by tying the world record of 10.06 seconds. He later won another gold by anchoring the 4x100 relay. Hayes gave up track to play in NFL, where he would become the only person to win a gold medal and Super Bowl, when the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl VI.
Bridget Sloan, Florida
Sloan won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. gymnastics team in 2008 and later was world all-around champion in 2009 — before starting her college career. She would lead the Gators to three consecutive team national championships between 2013-15, winning two all-around titles and twice winning event titles on balance beam and uneven bars.
Jaelin Howell, Florida State
One of the most decorated women's soccer players in college history, Howell is one of six women to win the Hermann Award, given to the best player in the country, multiple times. The midfielder was a four-year starter and led the Seminoles to national titles in 2018 and 2021 while winning the Honda Award during her senior season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Florida
