Louisiana
USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Louisiana
Trump says soaring college football costs are hitting sports
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (March 6) said the soaring cost of paying for football at colleges was harming school sports in general and the problem would need to be addressed by legislation, adding he might sign an executive order about it.
Sports are taken seriously in the state of Louisiana, and from the towns in north to the bayou, there has been plenty of greatness at the college level to prove it.
You can look almost everywhere in Louisiana to find the best of the best. Football is the primary sport in the sate, but don’t forget the impact college basketball has had, as well as some Olympic contributors.
Of the 12 Division I schools in the state, LSU gets all of the attention, but don’t forget about the other programs throughout the parishes that have churned out legends in their respective sports.
That’s what makes it tough to determine the 10 greatest college athletes from Louisiana, as some deserving stars will be left out, making it a decorated list to represent the Pelican State.
10 greatest college athletes from Louisiana
Joe Burrow, LSU
This isn’t a case of recency bias: Burrow put together one of the greatest college football seasons of all time. After a strong 10-3 in his first season in 2018, the 2019 campaign with the Tigers was epic. LSU went 15-0 and won the national championship in dominant fashion. Burrow set the world on fire, throwing for 5,671 yards with 60 touchdowns and only six interceptions. If there was a record, good chance he broke it. He set several school, SEC and NCAA marks, notably the NCAA single-season record for TD passes (60) and total touchdowns (65). His season was so dominant, he won the Heisman Trophy by the largest margin in history, and he took home numerous other awards, a season few other quarterbacks could compete with.
Pete Maravich, LSU
It didn’t take long for “Pistol Pete” to put his name on the map. Maravich dropped 48 points in his first game and in game No. 7, broke the SEC record with 58. The definition of a certified bucket, Maravich couldn’t be stopped in his three seasons with the Tigers. He averaged more than 40 points each campaign, finishing his senior season with a mark 44.2 points (NCAA record), 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. A two-time national player of the year, three-time All-American and SEC player of the year, Maravich shattered career records including most points in men’s college basketball history (3,667), as well as first, second and third all-time in scoring average in a season (44.5, 44.2, 43.8), most 50 point games (28) and most field goals (1,387). One can only imagine if freshmen were allowed to play varsity and if there was a 3-point line how many more records he’d have.
USA 250 LISTS: Alaska | Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland
Shaquille O’Neal, LSU
At 7-foot-1, “Diesel” dominated everything in his path. In 1991, he led the nation in rebounds per game (14.7) and was the first player in history to lead the SEC in scoring, rebounding field-goal percentage and blocked shots in the same season, en route to being the Rupp Award winner as the national player of the year. His junior season he was the top shot blocker (5.2) in the country — the third consecutive season he broke the SEC record in blocks — and was the runner-up for the Naismith National Player of the Year. O’Neal cruised to becoming a two-time SEC player of the year and All-American, and powered LSU to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons before he was the first LSU men’s basketball player to be selected as the first overall pick in the NBA draft.
Billy Cannon, LSU
From Baton Rogue, Cannon ran all over college football with LSU. In his first season in 1957, he was a versatile playmaker that played both sides of the ball. The following campaign, he became the star running back as he ran for 686 yards on 115 attempts with a team-high 11 touchdowns. LSU was named the national champions, and in the Sugar Bowl, was responsible for all the points in the 7-0 win over Clemson by throwing for a touchdown and kicking the extra point. The 1959 campaign, Cannon did it all. He had 598 rushing yards on 139 carries, 11 catches for 161 yards, while also handling the returning man duties, and racking up four interceptions on defense. That season was highlighted by his sensational punt return touchdown on Halloween against Mississippi, and he was named the Heisman Trophy winner to cap off an all-around performance in his career.
Doug Williams, Grambling
Coach Eddie Robinson had several greats in his program, but Williams rises to the top. In his freshman season, he led the Tigers to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championships, the first of three Grambling would win with him under center as part of three Black college football national championships. His best season came as a senior in 1977; he led the nation in touchdowns passes (38) and passing yards (3,286). He was named an All-American and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy race, all while being named Black player of the year twice. The history didn’t stop in Grambling, as he led Washington to the Super Bowl 22 title in 1988, and became the first Black quarterback to win the NFL title and be named Super Bowl MVP.
PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12
Teresa Weatherspoon, Louisiana Tech
One of the earliest successful Cinderella runs in women’s basketball came from Louisiana Tech, and one of the best players during the era was Weatherspoon. She made contributions to the 1985 and 1986 teams that made the Elite Eight, but stepped up her game her junior season, averaging 9.4 points and 8.2 assists per game in 1987, leading the Lady Techsters to the national championship game. The production continued into her senior season, and she capped off her career by leading Louisiana Tech to the 1988 national championship. In addition to the title, she was won the Wade Trophy as the top player in the country, and got her second all-Final Four team selection, finishing her career the school leader in career assists (958) and career steals (411).
Seimone Augustus, LSU
LSU’s rise to the top of women’s basketball began with Augustus. In her sophomore season, she led the Lady Tigers to their first Final Four trip by averaging 19.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The following campaign got even better, when she got LSU back to the Final Four and was named the national player of the year. Her senior season in 2005-06 again saw Augustus named national player of the year by averaging a career-high 22.7 points per game and taking LSU to its third Final Four in row. By the time Augustus was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, she went down as arguably the greatest player in program history.
Todd Walker, LSU
An LSU baseball legend, Walker was a force in the three seasons he was in Baton Rouge. He started his career by becoming the first LSU freshman to hit .400, and he also had 12 home runs and 76 RBI, which earned him LSU’s first national freshman of the year award. In his sophomore season, he was the SEC player of the year as he led LSU to the 1993 national championship, where he was named the most outstanding player of the College World Series. In 1994, he hit .393 with18 home runs and 68 RBI to get LSU back to Omaha. By the time he went to MLB, the two-time All-American had a college career batting average of .396 in college and was the SEC’s all-time leader in hits (310), runs (234), RBI (246) and total bases (557).
Paul Skenes, LSU
One season was all Skenes needed to assert his place in LSU lore. In 2023, he was nearly untouchable, becoming one of the most feared pitchers in the game. The Tigers went 54-17, and cruised to the College World Series, where they won the national championship. Skenes was named the most outstanding player of the CWS after he went 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings. With a 13-2 record and 1.69 ERA, Skenes finished the season the nation’s leader in strikeouts (209), strikeouts per nine innings (15.33) and WHIP (0.75), as well as second in ERA. He won the Dick Howser Trophy as the top Division I player broke the SEC single-season record in strikeout, all leading to him being the top overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Lolo Jones, LSU track and field
The start of an Olympic career began in Baton Rogue for Jones, who continued the excellence in track and field for LSU. Whether it was outdoor or indoor, Jones was winning. In 2003, she won the 60-meter hurdles and was part of the winning 4×100-meter team at the 2003 NCAA outdoor championships, helping LSU sweep the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships. The success continued in 2004, as she played a big role in another indoor national championship for LSU, and again won a title as a member of the 4×100-meter team at the 2004 NCAA outdoor championships. In total, Jones was an 11-time All-American and three-time national championship, and it wasn’t long afterward she made a name for herself representing the U.S. at both the summer and winter games.
The LSU Tigers improved to 2-0 with a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. The score may not reflect it, but the Bulldogs hung around, forcing three Sam Leavitt interceptions in the first half, including a 100-yard pick-six.
The Tigers pulled ahead in the second half, but Saturday’s win wasn’t as convincing as the season opener against Clemson. However, LSU’s defense showed up, creating takeaways and pressuring Louisiana Tech quarterback Blake Baker.
Lane Kiffin made one decision that paid off in a big way in LSU’s win over LA Tech.
Kiffin Gave Trey’Dez Green the Ball
Kiffin overhauled the wide receiver room this offseason, but the most intriguing pass-catcher is returning tight end Trey’Dez Green. The 6’7″ tight end had a solid season last year, and expectations were high for Green to perform at a high level.
Green was relatively quiet in the season opener, catching four passes for 58 yards. But he bounced back in Week 2, leading the Tigers’ offense. Green finished with six catches, 104 yards, and a touchdown.
Leavitt deserves credit for finding Green more frequently, but the junior tight end played a bigger role in the offense’s plans. Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. moved Green around. He thrived in the slot, where he ran multiple “in” routes and picked up plenty of yards after the catch.
Green also did a nice job as a blocker and handled two carries for seven yards. Kiffin has one of the best receiving weapons in the country and there was a clear desire to utilize him more on Saturday. Green is embracing whatever the coaching staff asks him to do.
“I just try to be there for my team, like when they put me in at the running back position,” Green said. “Whatever the coach needs me to do, whatever my team needs to do, I’m going to do whatever to help this team win.”
Kiffin certainly noticed his efforts. He spoke about his role on the team and the importance of Green’s number seven to LSU.
“That was awesome. Now that I understand the seven and what those guys talk about, it’s when you need a play, and the old sevens tell the new sevens when they talk to them, ‘That’s what it’s for,’ Kiffin said. “And there are going to be games that are rough, and things aren’t going well, and you got to find a way. And that’s what he did, just breaking through tacklers on big third downs like that. As I was watching, I was thinking that’s exactly what they talk about the number. It was really cool.”
Green will be an important player for the Tigers, and Saturday’s performance against Louisiana Tech may have only scratched the surface.
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