Before playing with the Chicago Bears, Nagurski was considered the best football player Minnesota had ever produced after a stellar career in the 1920s at International Falls (Minnesota) High School. Though there are no high school records on Nagurski, he later went on to be an all-American tackle for the University of Minnesota and was named all-NFL three times. The impact of Nagurski on International Falls was aptly demonstrated in 1941 when the school selected its nickname of "Broncos.

Considered to be the best professional golfer of all time, Nicklaus captained the Columbus (Ohio) Upper Arlington High School golf team and led it to 70-1-1 dual-meet record. The team had three undefeated seasons and one state championship. Since then, Nicklaus has won every major championship, including six Masters titles, five PGA championships, four United States Open tournaments and three British Open titles.

Noble led both her Frankfort (Ohio) Adena High School basketball and volleyball teams to Ohio state titles. As a senior, Noble was named the Ohio athlete of the year. She then went on to be an all-American basketball player at the University of Tennessee. Noble played on the 1984 United States Olympic basketball team, and was a standout international basketball player in Italy and Japan.

One of the most enduring and successful amateur athletes of all time, Al Oerter got his start at Floral Park (New York) Sewanhaka High School, where he set a national high school record in the discus that stood for six years. While in high school, Oerter won four winter track shot put championships and four spring track shot put and discus championships. His record toss in 1954 was measured at 184-2¾. Oerter later became the only athlete to win a gold medal at four successive Olympiads.

At Logan (Utah) High School, Olsen was named all-region and all-state in football, and also competed in basketball, swimming, track and riflery. He sang with the choral group, was on the school's debate team and served as a student body officer. He received the Rotary Award as an outstanding student, the Jack Parson Award as the outstanding athlete of Cache Valley and was named to The Sporting News all-America prep football team in 1958. He later was a consensus all-American and Outland Trophy winner in 1961 at Utah State, and then played 15 years with the Los Angeles Rams.

Before his gold medal exploits at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Owens' high school track and field accomplishments also ranked among the best ever. While at Cleveland (Ohio) East Technical High School, he won nine state track titles and established national records in three events; the 100-yard dash (:9.4), 220-yard dash (:20.7), and long jump (24-11). He earned three consecutive state long jump titles (1931-33) and highlighted his prep career by winning the 100, 220 and long jump at the National Interscholastic Championships in Chicago.

Palmer, who is known as one of the greatest golfers of all time, lost only one dual match in his four years at Latrobe (Pennsylvania) Greater Latrobe High School. He won the individual championship title in both 1946 and 1947. Palmer was his high school team's No. 1 player, as well as the No. 1 player on his Wake Forest University team. Palmer won the Masters on four occasions, the US Open once, and the British Open twice.

Prefontaine, who was one of the nation's most dominating track and cross country runners, broke the four-minute mile mark on nine occasions and set 14 American track records. He won two Oregon state cross country championships, as well as three state track championships. Prefontaine was named the Oregon high school athlete of the year in 1969, and continued his running career at the University of Oregon. Tragically killed in an automobile accident at age 24, his life story was told in two movies.

Renfro was an outstanding two-sport star (football, track) at Portland (Oregon) Jefferson High School (1957-60), before his illustrious career with the Dallas Cowboys. Renfro helped the Jefferson football teams win 34 consecutive games, including two state championships and one runner-up finish. He set the Portland Interscholastic League single-game scoring record of 38 points and his season total of 242 points is also a PIL record. In track, Renfro set state records in the long jump (24-1) and low hurdles (18.9) and scored 31 points himself to help Jefferson to the 1960 track title.

Richardson was an all-pro wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins during a 10-year career in the National Football League. Richardson, however, starred at quarterback at Greenville (Mississippi) Coleman High School, leading Coleman to back-to-back state championships. He was also a three-time state champion in track, running the 440- and 880-yard runs.

One of basketball's all-time greats, Robertson is considered by many to be one of the most gifted guards and premier all-around players in the game. He helped Indianapolis (Indiana) Crispus Attucks High School win back-to-back state championships and 62 of 63 games during his final two seasons. Robertson averaged 24 points during his career and had a 62-point outing. Robertson was three-time player of the year at the University of Cincinnati (1958-60), and he played in the NBA for 14 years with Cincinnati and Milwaukee.

Robinson, who is perhaps best-known as the first African-American to play Major League Baseball, also was a four-sport athlete in both high school and college. In track, he and his brother led Pasadena John Muir High School to the 1936 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championship. Robinson also won the 1936 CIF-Southern Section title in the long jump. He was an all-America football player and NCAA long jump champion at UCLA.

Robinson rewrote Montana's track and field record book as he helped Glasgow High School to four consecutive state championships in the early 1960s. In his four-year career, Robinson won the 100-yard dash four times, the 220-yard dash three times, the 180-yard low hurdles three times, the 120-yard high hurdles two times and was a member of three state championship 880-yard relay teams. As a junior, Robinson scored enough points to win the Class A state championship himself.

Romig is one of the best two-sport athletes in Colorado history, gaining headlines as a lineman in football and as a heavyweight wrestler for Denver (Colorado) Lakewood High School. He was an all-state selection in football in his junior and senior seasons (1957, 1958). Following the football seasons in each of those years, Romig was the state heavyweight wrestling champion. Athletics was not his only area of excellence in high school, as Romig was valedictorian of his senior class in 1958.

Ryun, one of the most sensational middle-distance runners in track and field history, became the first high school runner to break the four-minute barrier in the mile. He still owns the national interscholastic record of 3:58.3, which he set his senior year at Wichita (Kansas) East High School while winning the 1965 state championships. A standout collegiate runner at Kansas University, Ryan competed in three Summer Olympic Games (1964, 1968 and 1972).

In four years of high school track competition at Cincinnati (Ohio) Glendale High School, Saunders won 10 individual titles, including the 120-yard high hurdles all four years. In addition to winning four high hurdles titles from 1935 to 1938, Saunders won three 100-yard dash championships, with a best of :10.1; one 220-yard low hurdles title; and the long jump title in 1938. Saunders' 22-6¾ effort in the long jump shattered the state record and the mark remained in the books for 36 years until it was bettered in 1974.

John Smith was one of the top wrestlers in Oklahoma history during his career at Del City High School in the early 1980s. He was undefeated in his junior and senior seasons, winning 56 matches and two state titles. At Oklahoma State, Smith compiled a 154-7-2 record, including a 90-match winning streak that began early in his junior season and ran through his senior year. He won two NCAA wrestling titles and three Big Eight championships. On the international scene, Smith was a six-time world champion in freestyle wrestling, the most by any American. These six world titles included championships at the 1988 and 1992 U.S. Olympic Games.

Long before leading the Green Bay Packers to NFL championships, Starr was named all-city quarterback as a senior at Montgomery (Alabama) Sidney Lanier High School after completing 69 of 122 passes for 1,029 yards. He accounted for 30 points in his final high school game, and in the 1952 Alabama all-star game, Starr completed nine of 10 passes for 163 yards. In the all-America football game in Memphis, Starr led his team to a 35-14 victory.

At Hacienda Heights (California) Wilson High School, Sterkel set eight American high school swimming records. She was named the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section female athlete of the year on two separate occasions. At age 15, she helped the United States 400-meter freestyle relay team take home a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics. She continued her swimming career at the University of Texas where she now coaches.

At Lake City (Florida) Columbia High School, Summerall won all-state honors once in football and twice in basketball, helping his team to the state basketball title in 1947. He also was all-conference twice in both sports. Summerall also won two letters in baseball and was the individual state runner-up in tennis in 1946. He played football and basketball at the University of Arkansas, and played 10 years in the National Football League.

One of baseball's most successful pitchers, Sutton got his start at Gonzalez (Florida) Tate High School, where he excelled as a baseball and basketball player. In his junior season, Sutton pitched his team to the state title with a 13-inning victory in the championship game. A four-year performer in baseball, Sutton twice was named all-county, all-conference and all-state. Sutton pitched in the major leagues for 23 years with five teams and finished his career with more than 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts.

Before Taylor was one of the leading fullbacks in the National Football League, he was a two-sport athlete at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) High School. He was one of few players to ever play in both all-American high school football and basketball games. Taylor perfected the game of football at Louisiana State University before continuing his career with the Green Bay Packers.

Thompson was a three-sport athlete at Roland (Iowa) High School in the early 1950s. In basketball, Thompson was named first-team all-state and first-team all-tournament three consecutive years, and held the state's single-season (835) and career (2,042) scoring records. Thompson also pitched six career no-hitters in baseball and finished with a career batting average of .450, and was a standout golfer. He played both basketball and baseball at Iowa State University.

Vandivier has been called the greatest player in Indiana basketball history. He led his Franklin High School team to an 89-9 record and three consecutive state championships (1920-22). After playing at Franklin (Indiana) College, Vandivier returned to his high school to coach and serve as the athletic director. Vandivier's squads won 14 of 18 sectional tournaments and reached the state tournament once.

Herschel Walker, one of the greatest running backs in football history, finished his high school football career with 6,137 yards and 86 touchdowns at Johnson County High School in Wrightsville, Georgia. In track and field, he was state champion in the 100, 200 and shot put in both his junior and senior seasons. Walker took his talents to the University of Georgia and led the Bulldogs to a 33-3-1 record and a national championship in 1980. He won the 1982 Heisman Trophy as a junior. Walker played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

As a senior at Garfield High School in 1980, Joyce Walker averaged 35.5 points per game on 60 percent field-goal shooting in the regular season, and then led her team to the AAA state championship with a phenomenal tournament performance. In three tournament games, Walker scored 114 points, a 38.0 average, and set a single-game state championship record of 40 points, which still stands today. Walker rewrote LSU and Southeastern Conference girls basketball records. She scored 2,906 points, a 24.8 points-per-game average, in four years at LSU. She played professional basketball in Italy and Germany and was the second woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

As the quarterback in a single-wing offense, Waller recorded some incredible numbers his senior season at Laurel (Delaware) High School: 213 points on 30 touchdowns and 33 PATs in only eight games. His three-year total was 464 points in 22 games. Waller was named all-state running back in 1949 and 1950 by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association. He was named Delaware's outstanding athlete of the year two times; in 1950 following his senior season and 1955 after his rookie, all-pro season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Walton was named player of the year in California and high school all-American following his senior season at La Mesa (California) Helix High School, where he helped his team to a 33-0 record. He grabbed 825 rebounds in the 1969-70 season, which set a state record and ranks third all-time in the National High School Sports Record Book. He averaged 25.0 rebounds per-game and also made 78.3 percent of his field goals as a senior. Walton was a three-time all-American and two-time college player of the year at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to two national titles. He then went on to play 14 years in the NBA, and was named the league's MVP in 1978.

As a junior, Warfield set a Warren (Ohio) Harding High School football scoring record of 92 points as he rushed for a team-high 810 yards and was voted honorable mention all-Ohio. The following year, he scored 93 points to eclipse his mark and led the team with 1,158 rushing yards and three interceptions. As a sophomore, Warfield was the state champion in the long jump, and two years later, he set Harding High School records in the 100-yard dash (9.7), 180-yard low hurdles (18.9, state record time and was state champion), and the long jump (23-9). Each of those marks ranked in the top 10 nationally. Warfield played in the NFL for 13 years and was a member of two Super Bowl Championship teams with the Miami Dolphins.

Watts was an outstanding two-sport star (football, basketball) at Eufaula (Oklahoma) High School from 1973 to 1975. He also lettered in track and baseball. Watts subsequently quarterbacked the University of Oklahoma to consecutive Big Eight Conference Championships and Orange Bowl victories. As a rookie in the Canadian Football League, Watts was named most valuable player of the Grey Cup. He now represents Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives and travels the country as a public speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and various anti-drug campaigns.

At East Bank (West Virginia) High School, West scored 1,553 points in three seasons for a 25.8 per game average. At West Virginia University, West was a two-time all-America selection. West went on to star for the Los Angeles Lakers for 14 years, earning the nickname, "Mr. Clutch." After he retired, West remained with the organization as general manager until the 2002 season, when he became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Although records are not available from his high school playing days, Supreme Court Justice White was easily the best student-athlete in the early 1930s at Wellington (Colorado) High School. White was the quarterback of the 13-member football team that played on rock and gravel fields and led the squad to several victories. He also was a four-year starter on the basketball team and competed in the pole vault among other events in track and field. He had a phenonemal college career at the University of Colorado, leading the nation in rushing in 1937. At Colorado, he obtained the nickname "Whizzer."

Before becoming the first female member of the famed Harlem Globetrotters, Woodard led Wichita (Kansas) North High School to two state titles in three years. As a sophomore, Woodard averaged 25.3 points, followed by marks of 22.3 as a junior and 32.8 as a senior. She scored 1,678 points in three years for a 27.1 average. She also grabbed 1,030 rebounds, a 16.6 per-game average. At the University of Kansas, Woodard scored a then-NCAA record 3,649 career points, and received the Wade Trophy in 1981, which is awarded to the most outstanding female basketball athlete in the United States.

Most people think of UCLA at the mention of John Wooden's name, but those in Indiana recognize Wooden as one of the best players in Indiana high school basketball history. In four years at Martinsville (Indiana) High School, Wooden led his team to the state championship three times, winning the 1927 title and finishing second in 1926 and 1928. He was the team's leading scorer and named to the all-state team his junior and senior seasons. In the book "Hoosier Hysteria," Wooden was named to the all-time Indiana high school all-star team. Wooden was the most successful college basketball coach in history during his 27 years (1948-75) at UCLA. Wooden's UCLA teams won 10 NCAA titles from 1964 to 1975, including an 88-game winning streak.