Ohio has produced some amazing athletes, from Cy Young (yes the guy the award is named after), Jack Nicklaus and Jerry Lucas to Archie Griffin, Pete Rose and Charles Woodson. These are just a sampling of the legends who were born in our great state. So who are the current superstars from Ohio? Here are the top 20 Ohio athletes currently (as of the date of this post) wearing professional jerseys or representing the United States at the Olympics. Feel free to submit more athletes or correct/update any of my rankings.
- Jared Sullinger (Columbus)
@Jared_Sully0
Hailing from Columbus, Sullinger is one of the best basketball players to come out of Columbus since Michael Redd. While he recently has been playing for the Shenzen Leopards due to injury issues, Jared has shown flashes of greatness for both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.
- J. T. Miller (East Palestine)
The New York Ranger had a breakout season in 2015-16 and looks to be an impact player in the NHL. Miller recently scored the game winning goal in overtime in the 2018 Winter Classic. J.T. was born in Ohio but later moved around during high school to Pittsburgh and then Ann Arbor.
- Trey Burke (Columbus)
@TreyBurke
Ohio Mr. Basketball in 2011 and current New York Knick, Trey was part of a Northland Vikings team that won the state championship in 2009 with teammate Jared Sullinger. At Michigan Burke was the Big Ten player of the year in 2013.
- Kyle Schwarber (Middletown)
@kschwarb12
The Chicago Cub outfielder/catcher has worked his way into the starting rotation and made a significant impact in the 2016 World Series. Kyle’s uncle Thomas Schwarber played college baseball as a pitcher at Ohio State.
- Will Trapp (Gahanna)
@wil_trapp
Will is a product of the Crew’s development system and Division 1 State Champion. Trapp is an alumnus of the University of Akron and recently has earned himself a spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team and
- Kyle Juszczyk (Medina)
@JuiceCheck44
Kyle has made himself a valuable asset as a run blocker and Swiss Army Knife. The Harvard grad has quietly helped fellow Ohioan Carlos Hyde continue to have success desipte a serious talent defeciency at QB.
- Jim Herman (Cincinnati)
@gohermie
The best active golfer born in Ohio, Jim won his first PGA Tour victory at the Shell Houston Open. Jim is one of the excellent athletes from Saint Xavier high school in Cincinnati.
- Mike Nugent (Centerville)
@MikeNugent85
NUUUUUUUUGEEE!!!!! The Ohio State and NFL Kicker broke 22 records while at OSU and has completed 81 pecent of all field goals in his 12 year career as a pro.
- Kayla Harrison (Middletown)
@Judo_Kayla
The two-time Gold Medalist grew up in Middletown outside of Cincinnati and moved to Boston to train after high school. In 2016 the United States Judo Association promoted Kayla to rokudan, Judo’s equivalent to a 6th degree black belt, and became the youngest person to ever reach this rank.
- Ted Ginn Jr. (Cleveland)
@TedGinnJr_19
The speedy Ginn Jr. helped lead the buckeyes to the National championship game in 2007 where he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Ginn has made a nice 10 year career for himself in the NFL as his speed and solid rout-running are welcome on any NFL roster.
- Matt Prater (Mayfield Heights)
@MattPrater_5
The 2x pro bowler has made his home with the Broncos and is now with the Lions. Prater also holds the record for longest field goal at 64 yards.
- Carlos Hyde (Cincinnati)
@elguapo
Teammate to fellow Ohioan Kyle Juszczyk, Hyde has carved out for himself a role as a bruising and yet also shifty running back for the 49ers. Hyde grew up in Cincinnati and then moved to Naples Florida in high school only to return years later to Ohio as a buckeye.
- Travis Kelce (Westlake)
@tkelce
This UC grad and Westlake born star TE has become a force for the Chiefs and his playful nature almost earned him his own reality show
- James Harrison (Akron)
@jharrison9292
There is a reason this future hall of fame LB was picked up off of the waiver wire and it was evident in the AFC championship game where his presence in the Jaguars backfield made a significant impact. James Harrison was born in Akron and played college ball at Kent State and has played at a high level for 15 years.
- Aqib Talib (Cleveland)
@AqibTalib21
This Cleveland loose cannon (literally) is more known for his roots in Texas but this native born Ohioan has accounted for 5 Pro Bowls and is a Super Bowl champion. Talib seems to be getting better with age and at 31 he is an integral part of the Broncos “No Fly Zone”.
- Luke Keuchly (Cincinnati)
@LukeKuechly
The St. X legend led his high school team to a perfect 15-0 record in 2007 and helped his Carolina Panthers reach Super Bowl 50 with an almost perfect regular season record of 15-1. Luke has dominated the line of scrimmage with his speed and nose for the football and continues to be the focal point of a perennially competitive defense. There remains little doubt that barring injury we will see this Cincinnati product end up in Canton.
- Le’Veon Bell (Reynoldsburg)
@L_Bell26
Le’Veon’s patient, downhill running style has helped him to carve out a spot as a top 5 running back in the NFL year after year. A Reynoldsburg native and Michigan State standout, Bell has helped carry his Pittsburgh Steelers to 4 consecutive playoff berthigh school while earning a trip to the Pro Bowl 3 times.
- Steph Curry (Akron)
@StephenCurry30
If North Carolina is going to claim they are first in flight, I am going to claim Steph as an Ohioan. He was born in Akron while his dad Dell was playing for the Cavaliers and later moved to Charlotte when his dad was selected in the Hornet’s expansion draft. He is much like the Wright Brothers, a product of Ohio that was realized in the Tar Heel state. Steph lit the 2008 Tournament on fire as a sophmore with his 30 point performance against 7th seeded Gonzaga. Since entering the NBA Steph has begun to set various shooting records and is considered a top 5 player in the NBA
- Ben Roethlisberger (Lima)
@_BigBen7
One can’t mention excellent sporting Ohioans without Ben Roethlisberger being a serious part of the conversation. The 2x Superbowl champion evokes mixed emotions as the Miami University alum has torched Bengals and Browns defenses for over a decade while being the pride of the Redhawks and source of delight to Steelers fans in Ohio(more on this in later articles). While some may critique Big Ben’s character, there is little to critique on the field and he remains a top 10 QB well into his 14th season. Big Ben has stated he is returing for the 2018 season, so enjoy this Ohio Legend while you can.
- Lebron James (Akron)
@KingJames
Any List about athletes from Ohio will forever be topped by #23. Akron’s star basketball player is not only an Ohio star but a global one. Easily in the top 5 greatest players of all time (top 2 if you are partial to Lebron and maybe even #1 if you want to fight people on social media). Lebron’s career includes:
- 3x NBA champion
- 3x NBA finals MVP
- 14x NBA All-Star (Ties Michael Jordan as of 2018)
- 3x gold medalist
- More here
While people may not consider him the best NBA player of all time he definitely deserves the title of finest active Ohio athlete.