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When you think of Kansas, corn fields, "The Wizard of Oz," tornadoes, and great college campuses are a few things that might come to mind. However, these aren't the only great things to come from the state. Sports (especially basketball) are taken seriously in Kansas. Thanks to the success of teams like the Kansas Jayhawks, kids grow up playing basketball and imagining they'll someday make game-winning shots to win championships.
It's not just the players who come from Kansas, either. It's also the coaches. Arguably two of the top five greatest coaches in the history of college basketball, Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, were born in the Sunflower State. While Basketball is beloved in Kansas, other sports have their time to shine there as well.
Even though they play in Missouri, the Kansas City Chiefs are beloved in Kansas. Athletes like Barry Sanders and Gale Sayers were born in Kansas before going on to have some of the greatest careers in the history of football. NBA players like Christian Braun and Dean Wade were inspired by both Kansas and Kansas State to pursue basketball starting college.
Because Kansas's only professional sports team is Sporting Kansas City, the way young athletes look up to college players is often how they decide what sport to play – and who to eventually play for. For more sports content, click here to read about the most memorable baseball quotes.
To compile this list of sports stars from Kansas, 24/7 Tempo consulted sports-related sources. These include ESPN, NBA.com, and NFL.com.
Gale Sayers
- Sport: Football
- Position: Running Back
- Hometown: Wichita
The NFL is filled with running backs who last one or two seasons without leaving their mark. Gale Sayers wasn't like most running backs, though. The former Chicago Bear played from 1965 to 1971. During his career, he had six touchdowns in one game. He's still tied with Alvin Kamara and Dub Jones for the most touchdowns by one player in one game in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but before all that, was born in Wichita, Kansas.
Barry Sanders
- Sport: Football
- Position: Running Back
- Hometown: Wichita
Another running back who lives in the minds of football fans around the world is Barry Sanders. The Wichita, Kansas native is a former Oklahoma State Cowboy and Detroit Lion. He became famous for his quick feet around defenders. While he never was able to reach the mountain top of winning a Super Bowl, Sanders is widely regarded as a top-five running back in history. He's in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Dean Wade
- Sport: Basketball
- Position: Power Forward
- Hometown: Wichita
Dean Wade took his talents to Manhattan, Kansas to play college basketball at Kansas State after growing up in Wichita. He had a great four-year career in college but somehow went undrafted in the NBA. However, that didn't deter Wade. He put in the work and has proven to be a reliable NBA player over the last five years. All five years have been with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His story reminds people that it's not about where you get drafted, but how hard you work in your profession.
Adolph Rupp
- Sport: Basketball
- Position: Coach
- Hometown: Halstead
For most, being a college basketball coach means instability. Not for Adolph Rupp, though. He was the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats for 41 years. During that time, he won four National Championships, a total of 876 games, and has the second-highest winning percentage of any coach in history.
The Kentucky Wildcats honored Rupp by naming the arena after him. He also played a pivotal role in bringing African-Americans to Kentucky to play basketball. He was originally born in Halstead, Kansas.
Ron Baker
- Sport: Basketball
- Position: Guard
- Hometown: Hays
Most young boys growing up in Kansas dream of playing for the Jayhawks one day. Ron Baker was just like most other boys. However, the Jayhawks didn't see him as part of their future. Instead, Baker was forced to play at Wichita State. Things have a funny way of working out, though.
Baker was a huge reason the Shockers went on a memorable run to the 2013 Final Four. After that, Baker played professionally for the New York Knicks. Not bad for a kid from the small town of Hays, Kansas.
Christian Braun
- Sport: Basketball
- Position: Guard
- Hometown: Burlington
Winning is the goal for any athlete. Few have had the prolonged success that Christian Braun has. In high school, he won three state championships. He followed that up by winning the National Championship with the Kansas Jayhawks and the NBA Finals with the Denver Nuggets in back-to-back years.
He played big minutes as a rookie, showing that the big moments don't faze him in the slightest. Only in year two, Braun has already carved out a role for himself in the NBA.
Brad Ziegler
- Sport: Baseball
- Position: Pitcher
- Hometown: Pratt
Professional baseball is used to having "specialists" in the bullpen. These are pitchers who are known for doing one thing and one thing well. Brad Ziegler was that pitcher for a decade in the MLB.
His sidearm delivery meant he was giving up velocity, but had pinpoint accuracy. He was at one point a closer, which is the player whose task is to get the last three outs of a game. Ziegler's reputation states that he's great pitcher, and odds are, he'll uphold that reputation for a long time.
Dean Smith
- Sport: Basketball
- Position: Coach
- Hometown: Emporia
Adolph Rupp isn't the only great college basketball coach to be born in Kansas. Dean Smith brought the North Carolina Tar Heels two National Championships and eleven Final Fours during his legendary career.
He grew up in Emporia, Kansas, and majored in math at the University of Kansas. Smith is also the namesake of the arena the Tar Heels currently play. He finished his career with 879 wins, which was the most at the time of his retirement.
Walter Johnson
- Sport: Baseball
- Position: Pitcher
- Hometown: Humboldt
Being a first-ballot Hall of Famer in baseball can be challenging to do, but Walter Johnson can say he did. One of the other highlights of Johnson's career is pitching a no-hitter. This is when one pitcher throws an entire game without allowing the other team to get a hit.
Each year, there are around two or three of these. That might seem like a lot, but it's rare and should be celebrated whenever it happens. Johnson also became a manager once his playing days were finished up.
Kyle Farnsworth
- Sport: Baseball
- Position: Pitcher
- Hometown: Wichita
Lasting 15 years in professional baseball is hard to do. Even though he's thought of as a journeyman, Kyle Farnsworth made it happen. During his career, Farnsworth became known as a reliable arm on the mound. Baseball isn't the only passion Farnsworth has, though.
When he retired, Farnsworth attempted to pursue a career as a minor league football player and has now entered bodybuilding competitions. For more sports content, click here to read about the most popular teams from Tennessee.