Five most dominant high school athletes in Illinois history

The greatest high school athletes from Illinois include four Hall of Famers and a woman who has been voted as the best athlete of the 20th century.

Red Grange, Wheaton-Warrenville South, 1922
Grange was one of the first great high school football players in the country, scoring 75 touchdowns and 532 points in his career. He led Wheaton to an undefeated season as a junior and one loss as a senior. He was also a state champion in track in four different events over the course of three years. He played at the University of Illinois, where he ran for 3,362 yards and 31 touchdowns over three years earning consensus All-American in 1923, 1924 and 1925. He played nine seasons in the NFL and was twice All-Pro and named to the 1920s All-Decade Team.

Otto Graham, Waukegan, 1939
A two-sport star in high school, Graham was first team All-State in basketball as a junior and third team All-State in football as a senior. He likely would have been first team All-State in basketball as a senior, but he graduated mid-year to attend Northwestern. There, he was a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1943 on the football team. He also played basketball at Colgate when he was stationed in New York during the war. He also played professional basketball in the NBL, a forerunner of the NBA, and won a national championship with the Rochester Royals in 1946. He then joined the Cleveland Browns and led them to three NFL championships and four AAFC championships. He was first team All-Pro four times and was a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary Team. He is a member of the College and NFL Football Halls of Fame.

Dick Butkus, Chicago Vocational (Chicago), 1961
A two-time All-American in high school, Butkus was recognized as one of the top fullbacks and linebackers in the nation. He continued to excel at Illinois, where he played exclusively on the defensive side of the ball and was a two-time consensus All-American and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 1963. He joined the Chicago Bears in 1965 as the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. He played in eight Pro Bowls and was six times first team All-Pro. He was a member of both the 1960s and 1970s NFL All-Decade Teams. He is on the NFL 75th Anniversary Team and is in the NFL and College Football Halls of Fame.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, East St. Louis, 1980
Voted the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time by Sports Illustrated for Women, Joyner-Kersee participated in four Olympic Games and won three gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals while competing in the heptathlon and long jump. In high school, Joyner-Kersee led Lincoln (East St. Louis) to a 31-0 record and a 2A state championship as a senior. She averaged 20 points per game and was an All-State selection. In track and field, she was a three-time national pentathlon age-group champion. She also finished eighth in the long jump at the Olympic qualifying meet as a senior in high school. She played basketball four years at UCLA and ran track, taking time out to run in the 1984 Olympics and finish with the silver medal in the heptathlon. In 1998, she was voted the Top Woman Collegiate Athlete of the Past 25 Years by the NCAA. She still holds the world record in the heptathlon.

Isiah Thomas, St. Joseph (Westchester), 1979
One of the greatest point guards in NBA history, Thomas began his basketball career as an All-American guard for Gene Pingatore at St. Joseph. He helped lead St. Joseph to the state finals as a junior and was a Parade All-American as a senior. As a sophomore at Indiana, Thomas led the Hoosiers to an NCAA championship. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1981 draft by the Detroit Pistons. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star and three times first team All-Pro. He also led the Pistons to NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. He was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Also considered: George Mikan, Joliet Catholic, basketball; Ray Nitschke, Proviso, football; Jimmy Connors, Lou Boudreau, Thornton, baseball, basketball; Mark Aguirre, Westinghouse, basketball; Kellen Winslow, East St. Louis, football; Kirby Puckett, Calumet, baseball; Dan Issel, Batavia, basketball; Robin Roberts, Lanphier, baseball, basketball, football; Johnny Lattner, Fenwick, football; Quinn Buckner, Thornridge, basketball, football.