Honorable Mentions
- Lance Alworth: Racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards in seven straight seasons with the San Diego Chargers; first AFL player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- James “Cool Papa” Bell: Considered the fastest man to ever play professional baseball; ranked as the 66th greatest baseball player by The Sporting News.
- Ruthie Bolton-Holifield: USA Basketball Women’s Player of the Year in 1991; two-time WNBA All-Star.
- Will Clark: 1985 Golden Spikes Award winner while at Mississippi State; six-time MLB All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
- Charlie Conerly: Finished top four in Heisman voting while at Ole Miss; threw for 19,488 yards and 173 touchdowns in 14 seasons with the New York Giants, breaking multiple franchise records.
- Dizzy Dean: Had a 30-win season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1934; led the National League in strikeouts four straight seasons.
- Dave “Boo” Ferriss: Second most wins in first two MLB seasons with 46; over 600 wins as the head coach at Delta State.
- Ray Guy: First pure punter to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft; widely considered the best punter of all time.
- Frank “Bruiser” Kinard: First Mississippi college football player to receive first-team All-American honors; first player to earn all-league honors in both NFL and AAFC.
- Archie Manning: Passed for over 23,000 yards across 13 years in the NFL; finished top four in the Heisman voting twice while at Ole Miss.
- Eli Manning: Finished third in the Heisman voting while at Ole Miss; led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories.
- Rafael Palmeiro: One of two players to have ever won the SEC Triple Crown; a member of the MLB’s 500-HR, 3,000-hit club.
- Ron Polk: Widely considered the “Father of Southeastern Conference Baseball”; one of three coaches to lead three different programs to the Division I College World Series.
- Calvin Smith: Former world record holder with 9.93 second 100 meter sprint and two-time world track champion in 200 meters; won Olympic gold medal in 4×100 relay in 1984.
- Margaret Wade: Won three consecutive national championships in the AIAW Women’s Basketball Tournament; NCAA women’s player of the year trophy is named after her.
Others that were worth considering: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Lem Barney, Devin Booker, Ralph Boston, Willie Brown, Erick Dampier, Monta Ellis, Jennifer Gillom, L.C. Greenwood, Lusia Harris-Stewart, Jake Gibbs, Mike Kinnison, Wilbert Montgomery, Roy Oswalt, Ray Perkins, Jackie Slater, Johnny Vaught, Willye White, Mo Williams
