The Tucson sports stars Arizona let get away | Greg Hansen

It happened quickly, didn't it? I remember going to a Salpointe spring scrimmage in May 2017 when then-Lancers coach Dennis Bene told me that Robinson, a freshman, could someday be an NFL player. I quickly asked, "is Arizona recruiting him?''

Bene pointed to three men standing at the 50-yard line, scouting the scrimmage.

"Those are all Arizona State coaches,'' said Bene.

I asked where Arizona's Rich Rodriguez and his staff were.

"Haven't seen much of them,'' said Bene, shaking his head.

By the time Robinson declared he would play for the Texas Longhorns in August 2019, RichRod had been fired and his replacement, Kevin Sumlin, did little to prevent Robinson, who broke the Arizona state prep record with 7,036 rushing yards, from ignoring his hometown school. He became a consensus All-American at Texas and has already rushed for 3,910 yards and caught passes for 1,738 yards in just three NFL seasons. No wonder he just signed a three-year contract worth a reported $67 million.

My question is this: Is Bijan Robinson the best Tucson prep athlete to get away from the UA and play elsewhere as a collegian? It's a close call. Here's my Top 10, which includes Robinson, in no particular order from 1950-2026.

– Michael Thompson, Rincon/University: After he helped Rincon win the 2002 state team championship, Thompson enrolled at Tulane. Arizona did not recruit him. He later transferred to Alabama, where he won the SEC championship and became a consensus All-American. He finished No. 2 in the U.S. Amateur and qualified for the PGA Tour. He has won two PGA Tour events and finished second in the U.S. Open.

– Fat Lever, Pueblo: After leading the Warriors to the 1977 and 1978 state basketball championships, Lever signed with ASU. Arizona coach Fred Snowden employed an ill-fated "hard to get'' recruiting game with Lever, who led the Sun Devils to back-to-back records of 22-7 and 24-4 and became a two-time NBA All-Star with the Denver Nuggets.

– Caitlin Leverenz, Sahuaro: Once she debuted as an elite recruit in her early teens, Leverenz wasn't shy to say she was looking to swim somewhere out of state, bypassing NCAA powerhouse Arizona. At Cal, Leverenz was an absolute star, winning six NCAA championships and being named the 2012 Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year. She won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.

– Jim Grabb, Tucson: The state's top tennis player at THS, Grabb enrolled at national power Stanford, where he was a five-time All-American and helped Stanford win the 1986 NCAA title. As a pro, he won the 1989 French Open and the 1992 U.S. Open in doubles, and won 23 career titles as a pro.

– Mario Bates, Amphitheater: Rather than follow his famous brother Michael Bates to the UA, Mario often said he wanted a path of his own. He chose ASU over Arizona. He led the Pac-10 in rushing (1,162 yards) in 1993, a second-round NFL draft pick who gained 3,048 yards in seven years. At Amphi, Bates was the state's best prep player in 1989.

– Pat Flood, Tucson: After leading the Badgers to a 12-0 state championship season in 1952, Flood was offered scholarships by two then-Top 10 powers, Navy and Notre Dame. He initially played at Notre Dame but then transferred to Navy, where he shared the QB job in 1956 and 1957 on teams that went a combined 15-2-3.

– Tairia Mims, Salpointe: One of the leading Tucson prep softball players in history, Mims chose to play at Arizona's bitter rival, UCLA, where from 2000-03 she became an All-American and helped the Bruins win the 2003 NCAA championship. She then played for Arizona coach Mike Candrea, helping the United States win the 2004 Olympic gold medal.

– Riki Ellison, Amphi: After leading Amphi to the 1975 state football championship, Ellison accepted a scholarship to USC over hometown Arizona. A linebacker with speed and size, Ellison went on to play on three Super Bowl championship teams and also helped the Trojans win the 1978 national championship.

– Kelly Walbert, Salpointe: A two-time All-State soccer player at Salpointe, Walbert chose to attend Duke when Arizona's soccer program was in its infancy. She was a three-time All-American at Duke, the 1995 ACC Player of the Year, inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2016. She still holds the Duke season record of 18 goals.

That's my list of those who got away. The waiting list includes Tucson High football lineman Bill Dawson, who chose Michigan State in 1966 and Sybil Dosty, probably the city's top girls’ basketball player in history, who instead signed with national power Tennessee 20-plus years ago and later transferred to ASU.

But perhaps the best Tucson prep athlete ever who got away was gymnast Kerri Strug, who attended Green Fields Country Day School before moving to Houston to train with Olympic coaching legend Bela Karolyi, a move that culminated in Strug helping the United States win an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She completed her education at UCLA and Stanford.