Photograph courtesy Xavier University
Julie Isphording
TRACK AND FIELD
1980s–1990s
After graduating from Ursuline Academy, Isphording played tennis at Xavier and ran with the men’s cross country team (XU didn’t have a women’s program yet). She skipped graduation to run in the U.S. Olympic women’s marathon trials and qualified for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. She didn’t finish the race due to injury, but Isphording would later win the L.A. Marathon and finish as the top American woman at the Boston Marathon.
Photograph courtesy The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana
Betsy Jochum
BASEBALL
1943–1948
When this 5-foot-7 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League outfielder would head to the plate, fans behind the South Bend Blue Sox dugout yelled, “Sockum, Jochum!” No surprise her .296 batting average led the league in 1944. When overhand pitching was allowed in 1948, she became a pitcher, with a 1.51 ERA and a 14–13 record with 215 innings pitched. Born and raised in Cincinnati, she played on the same softball team as Dorothy Kamenshek. The last surviving original AAGPBL player, Jochum died in May at age 104.
Bob Johnson
FOOTBALL
1963–1979
An All-American center at Tennessee, Johnson was the first draft pick by the brand new Bengals franchise, No. 2 overall, in the 1968 NFL Draft. His rookie season resulted in the only Pro Bowl of his career, though he started for Cincinnati all 12 of his NFL seasons and was the last original Bengal to retire. His No. 54 is the only uniform number the team has retired.
Photograph courtesy The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana
Dorothy Kamenshek
BASEBALL
1943–1953
The Norwood native was one of the 60 original members of the All- American Girls Professional Baseball League and played her entire 10-season career with the Rockford Peaches. Unlike Dottie Hinson in A League of Their Own, a character she’s said to have inspired, Kamenshek played first base. A seven-time All-Star, she led the league in batting in 1946 (.316) and 1947 (.306). Her 1,090 hits are a league record, and she struck out only 81 times in 3,736 at-bats.
Photograph courtesy Xavier University
Thrine Kane
SHOOTING
2000–2003
The eight-time All-American at Xavier helped guide the women’s rifle team to the highest finish in school history her freshman year: second place at the 2000 NCAA Championships. She eventually led the squad to four consecutive Final Four appearances and another second-place finish in 2003. At 19, Kane was selected to the U.S. Olympic shooting team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Bryn Kehoe
VOLLEYBALL
2001–2013
Kehoe was a two-time Ohio Division I Player of the Year at St. Ursula and led the Bulldogs to state championships in 2001 and 2003. She started all four years at Stanford University, winning the National Championship her freshman season and becoming a three-time All-American. She played for the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team and Team USA, then played professionally for three seasons in Switzerland.
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Ted Kluszewski
BASEBALL
1947–1961
Big Klu was famous for his muscled bare arms when the Reds wore uniform vests, and he could swat the ball. He was a four-time All-Star during his 11 seasons with the Reds, leading the National League in home runs and RBI in 1954, when he finished second in MVP voting. He’s a member of the Reds Hall of Fame, and the franchise retired his No. 18.
Luke Kuechly
FOOTBALL
2005–2019
Before his junior year at St. X, coaches decided to move Kuechly from tight end to linebacker, and the Bombers won the 2007 state championship. After three seasons at Boston College (two All-American selections), he was the No. 9 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Panthers and immediately made a name for himself, winning Rookie of the Year in 2012 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He was a seven-time Pro-Bowl selection before retiring at age 28 due to injuries.
Photograph by Sporting News via Getty Images
Barry Larkin
BASEBALL
1980–2004
A hometown hero, Larkin starred at Moeller and led Michigan to two College World Series berths before being drafted No. 4 overall in 1985 by the Reds. Over a 19-year career in Cincinnati, he was a National League MVP (1995), 12-time All-Star, and three-time Gold Glove winner. Most importantly, he led the Reds to the 1990 wire-to-wire World Series championship, the city’s last major sports title. Larkin is an MLB Hall of Famer and member of the Reds Hall of Fame, and the franchise retired his No. 11.
Photograph courtesy Xavier University
Byron Larkin
BASKETBALL
1982–1988
Barry’s brother was a multi-sport star at Moeller before playing basketball at Xavier, where he graduated as the most decorated player in school history. He was the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year in 1986 and 1988 and led XU in scoring all four years. Larkin remains the school’s all-time leading scorer, and he became the first XU player to have his jersey number retired.
Photograph by Sipa USA/AP photo
Rose Lavelle
SOCCER
2009–PRESENT
The Mt. Notre Dame graduate was a four-year starter at the University of Wisconsin and was named All-American in 2015. She was selected No. 1 overall by the Boston Breakers in the 2017 NWSL College Draft and currently plays for Gotham FC. She scored three goals in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which the U.S. won, and played for the U.S. at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2023 World Cup, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Jared Lorenzen
FOOTBALL
1996–2007
Kentucky’s 1998 Mr. Football led Highlands High School to a state championship and made his mark at the University of Kentucky, where his 10,354 passing yards are still a UK record. Fast and agile despite his 300-plus-pound size, he made improbable throws and presented a down-home persona to fans. Undrafted in 2004, he signed with the New York Giants, backing up Eli Manning during the team’s run to Super Bowl XLII victory. In 2019, hospitalized with an infection and heart and kidney issues, Lorenzen died at the age of 38.
Jerry Lucas
BASKETBALL
1955–1973
An All-American high school player in Middletown, Lucas won the National Championship at Ohio State in 1960 and the gold medal at that year’s Rome Olympics. Taken No. 6 overall by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1962 NBA Draft, he won Rookie of the Year and would be a seven-time All-Star over 11 professional seasons. He played his final three years for the New York Knicks, leading them to the NBA title in 1973. Lucas is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kenyon Martin
BASKETBALL
1996–2015
The NCAA Player of the Year his senior season at No. 1 ranked UC, Martin broke his leg in the conference tournament and missed the 2000 NCAA Tournament. (The Bearcats lost in the second round.) He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Nets in the 2000 NBA Draft and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Martin was an All-Star in 2004 and played 15 NBA seasons for five different teams.
Photograph courtesy Xavier University
Doug Matthews
TENNIS
2003–PRESENT
A state doubles champion at Kings High School, Matthews became the most decorated men’s tennis player in Xavier history, leading the Muskies to Atlantic 10 Conference championships and their first-ever NCAA Tournament berths in 2008 and 2009. He’s second all-time at XU in total wins with a 150–99 career record. Matthews is currently the director of tennis at Xavier.
Jason Maxiell
BASKETBALL
2001–2015
A three-year starter at UC, Maxiell earned All-Conference USA second team honors in both his junior and senior years. As a senior in 2004–05, he led the conference in blocked shots and ranked 18th in the nation. He played 129 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Bearcats history. Maxiell was picked No. 26 overall by the Pistons in the 2005 NBA Draft and played 10 years for them and two other teams.
Heather Mitts
SOCCER
1993–2013
After leading St. Ursula to the 1993 state soccer championship, Mitts won a National Championship in 1999 at the University of Florida. She played for the U.S. women’s U-21 and senior national teams, winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics (Athens) and playing in lead-up games to more gold medals in 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London). Mitts played professionally in two U.S. leagues through 2011.
Joe Morgan
BASEBALL
1963–1984
A key cog in the Big Red Machine, Morgan won two National League MVPs and made eight consecutive All-Star Game appearances in the 1970s, leading the Reds to World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. Over his 22-year career he also played in the World Series in 1972 (Reds) and 1983 (Phillies) and won five Golden Gloves at second base. Morgan is in the MLB Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame, and the Reds retired his No. 8.
Photograph by AP Photo/Paul Spinelli
Anthony Muñoz
FOOTBALL
1980–1992
Arguably the greatest player in Bengals history, Munoz was selected No. 3 overall in the 1980 NFL Draft after an All-American career at USC. He started 16 games at left tackle his rookie year, and then the accolades rolled in: nine-time first-team All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl participant, and 1991 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and Bengals 50th Anniversary Team and is in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Joe Nuxhall
BASEBALL
1944–1966
Nuxhall holds the record for youngest player ever in Major League Baseball, pitching 1/3 of an inning for the Reds in 1944 at age 15. World War II had depleted most teams’ rosters, and the Reds plucked him from Hamilton High School for bullpen depth. He was more than an oddity, though, returning to MLB with Cincinnati eight years later and pitching for 15 seasons, with two All-Star nods. The Ol’ Left-hander later formed a beloved Reds broadcasting team with Marty Brennaman.
Photograph courtesy Xavier University
Beth Osterday Strange
MULTIPLE SPORTS
1992–2000
Osterday was named first-team all-state in three different sports at St. Ursula. In volleyball, she played a key role in three consecutive state championships. In basketball, she graduated as SUA’s third all-time scoring leader and led the team to its first GGCL title. In softball, she still holds 10 school records, including career hits, career batting average, career runs scored, and career stolen bases. At Xavier, Osterday was a three-time Atlantic 10 volleyball all-conference team selection and was named XU’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2000.
Dave Parker
BASEBALL
1968–1991
Parker grew up near Crosley Field, where he sold peanuts and ice cream as a kid, and excelled at baseball, basketball, and football at now-defunct Courter Tech High School in Clifton. Drafted by the Pirates, he won the NL MVP in 1978 and was a seven-time All-Star. He led Pittsburgh (1979) and Oakland (1989) to World Series titles and played four seasons for the Reds during a 19-year career. Parker, who died in late June, is in the Pirates and Reds Halls of Fame and was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame last month.
Tony Perez
BASEBALL
1964–1986
The Cuban-born Perez was a core contributor on the Big Red Machine, though he didn’t win an MVP award like Bench, Morgan, and Rose. He played the first 13 seasons (and last three) of his 23-year career in Cincinnati, grabbing seven All-Star nods and knocking in 90 or more RBIs 10 years in a row. The Big Dog is a member of the Reds Hall of Fame and MLB Hall of Fame, and the Reds retired his No. 24.
Photograph courtesy Laura Phelps Stackhouse
Laura Phelps Stackhouse
WEIGHTLIFTING
2011–PRESENT
Growing up in Cincinnati with four sisters, Phelps focused on soccer, gymnastics, and running until trying weightlifting at age 23. She quickly excelled in the sport and currently holds eight powerlifting world records in specific weight classes. She became the first woman to lift 11 times her body weight, qualifying her as the strongest female powerlifter in history. She’s currently training powerlifters at her Loveland gym, Queen Bee Power.
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Aaron Pryor
BOXING
1973–1990
The Hawk won more than 200 fights as an amateur boxer in Cincinnati, capturing AAU and Golden Gloves titles and a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. He turned pro in 1976 and won the WBA junior welterweight belt in 1980 and defended it eight times, then won the IBF light welterweight title in 1984. Pryor retired with a 39-1 record and is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Read More Here:
- The 100 Greatest Cincinnati Athletes Ever: A-C
- The 100 Greatest Cincinnati Athletes Ever: D-H
- The 100 Greatest Cincinnati Athletes Ever: R-Y
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