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Under the blue skies of Colorado, high school athletes across an assortment of sports have become household names across the country.
Basketball, swimming, soccer, football — there are names you know well, both men and women who are dominating their fields today following their starts in The Centennial State.

Who are the all-time best Colorado high school athletes?
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY is launching its 250 for 250 series, looking to answer that question by celebrating the best athletes from each state.
With your votes, five will be selected to represent the athletes who have defined high school sports.
Here are the 15 Colorado high school athlete nominees, listed in alphabetical order.

Sep 14, 2025; Tokyo, Japan; Valarie Allman (USA) celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women’s discus throw during the World Athletic Championships at National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
A two-time Olympic discus champion, Valarie Allman showed her potential at a young age. At Silver Creek, she was a two-time 4A champion in discus, and her best throw in 2013 of 184-2 broke the Texas Relays meet record by more than 34 feet, broke the Colorado record by 19-3, and was the 16th-longest in the U.S. that year — including collegiate athletes and pros. She set 29 meet records and 11 stadium records, according to her Stanford bio.

An incoming rookie with high expectations in the WNBA, Lauren Betts was one of the country’s best basketball players in high school. She was twice named Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year, won the championship as a senior, and competed in the McDonald’s All-American Game. She was the top-ranked prospect in the class of 2022.

Oct 30, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups (1) shoots a free throw during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons won 113-102. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Chauncey Billups showcased his NBA-level talent from a young age. He was a four-time all-state player and three-time Colorado Mr. Basketball — according to the Colorado High School Activities Association, it would have been four times if the award existed when he was a freshman. Billups led George Washington to back-to-back championships as a sophomore and junior before a shoulder injury ended his senior season early.

Jeremy Bloom was a multi-sport star, winning championships in football and track en route to a short career between NFL practice squads and the AFL. Where he shined most was the mountains, where he became the youngest male freestyle skier on the U.S. Ski Team as a 15-year-old. He has 12 World Cup wins and been on two Olympic teams.
Hannah Bower is one of Colorado’s great all-around athletes. She was the first gymnast to win three 5A all-around gymnastics titles, win three floor championships, and two vault and beam titles each. In addition, she was named all-state in diving in 2006 and in track for four seasons in the sprint medley.

One of the early Colorado greats, Earl Clark dominated on several fronts in high school. In basketball, he helped lead Pueblo Central to a state championship and second-place national finish; in track, he set league records in shot put and hurdles. Football is where he would make a name for himself long-term, becoming an All-American quarterback and eventually an NFL Hall of Famer.

Jan 8, 2013; Aurora, CO, USA; Regis Jesuit High School swimmer Missy Franklin before the start of her event against Highlands Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
In 2012, Missy Franklin won five medals (four gold) in the London Olympics. Then she returned to Regis Jesuit to finish out her high school career, where she set national swim records, won the 5A championship, and graduated with eight individual state titles.

Over three seasons at Arvada West, Roy Halladay rarely lost, going 25-2 overall. As a senior, he established himself as a first-round MLB pick out of high school, going 10-1 with a 0.55 ERA. The late Halladay is a two-time Cy Young winner and baseball Hall of Famer.
NFL fans have come to know Trey McBride in recent years, but he’s long been a star of the Fort Morgan community. In addition to being an all-Colorado football player, he set school records for points scored in basketball and for home runs and RBI in baseball.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) scores a touchdown during a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.
As a running back, wide receiver, cornerback and punter, Christian McCaffrey was all over the field in high school. He set state records in career total and receiving touchdowns and single-season and career all-purpose yards. He was twice named Colorado’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year.
The 1936 Olympic decathlon gold medalist and future Tarzan in Tarzan’s Revenge, Glenn Morris was a star high school track athlete and football player. He set the 220-yard hurdles record at Simla that stood for 40 years.

May 3, 2018; Fort Collins, CO, USA; Sophia Smith poses for a photo in the hallways of Fossil Ridge High School on Thursday, May 3, 2018. Smith will play in the U-20 FIFA World Cup in France this summer. Mandatory Credit: Austin Humphreys-USA TODAY NETWORK
Much of Sophia Smith’s prep success came at travel and youth national teams — she made the senior U.S. national team at just 16 years old — but she was named first-team all-conference in soccer and TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year in 2017, and scored 10 goals and four assists in just eight games. Today, she is one of the best players in the world.
Mallory Swanson is another U.S. soccer star who got her beginnings in Colorado. Over her three years at Mountain Vista, she scored 47 goals and had 23 assists, and was the Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame High School Female Athlete of the Year in 2015.

With a team 6A championship in 1991, 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly victories in 1990 and 1991 — and state records in both — and a championship in the 400-meter free relay, Amy Van Dyken is one of the best prep swimmers ever. She was named the 1991 Female Swimmer of the Year before becoming an Olympian and the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.
With four championships in four years at Fowler, few can say they reached the echelons of Brent Van Hee. He dominated the sport from 1983-86, and is part of a familial legacy in wrestling.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vote for greatest Colorado high school athlete of all time
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