As the 20th century comes to a close, the media has been clamoring to make lists - lists that will squeeze the century into numerical perfection. At The Post, we like to follow trends, so we made up a list for ourselves. The pinnacle of them all.

ESPN's SportsCentury. Amateur hour.

Time's Person of the Century. Boorish.

Ohio University's Top Ten Athletes of the Century. Now that's class.

As so-called definitive listings tend to do, this one is bound to cause controversy. It is tougher than one might think to narrow down a century of great athletes into 10 slots. For every Mike Schmidt who made the list, there is a Chet Feldman who did not.

The list begins with No. 1, because The Post sports staff does not believe in building up suspense. In case you are into the nostalgic Bob Costas-suspense deal, close your eyes and pretend you are standing at center court in The Convo staring at the only retired jersey in Ohio sports history - No. 54.

Ohio athletic dept. file photo Pictured here is Ohio's 1941 NIT runner-up squad. Frank Baumholtz (first row, second from right) was named the tournament's MVP. After the tournament, he was also named an All-American. Baumholtz played both basketball and baseball professionally.

1. Frank Baumholtz: basketball and baseball, 1938-1941

Everyone wants to be "old-school" nowadays. The concepts of fundamentals and team play are once again in vogue.

Frank Baumholtz is old-school. But when Ohio's greatest two-sport star dazzled the Ohio faithful with his athletic skills, he was "new-school" excelling in both basketball and baseball for the Bobcats.

He led the 1941 Ohio basketball team to the finals of the National Invitation Tournament when March Madness was nothing but dementia. The NIT was king then, and Baumholtz was its prince, winning the MVP award even though his team lost to Long Island in the finals, 56-42. He also was named first-team All-America. Baumholtz scored 1,096 points in three years of basketball (freshmen had their own teams back then). Former Ohio Baseball Head Coach Bob Wren remembers guarding Baumholtz in practice.

"When I was a freshman and sophomore, I used to have to guard him in practice," he said. "He was unguardable."

When baseball season rolled around, Wren was fortunate enough to play with Baumholtz, at least for one season, he said. Although he only saw Baumholtz play for two seasons, those two years left quite a mark on Wren.

"He is one of the greatest athletes of my lifetime, and that encompasses 60 years," Wren said.

And that comes from the man for whom the baseball stadium is named.

Baumholtz died in 1997 and the men's basketball team honored him by wearing his number 54 on their jerseys. His number was retired, making him the only Ohio athlete to be honored in such a way. When Bob Wren Stadium opened, the VIP seating section was named after him. Baumholtz also has two awards named after him: the highest batting average award for the baseball team as well as an award for overall athletic excellence for Cleveland athletes, which is given away at the Green and White banquet each spring.

Wren said he knew immediately that Baumholtz would be a professional baseball player, and he was proved correct when Baumholtz played 10 seasons in the Major Leagues for three different teams. Before his baseball career took off, he played basketball for the Cleveland Rebels in 1946-47, when pro basketball was still in its infancy. He continued to play baseball at this time, and was the first athlete to play both sports instantaneously.

Perhaps his greatest career highlight was finishing second to Stan Musial in the NL batting race in 1952. But then again, perhaps his greatest athletic feat was nailing a stationary jumper for old "Dutch" Trautwein in Madison Square Garden. On the other hand, maybe it was beating out a sacrifice bunt against Western Reserve with a young Bob Wren cheering him on from a makeshift dugout while the Hocking River flowed rhythmically through campus.

-- Jon Greenberg

2. Mike Schmidt: baseball, 1969-1971

Mike Schmidt is famous in the world of sports, and many people do not even realize the Hall of Fame third baseman is a former Ohio shortstop. But Schmidt in fact played for Ohio from 1969 to1971 and was completely dominant as the top shortstop in college baseball in 1970 and 1971, before going on to become one of the top professional baseball players of all time.

Schmidt, one of only two two-time baseball All-Americans at Ohio, helped lead Ohio to the semi-finals of the College World Series in 1970. He held the Ohio home run record for over 30 years before his record of 27 was broken in 1998 by Bart Leahy.

But, he played only three seasons, because at that time freshmen could only play on a freshmen team. Schmidt also was voted to the College Baseball All-Century team. Schmidt is still near the top of the Ohio record book in many statistics.

After his Ohio career ended, Schmidt went on to have an illustrious professional career for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt won 10 Gold Glove awards as the top fielding third baseman, and is in the top five for all-time homeruns with 548. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 and was recently voted the top third baseman of the century. Schmidt led the National League in home runs eight times and still holds the Major League record for most home runs by a third baseman. He led the National League in runs batted in four times, amassing a total of 1,595 career RBI. He captured the National League MVP award three times.

Ohio Head Baseball Coach Joe Carbone played with Schmidt from 1969 to 1970 and thinks Schmidt deserves to be named the top Ohio athlete of the century.

"With what he's done, he should be number one," Carbone said. "There's no athlete that has done what Mike Schmidt has done as a college player in their sport and gone on past the college level and done what he's done.

"If you look at what men and women have done in their sports in college and past college, he has no equal. No one here has done what he's done."

-- Michael Canan

Ohio athletic dept. file photo Gary Trent ruled the MAC during his three years at Ohio. He won MAC player of the year in every year he played. He averaged 22.7 points per game for his career.

3. Gary Trent: basketball, 1992-1995

In the proud history of Ohio athletics, it is fair to say that no one has done more to put Ohio on the map than Gary Trent. The "Shaq of the MAC," as he was dubbed by Sports Illustrated, tore through the Mid-American Conference, winning the Player of the Year award in all three years he played basketball for Larry Hunter. Unlike Baumholtz, he led his team to an NIT championship, albeit a pre-season one.

Trent represents the rebirth of Ohio. From the ashes of riots in the 70s and drunken debauchery and football incompetence of the 80s, Trent was a breath of fresh air. He was a 6 foot, 7 inch dynamo of raw emotion that filled The Convo whenever he stepped on the floor.

Ohio basketball assistant coach Geno Ford often played Robin to Trent's Batman, and said he enjoyed every minute of it.

"He was just a great athlete," Ford said. "It was incredible what he was able to do. He was explosive, he was powerful, he was fast, he was big and strong. He could have played a lot of different sports.

"He is just a superhuman in some regards, as far as strength. He bench presses over 500 pounds and leg presses 1,600 pounds. That is just almost unimaginable for most of us."

Ford said Trent brought the Ohio name into the modern college-sports landscape with his high visibility in a traditionally less visible league.

"Gary has probably brought more recognition to our university, athletic department anyway, than most people have during their career just because of the amount of times he was on TV, and for the amount of attention he received being a lottery pick in the NBA," Ford said. "He's very deserving (of being one of Ohio's Top Ten Athletes) and is probably the most notable athlete this school has ever had, certainly in the 90s."

In his three years of play, Trent compiled 2,108 points, good enough for third place on Ohio's career list. His 22.7 per game average ranks tops among Ohio. He was an honorable mention All-American and a consensus member of the All-Bobcats team, at least in the opinion of all those who watched him play at Ohio.

"Gary Trent has to be on that list," former Ohio basketball player Gus Johnson said, via e-mail. "I had the pleasure of playing with Gary for three years at (Ohio) and there was and never will be a better athlete/basketball player not only in (Ohio) history, but MAC history as well. What he did in three years of college basketball is amazing. He put (Ohio) on the map as far as college athletics go."

After his junior year, Trent entered the National Basketball Association Draft and was picked 11th by the Portland Trailblazers. Five years and two trades later, Trent is poised to be regarded among the NBA elite after a breakout season with the Dallas Mavericks.

-- Jon Greenberg

4. Caroline Mast: basketball, 1982-1986

Quick - who's the all-time leading scorer in Ohio basketball history?

Not Baumholtz.

Not Trent.

No, not even Dave Jamerson.

It's Caroline Mast, who scored 2,449 points while playing forward for the Bobcats from 1983-86.

Perhaps it was a misleading question. As far as Mast's basketball career is concerned, nothing is misleading.

In addition to her career scoring record, Mast is the leading women's rebounder, pulling down 1,223. This also is more than any men's player.

She led her team in scoring all four years she played, averaging nearly 22 points per game for her career. She was tops in rebounding average each year as well.

After leading the Bobcats to a 15-13 record her freshman year, while averaging 17.4 points per game, she was named to the All-MAC first team, marking the first of four times she would receive the honor. She also was recognized as the MAC Freshman of the Year.

Her most noticeable impact was on the team's record, though. In her first season, the Bobcats added six wins from the previous one.

Beth DeSantos, the Ohio coach who recruited Mast, was quoted in The Post on Feb. 28, 1986, as having said Mast was "the Bobcats' greatest recruit. She's the kind of player who can turn a program around."

While DeSantos' statement was true after that first season, the full extent of Mast's talents would not be revealed until later.

In her second season she averaged 22.7 ppg, but the Bobcats went 14-14. She received the first of her three MAC Player of the Year honors following that season.

Her junior year, Ohio fell to 11-16, despite Mast's highest scoring average, 24.1 ppg.

Her senior year, though, the team finally showed what it was capable of doing. Under the guidance of Head Coach Amy Prichard, the Bobcats went 26-3. The team won the MAC regular season, despite being picked to finish sixth in the preseason. Mast averaged 23.3 ppg.

Ohio won the MAC tournament when Mast hit a layup with one second remaining in regulation to force Central Michigan into overtime. There the Bobcats prevailed 92-85. Mast was named tournament MVP.

The team fell to Earth in the NCAA tournament, losing to Illinois 69-68. It was the first appearance by the Ohio women's team in the NCAA tournament and it marked the end of Mast's college basketball career after 112 games. She closed her career as the top scorer in MAC history.

Dr. Peggy Pruitt, Ohio's senior associate athletic director for external affairs, worked in the athletic department during Mast's career. She said Mast's mere statistics do not fully communicate her greatness.

"She's an excellent student, a great person, a great leader," Pruitt said. "Her teammates looked up to her."

-- Elizabeth Price

5. Cleve Bryant: football, 1967-1969

Although it has been more than 30 years since the Ohio football team won a MAC title, the quarterback of that team can recall most of that season quite vividly.

Cleve Bryant is probably remembered most as the Ohio quarterback who threw for three touchdown passes and ran for two more in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl, the last time the Bobcats were in a bowl game. His total of five touchdowns is still a record for that bowl game, which exists now as the Citrus Bowl.

Because freshmen were not allowed to play on a varsity team in Bryant's time, he had to play on a freshman team, which went 5-0 in 1966. As a sophomore in '67, Bryant led Ohio to a shared MAC title. But he said he still had room for improvement after that year.

"In all honesty, I was not a very good player (in '67)," Bryant said. "I made some poor decisions in terms of throwing the ball."

And in '68, Bryant proved he was a good player.

He had a goal set for himself: to lead the nation in fewest interceptions thrown. He had one going into the eighth game of the season against Bowling Green, the game Bryant said he remembers the most

in his career.

Ohio was down 27-14 late in the game when Head Coach Bill Hess approached Bryant and gave him a message.

"He said, 'Son, get your head up and get your ass in the game. We're going to win this damn ballgame,'" Bryant said.

Despite throwing four interceptions in the game, Bryant and the Bobcats did win, 28-27.

The next week, Ohio traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats, a game Ohio was predicted to lose. After halftime, the Bobcats were losing, 35-34. But another comeback effort provided a 60-48 victory.

"We rode into Cincinnati with a swagger," Bryant said. "It was a rock-em, sock-em game."

As a senior in 1969, Bryant was going for a repeat performance, but a knee injury in the fifth game spelled the end of his season.

"It was disappointing, because I had hopes of playing in the NFL, and it wasn't going to be a reality," he said.

Bryant said he was surprised that it has been more than 30 years since Ohio had won a MAC title, but it all comes down to recruiting, he said.

"Recruiting in Athens is tough," Bryant said. "You don't just pass through Athens. You have to be going there."

Despite playing only two-and-a-half varsity seasons, Bryant is the all-time Ohio leader for touchdown passes thrown in a game, in a season and in a career. He is fourth in school history for offensive yards in a game and third in offensive yards for a season and a career.

-- Rob Peirce

6. Dave Jamerson: basketball, 1986-1990

While he never played for a MAC championship or competed on an NCAA tournament team, Jamerson left his mark on Ohio basketball. Averaging 31.4 points in a season will do that for you. Scoring 60 points in one contest does not hurt either.

Jamerson is Ohio's all-time leading scorer in men's basketball, netting 2,336 points in his Ohio career.

In his senior season , Jamerson earned many individual accolades, even though his team under first-year head coach Larry Hunter finished with a 12-15 record. He was a unanimous first-team All-MAC selection and was named an honorable mention All-American by several publications.

Jamerson got drafted in the 15th slot of the first round by the Miami Heat. He was then traded to the Houston Rockets. Jamerson bounced around the league until 1995 when he retired after knee problems.

After his retirement Jamerson dedicated his life to religion, working full-time as a traveling minister/spokesman for Champions for Christ, a ministry group for athletes.

-- Jon Greenberg

Ohio athletic dept. file photo Harry Houska (second row, fourth from left) is with the 1963-64 wrestling team.

7. Harry Houska: wrestling, 1962-1964

Winning seemed to come natural to Ohio wrestler Harry Houska. It got to the point where he stopped concentrating on wins and focused on being named the Outstanding Wrestler of any tournament he wrestled in.

Like fine wine, Houska got better as time went on. As a sophomore in 1962, he won the MAC title at 167 pounds. In '63, he was an All-American after finishing second in the nation at 177 pounds. As a senior in '64, Houska went undefeated and won the NCAA Title at 191 pounds. His career record was 76-3. All three wrestlers he lost to went on to win an NCAA Championship. For his exploits, he was named The Post's Athlete of the Decade for the '60's.

After his Ohio career was done, Houska was an alternate on the 1964 Olympic team and was named Outstanding Wrestler in the 1967 Pan-American games. He then became the Ohio Wrestling Coach, and his success continued. He coached Andy Daniels to an NCAA title at 118 pounds in 1978, and Dwight Gardner until Gardner's fateful senior season, when he won the NCAA championship at 158 pounds in 1998.

Out of all his accolades, Houska said he is proudest of his international recognition.

"I enjoyed representing the United States in the World Championships in India," Houska said. "That was a great thrill."

Houska elevated the already successful wrestling team when he became head coach. The Bobcats consistently finished in the nation's top 25 in his tenure. But just like his playing days, Houska did not stress winning as a coach.

"Game day wasn't important," he said. "I emphasized practicing hard every day. My team goals were to have my players graduate and get their names on the wall (in the wrestling practice room). They would see (their names) every day. Everybody on the team remembered that wall."

-- Rob Peirce

8. Emmett Taylor: track and field, 1965-1968

Emmett Taylor was truly a work horse for the Ohio track team in the 1960s. Taylor was a force to be reckoned with in nearly every event he ran.

Taylor captured two NCAA Championships in his college days. He won the 400 meter in 1967 and then won the 200 meter in 1968. He was an All-American in four different events throughout his career at Ohio. He was on the 1968 mile relay team that finished second in the NCAA Championships, and he also was a member of the fourth place 440 yard relay in1967.

Taylor still holds the Ohio record for the 400 meter which he set in 1968 with a time of .45.1. He also holds a host of records that were set when track distances were measured in yards. Among them are the 100 yard dash, the 220 yard, the 440 yard, and he was part of several record-setting relay teams.

-- Michael Canan

9. Maureen Newlon-Blanford: swimming, 1989-1992

The women's swimming and diving team's domination of the MAC in the early 1990s can hardly be attributed to one person. Many great women combined to piece together the Bobcats' seven consecutive titles.

Ohio won the first of those titles during Blanford's freshman year, and she contributed two individual victories and swam on four first-place relays in the 1989 MAC Championship.

Those six wins were the first of 23 MAC titles Blanford would win over her career, a conference record. She dominated the100 freestyle and 100 butterfly during her career, finishing first in each four times. She also won the 200 individual medley twice in her last two seasons.

In addition to these individual titles, Blanford swam on all five relay teams in the meet at least once, taking first place as a member of each.

In her final MAC Championship in 1992, Blanford guided Ohio to the overall title with 842.5 total points. She won three individual events and swam on the victorious 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay that earned her Co-MAC Swimmer of the Year honors for the second consecutive year. She shared the title with Bowling Green's Josie McCulloch that year after winning it outright in 1991.

In 1991, Blanford was part of the team that finished No. 16 in the NCAA championships, the highest ranking it would obtain. Individually, Blanford contributed points in the 100 fly, finishing fifth with a time of 55.52 seconds. She also swam the 200 IM and the 100 freestyle. She then swam on the 10th place 200 freestyle relay, 12th place medley relay and 14th place 400 free relay. She was an honorable mention All-American that year. Her 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle times qualified her for the Olympic trials.

-- Elizabeth Price

10. Anita Corl Miller-Huntsman: field hockey, 1970-1973

Statistics and quotable material from the high and mighty of the Ohio athletic elite do not a champion make. Sometimes the best athletes are those who operate in anonymity. Miller-Huntsman is such an athlete.

Miller-Huntsman is a member of two Halls of Fame: the U.S. Field Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as the Ohio Athletic Hall of Fame.

She was a member of U. S. National team, two U.S. Olympic field hockey teams, including the1980 squad which observed the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. She earned a bronze medal in1984. Mller-Huntsman had previously coached at Long Beach State where she led the team as a graduate student to a Division I national title in 1979.

Peggy Pruitt began coaching the field hockey team soon after Miller-Huntsman's departure and had but a few words on the athlete.

"(She was an) outstanding field hockey player," she said. "Her athletic accomplishments are of the ultimate caliber."

-- Jon Greenberg

Honorable Mention

Dwight Gardner wrestling
Courtney Allen swimming
Elmore Banton cross country
Bob Bertleson track and field
Henry Clark swimming
Joy Clark swimming
Rick Dowswell track and field
Steveland Hookfin football
Walter Luckett basketball
Jen Morris softball
Shannon Ritchie cross country
Todd Snyder football
Chet Adams football
Vince Costello football


Editor's note: In compiling this list, The Post sports staff researched The Post archives and team records and took suggestions from readers. While we feel this is the list of the 10 best Ohio athletes, we know that there will be those of you who disagree. So tell us why. Please send your ideas to ep425897 or send a letter to The Post.