In celebration of America’s semiquincentennial this year, Sports Illustrated set out to name the five best athletes from each of the 50 states, culminating in a list of 250 names in honor of our 250th anniversary. This list highlights the five greatest athletes or all time from Arizona.

According to Sports Illustrated, editors revisited an SI project from the Dec. 27, 1999 issue that ranked the 50 best athletes from each state. While the 1999 list included coaches, the 2026 version focuses solely on athletes.

Sports Illustrated said athletes were considered based on:

•  Where an athlete attended high school (for a majority of years or for the final/graduating year)

•  Primary residence as a child, if an athlete did not attend high school

•  And in the spirit of the 1999 list, placing athletes “not necessarily to where they were born, but to where they first showed flashes of the greatness to come.”

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Here are Arizona’s five, as selected by Sports Illustrated:

1. Jim Palmer

The Hall of Fame right-hander caught the attention of Orioles scouts before he ever pitched for Arizona State. It proved to be the right call. Palmer went on to win the most games of any pitcher in the 1970s and captured three American League Cy Young Awards.

2. Randall McDaniel

One of Arizona’s greatest in the trenches. The native Arizonan and Arizona State standout helped the Sun Devils to their only Rose Bowl win in 1987. An NFL All-Pro offensive guard, McDaniel was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

3. Terrell Suggs

Another homegrown Sun Devil and NFL All-Pro, Suggs represents the Grand Canyon State’s deep football roots alongside McDaniel.

4. Michele Mitchell

A University of Arizona legend, Mitchell was a nine-time national champion diver. She went on to win two Olympic silver medals in the 10-meter platform at the 1984 and 1988 Games and now serves as director of operations for the Wildcats’ swimming and diving team.

5. Ty Murray

After learning to ride livestock at a young age on a ranch not far outside Phoenix, Murray became one of the greatest rodeo cowboys of all time. A cofounder of PBR, he is often called the Michael Jordan of rodeo.

This story is based on reporting and rankings originally published by Sports Illustrated as part of its America 250 project celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.