The 62 Cy Young Award winners who played college baseball
- James Martin
- Dec 3, 2025
- 4 min read
Katherine Wright | NCAA.com | November 13, 2025
First given in 1956, the Cy Young has been awarded annually to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. One representative from the American League and National League make up the pair of honorees.
We've accumulated a list below of 62 former MLB Cy Young Award winners who once played college baseball for current NCAA institutions (including repeat winners). We also picked a Cy Young standout from each decade to be featured in a brief summary of their college careers.
Last decade's decisions were the most excruciating due to the influx of talent that journeyed from college to Major League Baseball.
Sandy Koufax | Cincinnati | 3x Cy Young winner ('63, '65, '66)
One season at the University of Cincinnati was all it took for the Brooklyn Dodgers to sign Sandy Koufax.
He was not the same pitcher at that point. Cincinnati prepped him for professional ball by teaching him pitch control. And when his fastball and curveball reached refinement, the Koufax of MLB lore appeared.
"All he needed was somebody to teach him control. A kid his age throwing 90 miles an hour – this was 1954 we were talking about. He was strong. He wasn't at all cocky — just a nice guy," Cincinnati teammate Ike Misali said of Koufax in 2014.
Originally, the southpaw enrolled as a liberal arts major with the intention of transferring to the school of architecture. Walking on to the basketball team was the next priority. One semester later, he joined the baseball team. He found his groove in his lone season as a Bearcat, going 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA and leading the team with 51 strikeouts in 32 innings.
Dan Gilbert, his catcher at Cincinnati, reveled in 2014 at how unbelievable the break on his curveball was, "but the blazing fastball I will never forget. You couldn't hit it." His battery mate would place a sponge inside his catcher's mitt to help absorb any residual shock from the 90-plus miles per hour fastball.
Spending all 12 seasons of his career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, the eventual first ballot Hall of Famer pitched four no-hitters and a perfect game, and was a three-time Triple Crown winner, five-time National League ERA leader and two-time World Series MVP — one of the greatest to ever man the mound.
Honorable mention: Bob Gibson | Creighton | 2x Cy Young winner ('68, '70)
Two star basketball and baseball athletes were strong contenders at the pitching position in the 1960s, and Bob Gibson continued the theme with his standout performances at both posts while at Creighton. Sadly, his college baseball stats have been lost, according to the university. But his basketball numbers remain intact, including several school records. Gibson currently ranks 21st in career points (1,272) and top-five in free throws made (418), free throw attempts (575) and scoring average (20.19 points per game).
"The steppingstone to the success I had as a professional was getting the opportunity to go to Creighton University," Bob Gibson told the Omaha World-Herald.
Randy Jones | Chapman | '76 Cy Young Award winner
Randy Jones' No. 10 was retired by Chapman in 1985 after an impressive college career that included being a four-year letter winner (1969-72). In 1970 and '72 he was the Panthers' most valuable pitcher, earning All-American honors as a senior and finishing runner-up at the NCAA Far West Regionals.
In 1972, his 155 strikeouts set a single-season school record. His 311 career strikeouts is also best in Chapman history.
Honorable mention: Ron Guidry | Southwestern Louisiana | '78 Cy Young Award winner
Not many athletes have the ability to excel in their freshman year. But for some, that first season can set the tone for a future in pro ball, and Ron Guidry did just that in 1969. He put on one of the best performances in Gulf State Conference history, posting a 1.57 ERA and allowing just 10 earned run on 36 hits and 50 strikeouts in 56.1 innings. He finished that season 5-1 and was a member of the second team All-Gulf State Conference.
Guidry finished 12-5 with a 2.03 ERA and 137 career strikeouts in his two-year stint at Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana).
Roger Clemens / Texas / 7x Cy Young Award winner ('86, '87, '91, '97, '98, '04)
Seven Cy Young Awards is the most by any Major Leaguer in history. What led to Roger Clemen's spectacular career? It started at Texas where he dove in with a 1.99 ERA as a freshman in 1982. His astounding ERA and 12-2 record led the Longhorns to College World Series that year.
He led the Longhorns back to the College World Series in 1983, going 13-5 with a 3.04 ERA. Clemens proved himself a competitor and earned the starting role for Texas in the 1983 title game, earning the win over Alabama — and ultimately a reservation at the Texas Sports and Baseball Hall of Fame.
Honorable mention: Mike Scott | Pepperdine | '86 Cy Young Award winner
The decision to place Mike Scott underneath Clemens was difficult. He captured the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year honor in 1974 and helped the Waves win three consecutive conference titles. He left campus as the school-record holder for career wins (26), strikeouts (232) and games started (42). He currently ranks fourth in ERA (2.10) and had a perfect game against Cal Lutheran on Feb. 17, 1976.
But Clemens' performance at the College World Series gave the edge to the former Longhorn
See the rest of the winners at NCAA.com
Comments