Michael Bates, Amphi High School, in 1989. Arizona Daily Star file photo

 Arizona Daily Star file photo

Bates could be No. 1 as easily as No. 4. He gained 3,803 yards from 1986-88, and as a senior scored 10 touchdowns on runs of 40-plus yards even though he missed three games to injury. He was the state’s top sprinter of the period, and perhaps forever, and won the bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics 200 meter finals after playing just two football seasons at Arizona.

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Contact sports columnist Greg Hansen at 520-573-4362 or ghansen@tucson.com. On Twitter: @ghansen711