Kyler Murray's recent success in football and baseball has re-opened the debate as to whether it's possible to excel in more than one sport at the professional level.

There are a handful of two-sport athletes currently at Alabama and Auburn, notably the Crimson Tide's Keith Holcombe (baseball, football) and the Tigers' Anthony Schwartz and Shaun Shivers (both football and track). But we'll let them complete their careers before we place them among the all-timers.

However, there have been a number of multi-sport athletes in SEC history. Here are 22 of the best (listed in alphabetical order).

Alabama athletics

1. Tony Brown, Alabama

Brown never quite lived up to his 5-star billing as a football player, though he was a contributor at defensive back on the Crimson Tide's 2017 national championship team. However, he starred in track & field, earning first-team All-America honors in the 110-meter hurdles and as part of the 4x100-meter relay team. Brown recently completed his rookie season with the NFL's Green Bay Packers, for whom he started three games in 2018.

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Times-Picayune file photo

2. Billy Cannon, LSU

Nearly 60 years after his college career ended, Cannon is still regarded as the greatest football player in LSU history. A two-time All-American at halfback, he led the Tigers to the 1958 national championship and won the Heisman Trophy in 1959, before spending 11 years in the AFL and NFL. He also excelled in track & field, running the 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds (at 210 pounds) and throwing the shotput more than 54 feet.

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3. Jeff Demps, Florida

Demps is among the rare college athletes to win a national championship in two sports, turning the trick in both football (2008) and track & field (multiple times). Demps was a four-year contributor at running back for the Gators, rushing for 23 touchdowns and averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He won national titles on the track both indoors (60-meter dash) and outdoors (100-meter dash) and also won an Olympic gold medal as part of Team USA's 4x100-meter relay team in 2012.

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4. Richmond Flowers Jr., Tennessee

A Dothan native, Flowers broke many hearts in his home state when he spurned Alabama for Tennessee due in part to his father's political rivalry with Gov. George Wallace (Richmond Flowers Sr. was Alabama's attorney general, who opposed many of Wallace's segregationist policies). Flowers starred at wide receiver for the Volunteers, setting the school record for receptions and scoring Tennessee's lone touchdown in a 10-9 victory over Alabama in 1968. He was a three-time All-American in track & field — excelling in the high hurdles, missing a spot on the 1968 Olympic team due to injury.

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FootballFoundation.org photo

5. Willie Gault, Tennessee

Of all the great football/track athletes in history, Gault might be the most-accomplished. He set SEC records in the 110-meter hurdles in both 1981 and 1982, and was part of a world-record-setting 4x100-meter relay team at the 1983 World Championships (Gault earned a spot on the 1980 Olympic team, but the U.S. boycotted the games). In football, Gault still holds the Tennessee school records for kickoff return yards and total return yards, and played 11 years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears in 1985.

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Ole Miss athletics photo

6. Joe Gibbon, Ole Miss

The rare baseball/basketball athlete, the 6-foot-4 Gibbon was an All-SEC performer in both sports at Ole Miss in the late 1950s. A star pitcher for the Rebels, Gibbon was better known for his exploits on the basketball court. He was an All-American in 1957, averaging 30.2 points and 14 rebounds per game (outscoring Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, among others). Nevertheless, he went pro in baseball, pitching 13 years with four teams. The left-hander won a World Series ring with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a rookie in 1960.

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Ole Miss athletics

7. Jake Gibbs, Ole Miss

Gibbs was a first-team All-American in both football and baseball for the Rebels in the early 1960s. He quarterbacked the Rebels to the 1960 national championship, when he was SEC Player of the Year. In baseball, he was a three-time All-SEC pick and an All-American in both 1960 and 1961, batting .384 for his career. He played 10 years with the New York Yankees, mostly as a back-up catcher, and later spent nearly two decades as Ole Miss' baseball coach.

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8. John Hannah, Alabama

Widely regarded as the greatest offensive lineman in football history, Hannah was a member of the wrestling and track & field teams (throwing shot put and discus) at Alabama in the early 1970s. He was an All-American in football in both 1971 and 1972, when the Crimson Tide won the SEC championship. Drafted No. 4 overall by the New England Patriots, he was an All-Pro 10 times in 13 seasons. He inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

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9. Todd Helton, Tennessee

The Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year in both football and baseball in high school, Helton also played both sports in college with the Volunteers. He began 1994 as Tennessee's back-up quarterback, ascending to the starting job after Jerry Colquitt was lost with a knee injury in the season-opener. Helton suffered his own knee injury three games later, and never played football again (Peyton Manning took over as quarterback when Helton was injured). In baseball, he won the Dick Howser Trophy as National Player of the Year in 1995, when he starred at both first base and relief pitcher for the Volunteers. He spent 17 years with the Colorado Rockies, hitting 369 home runs and earning five All-Star berths.

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Birmingham News file photo

10. Jimmy Hitchcock, Auburn

Known as "The Phantom of Union Springs," Hitchcock actually played at Auburn in the pre-SEC days. A halfback, he was an All-American and led the Tigers to the Southern Conference championship in 1932. He was also an All-American in baseball, and spent nine years in the pros, including a short stint in the majors with the Boston Bees in 1938. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Hitchcock returned to Auburn as baseball coach and football assistant, and was instrumental in the hiring of Ralph "Shug" Jordan. Auburn's baseball stadium, Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park, is named in honor of Hitchcock and younger brother Billy, also a star with the Tigers.

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Tom Self/Birmingham News file

11. Butch Hobson, Alabama

As his father, Clell Sr., had done in the 1950s, Hobson played both football and baseball at Alabama. A promising quarterback, the younger Hobson saw extensive action in the Crimson Tide's 1972 Orange Bowl loss to Nebraska, but gave up the sport that spring to concentrate on baseball. Hobson led the SEC in home runs with 13 in 1973, earning all-conference recognition as a third baseman. Hobson spent eight years in the major leagues, hitting 30 home runs with the Boston Red Sox in 1977. He later managed the Red Sox for three seasons.

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Michael DeMocker/Times-Picayune

12. Trindon Holliday, LSU

Standing just 5-foot-5 and weighing 165 pounds, Holliday's diminutive stature didn't keep him from excelling at both football and track & field. He helped LSU to a football national championship in 2007, and returned four punts or kickoffs for touchdowns during his career. On the track, he was the SEC champion and NCAA runner-up in the 100-meter dash in 2007, and helped the Tigers win the NCAA title in the 4x100-meter relay the following year. He spent four seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Denver Broncos, with two 105-yard kickoff returns to his credit.

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13. Dixie Howell, Alabama

Howell was a consensus All-America halfback in 1934, leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship alongside Don Hutson and Paul "Bear" Bryant, then briefly played professional football for the Washington Redskins in 1937. He also starred at Alabama in baseball, and played professionally in the minor leagues until 1942. While playing pro baseball, Howell was also head football coach at Arizona State from 1938-41. Following a stint in World War II, he was head baseball coach and a football assistant for a year at Alabama before becoming football coach at Idaho. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

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Birmingham News file photo

14. Bo Jackson, Auburn

Widely regarded as one of the handful of greatest athletes in sports history, Jackson starred in football, baseball and on the track for the Tigers. He won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 1985, after having led the SEC with 17 home runs the previous spring. On the track, he set an Auburn record in the 60-yard dash at 6.18 seconds (at 227 pounds). Jackson surprised many by choosing professional baseball over football in the summer of 1986, signing with the Kansas City Royals. He returned to football the following fall with the Oakland Raiders and was a star in both sports until a hip injury during the 1991 NFL playoffs ended his football career. He later underwent hip replacement surgery and returned to the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox in late 1991. Though he could no longer run well, Jackson played in the majors through the 1994 season.

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Jerry McCrea/Times-Picayune

15. Chad Jones, LSU

Jones was a key player on national championship teams in both football and baseball for the Tigers. He was a reserve defensive back for the LSU football team when it won the 2007 BCS national championship, and the top relief pitcher for the Tigers during their 2009 College World Series run. Jones first chose professional football after the New York Giants took him in the third round in 2010, but a serious car accident two years later — in which his left leg was severely injured — ended his football career. He tried to make a comeback in baseball, and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth round in 2013. He did not perform well in the minor leagues that year, however, and was released by the Reds.

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Ole Miss athletics

16. Jermey Parnell, Ole Miss

Parnell pulled off the rare football/basketball double during his career with the Rebels, but first signed with Ole Miss in basketball. He played four years in the SEC as a 6-foot-6, 300-pound post player, starting 44 games and averaging 3.9 points per game. Parnell went back to football as a senior in 2007, playing on the gridiron for the first time since eighth grade. Despite his having played sparingly as a defensive end in college, the New Orleans Saints signed Parnell as a free agent. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010 and converted to the offensive line. He has started 64 NFL games at right tackle, mostly with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Birmingham News file photo

17. Jim Pyburn, Auburn

Pyburn was an All-SEC performer in both football and baseball for the Tigers, also earning All-America honors as an end in football in 1954. He also starred in baseball as a third baseman, batting .432 in 1954 and .360 for his career. He turned pro in baseball after his junior year, and played three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. After retiring from professional baseball, he went into coaching. Pyburn was a football assistant under former Auburn teammate and longtime friend Vince Dooley at Georgia from 1964-79, and later coached at Abilene Christian. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

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Birmingham News file photo

18. Fred Sington, Alabama

Sington was so famous as a player at Alabama that a popular song, "Football Freddy," was inspired by him. He was a two-time All-Southern Conference tackle and an All-America pick at Alabama in 1930, when the Crimson Tide won the national championship. Also a standout in baseball, he is the only person named to the University of Alabama's All-Century team in both sports. As the NFL was in its infancy during that time, Sington chose baseball to play professionally. He spent six years in the majors as an outfielder with the Washington Senators and Brooklyn Dodgers before working as an SEC football official for more than 20 years. After serving in the Navy as a lieutenant during World War II, Sington opened a sporting goods store in Birmingham that eventually had locations all over the state. Noted for his various charitable and civic works, Sington earned the nickname "Mr. Birmingham."

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Ferd Kaufman/Associated Press

19. Ken Stabler, Alabama

"The Snake" was not only a great left-handed quarterback, but was also a dynamite pitcher for the Crimson Tide in the mid-1960s. Stabler led the Alabama football team to an undefeated season in 1966, and was a first-team All-American in 1967. In baseball, he lettered for the Crimson Tide in 1966 and showed enough to be drafted three different times by MLB teams: the New York Yankees in 1966, the New York Mets in 1967 and the Houston Astros in 1968. Of course, he chose the professional football route after the Oakland Raiders drafted him in the second round in 1968. After several years as a back-up, he finally won the starting job in 1973, and was NFL MVP in 1974. He led the Raiders to the Super Bowl championship after the 1976 season and played in the league until 1984. Stabler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

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Auburn athletics

20. Frank Thomas, Auburn

The hulking (6-foot-5, 250-pound) Thomas initially signed with Auburn only to play football, but joined the baseball team as a freshman in 1987. He blasted 21 home runs that year, a signal he'd found his best sport. Thomas still played football as a tight end for the Tigers that fall, but head coach Pat Dye later convinced him his future was on the diamond. After earning SEC Player of the Year as a junior in 1989, Thomas was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round. He would go on to bat .301 with 521 home runs during a 19-year MLB career, winning the American League MVP award in both 1993 and 1994. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

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Robert Adams/Birmingham News file

21. Travis Tidwell, Auburn

Tidwell was one of the first SEC football greats of the post-World War II era, leading the nation in total offense in both 1946 and 1949. The SEC Player of the Year as a senior in 1949, he led the Tigers to a stunning upset of Alabama in the Iron Bowl that December. In baseball, he started in center field for a Tigers team that also included four-sport letterman Erk Russell, later a famed football coach at Georgia and Georgia Southern. Tidwell was MVP of the 1950 Senior Bowl, and was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants. After two seasons in the NFL, he played many years in the Canadian Football League. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.

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Georgia athletics photo

22. Herschel Walker, Georgia

Walker is arguably the greatest player in SEC football history, a three-time All-American and still the league's all-time leading rusher more than 35 years after his college career ended. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting as a freshman in 1980 and second in 1981 before finally winning it in 1982. On the track, Walker was an All-American, finishing seventh in the 100-meter dash at the 1981 NCAA meet (the winner was future Olympic hero Carl Lewis of Houston). The 220-pound Walker ran the 100 as quickly as 10.1 seconds, which is world-class speed. Walker played three seasons in the USFL before breaking in with the Dallas Cowboys in 1986 and spending the next 12 years in the NFL. All the while, he dabbled in other sports and athletic pursuits, earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic bobsled team in 1992 and earning a fifth-degree black belt in tae kwon do. He also participated in professional mixed martial arts into his late 40s.