Walking Tall: 21st Century Boasts 5 DI Players Taller Than Purdue's 7-4 Edey

Sky-is-the-limit expectations face 7-4 freshman Canadian center Zach Edey of Purdue. The Boilermakers lost 7-3 Matt Haarms, who transferred to Brigham Young. It will be a tall order, but Toronto tower Edey likely will determine whether or not the Boilers participate in the NCAA tourney. Believe it or not, there has previously been a striking number of towering players with higher points of view.

Who have been the tallest players in major-college history? Five of nine NCAA Division I players taller than 7-4 have impacted major-college hoops this century and could literally look down upon national Player of Year winners Lew Alcindor (7-2/UCLA), Anthony Davis (7-0/Kentucky), Patrick Ewing (7-0/Georgetown) and Shaquille O'Neal (7-1/Louisiana State) plus two-time All-Americans Artis Gilmore (7-2/Jacksonville) and Hakeem Olajuwon (7-0/Houston). Edey is among the following list of skyscrapers taller than Haarms:

Tallest DI Players Ht. School(s) Summary of NCAA Division I Career
Neil Fingleton 7-7 1/2 North Carolina/Holy Cross Missed both of his field-goal attempts in one game with Carolina in 2001-02 before averaging 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg and 45.2 FG% for Holy Cross in 2002-03 and 2003-04
Tacko Fall 7-7 UCF 10.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg and 74 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19
Kenny George 7-7 UNC Asheville 9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg and 71.6 FG% in 2006-07 and 2007-08 before having part of his right foot amputated because of staph infection
Shawn Bradley 7-6 Brigham Young 14.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 5.2 bpg and 51.8 FG% in 1990-91
John Hollinden 7-6 Oral Roberts 1.2 ppg and 1.1 rpg in 1976-77 and 1977-78 before transferring to Indiana State-Evansville
Mike Lanier 7-6 Hardin-Simmons/UCLA Averaged 5.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 bpg and 45.2 FG% for Hardin-Simmons in 1988-89 and 1989-90 before averaging 1.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.1 bpg and 32.4 FG% with UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mamadou Ndiaye 7-6 UC Irvine 10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 67.6 FG% from 2013-14 through 2015-16
Sim Bhullar 7-5 New Mexico State 10.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg and 63.3 FG% in 2012-13 and 2013-14
Chuck Nevitt 7-5 North Carolina State 3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1 bpg and 58 FG% from 1978-79 through 1981-82
Alan Bannister 7-4 Oklahoma State/Arkansas State 6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg and 45.9 FG% with OSU in 1985-86 and 1987-88 before averaging 2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.8 bpg and 45.2 FG% with ASU in 1989-90
Lonnie Boeckman 7-4 Oklahoma State 1.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 35.8 FG% from 1973-74 through 1976-77
Tom Burleson 7-4 North Carolina State 19 ppg, 12.7 rpg and 51.6 FG% from 1971-72 through 1973-74
Mark Eaton 7-4 UCLA 1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg and 44.9 FG% in 1980-81 and 1981-82
Zach Edey 7-4 Purdue Canadian freshman averaged nearly a point per minute while shooting 72.4% from floor in first four games
Christ Koumadje 7-4 Florida State 4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg and 62.2 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19
Rolf Mayr 7-4 Duquesne 1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg and 42.9 FG% in 1987-88
Ralph Sampson 7-4 Virginia 16.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.5 bpg and 56.8 FG% from 1979-80 through 1982-83
Rik Smits 7-4 Marist 18.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.2 bpg and 60.9 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88
Steve Turner 7-4 Vanderbilt 8.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 50.2 FG% from 1969-70 through 1972-73

NOTES: George Bell (7-8/Morris Brown GA, UC Riverside and Biola CA), Paul Sturgess (7-7/Florida Tech and Mountain State WV), Manute Bol (7-6/Bridgeport CT) and Priest Lauderdale (7-4/Central State OH) played for non-DI colleges. . . . Homesick Gunther Behnke (7-4/Kentucky) left UK before start of 1984-85 season to return to his native West Germany.