(Photo courtesy of AP / Photo illustration by Demetrio Teniente)

With nine more issues of everyone’s favorite newspaper left to go until summer break, the sports department, along with a few other selected members of The Daily Campus, have put together a list of the top 10 professional athletes currently playing for teams in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Dallas and its surrounding areas have been blessed with some of the world’s greatest competitors, and whether they came here through drafts, free agency or personal choice, the best of the best will be fully detailed and presented in this countdown.

This list was developed using each of the contending professional’s personal accomplishments, athleticism, longevity and overall attitude along with what they have meant to this town since becoming the faces and figures of their respective teams.

Some incredible names have been left out, but that is not an indictment on their abilities or what the voters think of them, but rather a higher compliment to the ones who made the final cut.

Each issue for the remaining two and a half weeks of the semester will feature the voter’s next choice until the final paper on May 8 when the selections of both the first and second best athletes in DFW will be announced.

Number Ten: Dez Bryant

Following his breakout season in 2012, Dez Bryant has been named the tenth best player in the Dallas sports scene.

Coming into the season, most media members could only focus on the former Oklahoma State Cowboys’ troubled offseason involving Bryant’s alleged assault on his own mother in July. Bryant’s mother would ultimately decide not to press charges, but many pundits questioned whether or not his focus could remain strictly on football.

Instead of shying away from the situation, Bryant was the most consistent player on the Cowboys offense late in the season on his way to career-highs in receptions, yardage and touchdowns.

Even a broken finger couldn’t stop Dallas’ most explosive player. Bryant fought to keep the Cowboys in contention until the very end and had the best individual game of his career in a week 16 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Bryant tallied nine catches for 224 yards, ranked fourth in team history, and two touchdowns.

The greatest upside of the young Bryant is his potential to turn into the Cowboys next great wide receiver from an organization that has seen its fair share of greats come and go.

If the Cowboys hope to finally get back into the postseason with some regularity, the task will weigh heavily upon the shoulders of Dez Bryant.

His 1,382 yards, 92 catches and 12 touchdowns all ranked the wide out in the top ten of the league, and also places him firmly inside the top 10 list of best athletes in Dallas.

Hopefully he can live up to his bold 2,000 yard 20 touchdown prediction for 2013.

Number Nine: Jaimie Benn

Currently in his fourth pro season, the Stars’ center Jamie Benn has gotten better each year.

In each of his first three seasons, he has notched at least 22 goals. His point totals have gone up each year too, from 41 in 2009-10 to 63 in 2011-12.

The Victoria, B.C., native was selected by the Dallas Stars in the 5th round, 129th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry draft. Benn had played for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL of the Junior-A League, a step below the heavily scouted major junior hockey leagues.

After being drafted by the Stars, Benn made the move to major junior, playing for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL.

It quickly became clear that Benn was better than his draft position. In his first year in Kelowna, Benn scored 65 points in 51 games.

His second year was even better: 82 points in 56 games. That year Benn helped to lead the Rockets to the Memorial Cup final.

Benn also won a gold medal with Canada in the 2009 World Junior Championships, where he had six points in six games.

Benn’s game goes a lot deeper than point totals though; he is considered a complete player.

He can fight, hit and score. Benn can steal the puck, deke around the five opposing players on the ice, skate the goalie and put the puck in the net.

He’s also not afraid to drop the gloves. He has fought some of the leagues’ heavyweights, including Erik Johnson, Jarome Iginla and Joe Thornton.

He has everything a team wants in a hockey player.

Benn has the rare ability to carry a team for games at a time. He’ll make plays on both sides of the ice, and when his game is on, look out.

He will be the most dominant player on the ice.

Benn has become the cornerstone of the rebuilding Stars going forward.

This was made clear in January, when Benn signed a five year, $26.25 million deal.

There is little doubt that Benn will soon don the captains’ “C”. He’s already the teams’ best skater, and he’s only getting better.

It is somewhat fitting that Benn comes in at #9 because that’s exactly who he is pegged to replace.

The Stars have been looking for a face, an identity since the departure of Mike Modano. The Stars have that in Benn. 

Number Eight: Ian Kinsler

Since making his major league debut with the Rangers in 2006, Ian Kinsler has been a fan-favorite and has become known for his solid defensive skills, speed and hitting ability.

Although Kinsler has become a mainstay in the Rangers’ organization, he wasn’t always regarded as a top pro-prospect.

Out of high school, Kinsler was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 27th round, but never signed with them thinking he could better his chances of having a pro career if he played at the collegiate level.

Kinsler was never recruited by any Division I programs, so he decided to play his college ball at Central Arizona College.

After a breakout year, where he batted over .400 with 17 doubles, Kinsler was again drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 26th round, but opted to continue his collegiate career. This time he caught the attention of Arizona State head coach Pat Murphy. Murphy promised him a starting job, but after transferring, Kinsler did not see much playing time.

A year filled with disappointment led Kinsler to decide to head east and try his luck for the Tigers of the University of Missouri. While there, Kinsler played with a stress fracture in his foot and was still able to bat .335 to go along with 16 steals.

Kinsler was then drafted a third time in the 17th round by the Texas Rangers, which was the beginning of a successful career. Organizations usually do not expect much from players selected in the late rounds; however Kinsler has shown throughout his career that he has the ability to be a five-tool player.

Kinsler can hit for average and power, plays great defense, steals bases and has an above average arm for a second baseman, which made him one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

It took Kinsler three years, but when he finally made it to the major-league level in the Rangers’ organization, he was there to stay.

After transitioning to the position just a year before, Kinsler started the 2006 season as the starting second baseman.

As a rookie, Kinsler produced at a high level, batting .286 to go along with 14 homeruns and 11 stolen bases, all of this after sitting out 41 games because of injury.

Even after missing another 26 games because of a stress fracture in his foot, Kinsler became the sixth player in franchise history to reach that 20-20 plateau in 2007.

In February of 2008, Kinsler signed a 5-year $22 million deal and new manager Ron Washington promised him the lead-off slot in the batting order, ultimately deeming Kinsler as the new face of the franchise.

After signing the contract, Kinsler did not disappoint in the following years, becoming an all-star in 2008 and the 34th major leaguer in history to reach the 30-30 mark with 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 2009.

Kinsler, who is only 30 years old, is entering the prime of his career, so Ranger fans can expect to see his face around the organization as he continues to produce day-in and day-out at a high level.

In the meantime, he’ll proudly take the eighth spot in the lineup of best pro athletes in DFW. 

Number Seven: Elvis Andrus

Coming in at number seven, fresh from signing an eight-year, $120 million extension, is Elvis Andrus. The Rangers’ shortstop is only in his fifth year, but he has already made a major impact in the league.

Andrus grew up in Maracay, Venezuela. In 2005, he started playing professional baseball, as a prospect for the Atlanta Braves. In 2007, Andrus was traded to the Texas Rangers in a huge deal that saw himself, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and pitchers Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones to Texas, in exchange for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay. Fair to say the Rangers won that trade.

In 2009, then Ranger Michael Young agreed to move to third base, opening the shortstop position for Andrus, who made his Major League debut at the age of 20. That year saw Elvis collect 128 hits, 72 runs and 40 RBIs in 145 games. He also stole 33 bases.

2010 was not only a career changing year for Andrus, but a franchise defining year for the Rangers. Andrus was named to the All-Star team that year. More importantly, behind the claw and antlers, Andrus had 156 hits and 35 RBIs, helping the Rangers to win their first American League Championship in franchise history.

The following year Andrus continued to improve, and once again helped the Rangers reach the World Series. The 2012 season saw Andrus get career highs in hits (180) and RBIs (62). That was good enough to earn Andrus his second All-Star selection.

Currently, Andrus has only 14 career home runs. He’s not a power hitter, but that’s fine, given the young man’s skill set. He’s always slated into one of the first couple slots in the batting order, and that often works in favor of the Rangers. Andrus is dangerous when gets on base. His speed makes him a threat to steal a base considering he has done it 127 times in hisyoung career.

Add Andrus’ stellar defensive play on top of his offensive talent, and you’re left with one stellar ball player. Andrus is slated to be a major part of the Rangers’ organization for the foreseeable future, and that’s a fantastic thing. 

Number Five: Kari Lehtonen

Next on our list is Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars. The 29-year-old goalie is arguably the Stars’ best player. While Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson can push the Stars over the top, they’re not on the ice for all 60 minutes. Kari brings his best game every night, frustrating opposing teams and giving the Stars a chance to win.

In 2002, the Atlanta Thrashers drafted Lehtonen second overall in the first round, making Lehtonen the highest drafted Finnish player in league history. After being drafted, Lehtonen spent one more year playing in Finland before making the move to North America.

Lehtonen debuted with the Chicago Wolves, the Thrashers’ AHL affiliate, in the 2003-04 season. He played in 39 AHL games that year, picking up 20 wins. Lehtonen would also play four games in the NHL that season, winning all four and posting one shutout. 

The 2004-05 NHL lockout meant Lehtonen spent the entire year in the AHL. Kari would go 38-17 that year with five shutouts, a .929 SV% and a GAA of 2.27. Lehtonen was ready to make the leap to the NHL.

The next four seasons were a turning point for Lehtonen. His numbers were impressive. He always had a SV% above .910, and only once had a GAA of higher than 3.00. Lehtonen played a major role in getting the Thrashers the franchise’s first playoff appearance in 2007.

But those four year also saw Lehtonen plagued with injuries. He only played more than 50 games once. There were reports of him being lazy and showing up to training camp out of shape. People recognized Lehtonen’s talent, but also were weary of his dedication. This was made clear on February 29, 2010 when the Thrashers traded Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars for defensive prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth round pick.

Lehtonen’s arrival all but assured the end for longtime Stars’ goalie Marty Turco. Lehtonen would play 12 games for the Stars that year. Now, three full seasons into his time with Dallas, Lehtonen has shown his full potential. He has had some minor injuries, but the questionable work ethic seen in Atlanta is gone. 

Lehtonen played 69 games in 2010-11, picking up 34 wins. He played in 59 games last season, and 36 of the 48 games this season. He’s been consistent, and has kept the Stars competitive against teams with much deeper rosters than the Stars.

The Stars signed Lehtonen to a five year exention that will run through 2018. That’s good, not only because Lehtonen is the Stars’ best player, not only because Lehtonen is one of the league’s best, but because Lehtonen is one of the best goalies in the world. And as the Stars go through a rebuild, it’s nice having world class talent on the ice for 60 minutes a game.

Sure, the Stars haven’t made the playoff for five straight years. But over the last three, the Stars have been in the playoff race until the last week of the regular season. That is mostly Lehtonen’s doing.

Number Five: Yu Darvish

The Rangers were hoping for an ace after shipping more than $51 million to pitcher Yu Darvish’s former team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and giving the 26-year-old another $60 million contract for six years.

With what its seen so far, Texas is definitely pleased with its large investment.

Darvish spent the early part of his career in Japan’s professional league making opposing batters look silly, posting 93 wins in 131 decisions to go along with an unbelievable 1.99 ERA and over 1,200 strikeouts.

The Rangers competed with the likes of the Toronto Blue Jays and several other teams for Darvish’s rights to join their club, but ultimately Texas won the bidding war.

The half-Iranian, half-Japanese Darvish had a bit of a spotty first year in Arlington once he agreed to play in the MLB, collecting 16 wins and nine losses over his 29 starts in 2012. Darvish’s pitching could be somewhat erratic at times, seen by his ERA of 3.90 and his walk total of 89.

Despite those shortcomings, Darvish can still dominate a lineup of any kind with a myriad of pitch types to go along with his competitive drive to keep going back out to the mound. Being chosen for the 2012 All-Star game proves this drive.

Darvish is one of the few pitchers in all of baseball to have command over at least five pitches, including a dominant four-seam fastball, the slider, curveball, splitter and changeup. Each of these pitches are rated very highly by scouts of Major League Baseball, including some who believe his slider to be the best in the sport.

He routinely goes deep into the late innings of ballgames, something his teammates, along with Manager Ron Washington and CEO Nolan Ryan, can certainly appreciate.

The question of who was the Rangers’ best pitcher was quickly answered at the beginning of the 2013 season with only two games played.

After a very mediocre opening game by day one starter Matt Harrison against the Houston Astros, Washington sent out Darvish in hopes of simply salvaging the series.

What Darvish did instead was on the doorstep of greatness.

In his first game since the disappointing playoff loss last year to the Baltimore Orioles, Darvish threw a nearly perfect game, striking out 14 Astros while allowing zero walks in eight and 2/3 innings.

The Astros were able to produce a single by the closest of margins to break up perfection, but even with the disappointment, no Texas player could question who the best pitcher in a Ranger uniform was anymore.

Darvish has set the stage for himself early on this year, looking like a very early season candidate for the Cy Young award, the prize given to each league’s best pitcher.

His team has certainly enjoyed the growth of their young and budding star, but the best has yet to come from Yu.

In all likelihood, Darvish will soon mature into one of the best pitchers on the planet given his talent and competitive drive. 

Until then, Yu Darvish will settle into fifth place on the countdown of best professional athletes in Dallas Fort-Worth. 

Number Four: Jason Witten

If the Cowboys have been the model of inconsistency over the past decade, there is one player on the team who cannot be stereotyped into that same mold, and that is Dallas all-time receiving leader, Tight End Jason Witten.

Over the past decade, Witten has become the best player at his position in the National Football League with combinations as a major receiving threat, a blocker and a tutor to younger players on how to become a pro.

Drafted in the third round out of the University of Tennessee, the 30-year old Witten took a slow start in his rookie year and turned it around for an explosive sophomore campaign, tallying 87 receptions for 980 yards and six touchdowns.

From that point forward, Witten never gained less than 750 yards and never caught less than 64 passes. He is the model of productivity for a position filled with incredible athletes throughout the league.

Quarterback Tony Romo can certainly attest to Witten’s abilities. The connection from number 9 to number 82 has developed into one of the most deadly combinations in the league.

The two have been in attack mode since Romo became the Cowboys’ starter in 2006, as seen by Witten’s 6,864 yards and 31 touchdowns since that season.

Although Witten’s ability to get inside the end zone has never been his strong suite, the 6-foot-6-inch, 260-pound tight end has a knack for getting open through some of the best route-running in the league by any skill position player. He’s right where the quarterback needs him to be at just the right time.

Witten also has a competitive drive that is second to none. After suffering a lacerated spleen in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders last year, Witten powered through the pain to start for the Cowboys against the Super Bowl champion Giants on opening night.

Although he didn’t make much of an impact in the first matchup against New York with just two catches for 10 yards, Witten saved his best performance as a pro for the rematch in Dallas.

As the Cowboys attempted to make a huge comeback in front of their home crowd in Arlington, Romo found Witten a record 18 times for 167 yards. The effort put Witten in the NFL’s history books with the most catches by a tight end in a single game.

The former Volunteer has no shortage of records to look through after a superb 2012 season. Witten will be a serious threat to catch more passes than any other tight end in history, as he is currently third all-time, but will also be in the mix for the Cowboys record of most receiving yards.

Witten’s 44 touchdowns, 8,948 yards and 806 receptions are lofty figures to say the least, but Witten will have plenty of time to make these stats mean even more if he can help lead the Cowboys back to the promise land in the playoffs.

Number Three: Tony Romo

Not only did Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo sign a six-year, $108 million contract this offseason, but he is number three in our countdown of the top athletes in the Dallas sports scene.

Romo is entering his seventh full season as the starting quarterback for “America’s Team,” and this past season he showed statistically why he was worthy of such a huge contract.

Passing for 4,903 yards and 28 touchdowns with a 65.6 percent completion, Romo led the Cowboys to an average 8-8 season, but Romo had to make big plays and take chances with a struggling Cowboys defense that saw defensive coordinator Rob Ryan get fired after the season.

One of the biggest knocks on Romo is his gunslinger style of play. Last season he tied his career-high for interceptions with 19, but that was partly due to him trying to make plays for the offense that had to carry the team in most of the games.

In the Cowboys eight losses, the defense gave up 27 points or more in all but one of those games.

Tony Romo has been one of the most consistent performers for the Cowboys even though he has taken a lot of criticism off the field for the Cowboys struggles the past few years.

The Cowboys haven’t had great production from the running game and the offensive line struggled mightily. In addition to their shoddy run blocking, they also have failed to protect their quarterback; Romo has been sacked 72 times over the past two seasons. So, Romo hasto take on the role as sole playmaker on the Cowboys offense.

Jerry Jones suggests that with his new contract, Romo will have a renewed sense to commit even more time to the team.

“If you’re going to have a guy operate behind an offensive line that can handle a porous offensive line, it’s Tony,” said Jones in a press conference earlier this offseason. “Tony has some of the best percentages operating behind pressure situation of anyone in the NFL. If there were a place theoretically that you had to have a weakness with Tony Romo at quarterback, (the offensive line) might be a place to have it. You just can’t have it all.”

In fact Romo has some of the best stats among active quarterbacks. Just looking at passer rating, he has a 95.6 QB rating -that’s fifth all-time and fourth among active QBs.

And he has good company on that list. Here is a look at the top five among active passers; Aaron Rodgers (104.9), Tom Brady (96.6), Peyton Manning (95.7), Tony Romo (95.6), Phillip Rivers (94.5).

Jones believes that Romo’s time commitment will go up with the new deal and that will cause the perennial Pro-Bowler to step up even more and give the team a better shot at making the playoffs.

Romo is the heart and soul of the Cowboys offense and the team goes as he goes and that is a big burden for him. However, if Romo continues to put up big numbers like he has, the Cowboys will always have a chance to win. When former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Bill Parcells used the 11th overall pick to draft a seemingly unknown pass rusher out of Troy University in the 2005, he was probably unaware that his selection would turn into the modern day Reggie White.

Number Two: DeMarcus Ware

DeMarcus Ware has become the NFL’s most fearsome defender over last decade and is unquestionably the best player on the Cowboys roster.

As a rookie in the 2005 season, Ware flashed signs of greatness with 58 tackles and eight sacks, tying the team-lead. In a week 16 matchup versus the Carolina Panthers, Ware recorded three sacks and three forced fumbles. He was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week and overall rookie of the week for his effort.

Cowboy fans knew they had something special from that point on, and Ware has yet to disappoint.

Since his rookie year, Ware has never had less than 11 sacks in a full season, despite battling injuries and inconsistency at the coaching level. He is also known as a stout run defender, averaging just under 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage each season.

His best season by far put the 30-year-old Ware on the brink of history. With 20 sacks on the season, he led the league, bettering the next best pass rusher by 2.5. The incredible output placed Ware sixth all-time for one season of work which tied hall-of-famer Derrick Thomas.

In December of 2009, Ware battled through a sprained neck injury to sack Drew Brees and the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and help the Cowboys clinch a playoff spot.

Twice Ware has led the league in sacks in 2008 and 2010, tying the record held by other great pass rushers such as Mark Gastineau, Michael Strahan and Jared Allen.

Ware quickly became a mainstay at the NFL’s annual all-star game in Hawaii. In his eight full seasons with Dallas, the 6-foot-4-inch defensive end has made seven trips to the Pro Bowl and has been named a first-team All-Pro four times.

What may be even more impressive is how quickly Ware put his name into the history books. DeMarcus Ware is the second fastest player to ever reach more than 100 sacks in a career, second only behind the great Reggie White. Ware also has more multiple-sack games and more forced fumbles than any other player in Cowboys history in just his first eight seasons.

Prior to the 2009 season, Ware signed a 6-year, $78 million contract, locking him up for the Cowboys for the foreseeable future, and hopefully giving Dallas stability along the defensive line.

Ware has been counted upon for almost his entire career to anchor the Dallas defense in good and bad times.

The Cowboys may have earned only one playoff win in the eight years DeMarcus Ware has been in Dallas, but he is without a doubt the strongest reason why they have a chance to stop opponents every drive.

DeMarcus Ware has definitely earned his spot among the top 10 professional athletes in Dallas, and with a bit more playoff experience, could even surpass our number one.

Number One: Dirk Nowitzski

It should come as no surprise that number one on our list is Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki makes everyone else on our list look bad. I mean seriously, no one comes close to touching his awesomeness. Furthermore, he is the only player on the list who has won a championship in Dallas. Who can forget that year?

LeBron James holds that special on ESPN to announce where he will be taking his talents. Then Miami has a giant party to introduce the three amigos: Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and James.

James goes on to say that the heat will win multiple championships-not one, not two, not three… James continued counting to show America he can count all the way up to seven. Good. That means he definitely knew how many turnovers (6) he had in the Maverick’s 105-95 title-clinching win in Game Six.

Nowitzki averaged 26 points and 9.6 rebounds a game during the 2011 Finals- earning him Finals MVP honors and sending the three amigos back to Miami as the three zeroes.

2011 was perfection. Finally, the critics were silent. Prior to the championship, Nowitzki faced the same criticism as Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, because he never won the big one. Throw that argument out of the window and throw open the floodgates of praise.

Nowitzki is an 11 time NBA All-Star, and twelve time All-NBA Player. Oh yeah, and he was the 2007 NBA Most Valuable Player…no big deal.

The seven footer is the best to wear a Maverick uniform and the greatest Dallas athlete this side of the millennium.

Clearly, Nowitzki is deserving of the top spot on our list. 

Think we got it wrong? Send us your top ten at [email protected] or [email protected]