List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career steals leaders

In basketball, a steal is the act of legally gaining possession of the ball by a defensive player who causes the opponent to turn the ball over.^[1] The top 25 highest steals totals in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball history are listed below. The NCAA did not split into its current divisions format until August 1973.^[2] From 1906 to 1955, there were no classifications to the NCAA nor its predecessor, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS).^[2] Then, from 1956 to spring 1973, colleges were classified as either "NCAA University Division (Major College)" or "NCAA College Division (Small College)".^[2][3] Steals are a relatively new statistic in college basketball, having only become an official statistic beginning with the 1985–86 season.^[3]

The all-time Division I steals leader is John Linehan of Providence. He recorded 385 steals between 1997–98 and 2001–02, utilizing a partial fifth season in 1999–2000 that he had to redshirt due to medical reasons.^[4] The second all-time steals leader, Eric Murdock, also played at Providence. He recorded 376 steals.

Three schools have two different players representing them on the top 25 list. Providence, which has the top two, is followed by Alabama A&M and Maryland.

Key

Pos. G F C Ref. Position Guard Forward Center References

* Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Team (X) Denotes the number of times a player from that team is represented on this list

Steals leaders

Juan "Pepe" Sánchez has the fourth-most steals (365).

Bonzi Wells finished with 347 steals.

Juan Dixon of Maryland recorded 333 steals.

Player	Pos.	Team	Career start	Career end	Games played	Steals	Ref.
Linehan, JohnJohn Linehan	G	Providence	1997	2002	122	385	[5]
Murdock, EricEric Murdock	G	Providence (2)	1987	1991	117	376	[6]
Weber, BriantéBrianté Weber	G	VCU	2011	2015	127	374	[7]
Sánchez, PepePepe Sánchez	G	Temple	1996	2000	116	365	[8]
Belcher, CookieCookie Belcher	G	Nebraska	1996	2001	131	353	[9]
Braswell, KevinKevin Braswell	G	Georgetown	1998	2002	128	349	[10]
Wells, BonziBonzi Wells	G	Ball State	1994	1998	116	347	[11]
Trotter, ObieObie Trotter	G	Alabama A&M	2002	2006	114	346	[12]
Walker, GeraldGerald Walker	G	San Francisco	1992	1996	111	344	[3]
Rhodes, JohnnyJohnny Rhodes	G	Maryland	1992	1996	122	344	[3]
Downey, DevanDevan Downey	G	Cincinnati / South Carolina	2005	2010	128	342	[13]
Anderson, MichaelMichael Anderson	G	Drexel	1984	1988	115	341	[14]
Robertson, KennyKenny Robertson	G	Cleveland State	1986	1990	119	341	[3]
Craft, AaronAaron Craft	G	Ohio State	2010	2014	148	337	[15]
Jennings, KeithKeith Jennings	G	ETSU	1987	1991	127	334	[16]
Dixon, JuanJuan Dixon	G	Maryland (2)	1998	2002	141	333	[17]
Cambridge, DesmondDesmond Cambridge	G	Alabama A&M (2)	1999	2002	84	330	[18]
Anthony, GregGreg Anthony	G	Portland / UNLV	1987	1991	138	329	[19]
Hart, JasonJason Hart	G	Syracuse	1996	2000	132	329	[20]
Cooper, D. J.D. J. Cooper	G	Ohio	2009	2013	143	328	[21]
Corchiani, ChrisChris Corchiani	G	NC State	1987	1991	124	328	[22]
Green, MarquesMarques Green	G	St. Bonaventure	2000	2004	112	325	[23]
Gibson, DevinDevin Gibson	G	UTSA	2007	2011	119	323	[24]
Payton, GaryGary Payton*	G	Oregon State	1986	1990	120	321	[25]
Garner, ChrisChris Garner	G	Memphis	1993	1997	123	321	[26]

References

General

• "2013–14 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.

Specific

1. "Basketball glossary". FIBA.com. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
2. "History of the NCAA". NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
3. "2009–10 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). 2009–10 NCAA Men's Basketball Media Guide. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
4. "NBA Development League: John Linehan". NBA Media Ventures, LLC. 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
5. "John Linehan". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
6. "Eric Murdock". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
7. "Brianté Weber". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
8. "Pepe Sánchez". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
9. "Cookie Belcher". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
10. "Kevin Braswell". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
11. "Bonzi Wells". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
12. "Obie Trotter". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
13. "Devan Downey". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
14. "Michael Anderson". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
15. "Aaron Craft". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
16. "Keith Jennings". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
17. "Juan Dixon". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
18. "Desmond Cambridge". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
19. "Greg Anthony". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
20. "Jason Hart". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
21. "D.J. Cooper Game-by-Game Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
22. "Chris Corchiani". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
23. "Marques Green". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
24. "Devin Gibson". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
25. "Gary Payton". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
26. "Chris Garner". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 30, 2010.