In 2006, the NCAA celebrates its centennial anniversary. The following list was compiled by a panel the NCAA to salute the most influential student-athletes. Criteria included achievement both in the academic and athletic worlds, with emphasis on the individual's professional success and lasting legacy.
These student-athletes will be honored throughout the yearlong celebration. ESPNU will air Parts 1 and 2 of its series on the NCAA's 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Part 1 will reair May 22 at 8 p.m. ET.
1. Jackie Robinson, UCLA
Basketball, baseball, football, track
2. Arthur Ashe, UCLA
Tennis
3. Jesse Owens, Ohio State University '37
Track and Field
4. Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. Military Academy '15
Football
5. John R. Wooden, Purdue University '32
Basketball
6. Althea Gibson, Florida A&M University
Tennis, basketball, golf
7. Madeline Albright, Wellesley College
Swimming and Diving
8. Jack W. Nicklaus, Ohio State University '61
Golf
9. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Stanford University
Swimming, track
10. Edward G. Robinson, Grambling State University
Football
11. Ronald Reagan, Eureka College '32
Swimming, football, track
12. Billie Jean King, Cal State, Los Angeles 1961-64
Women's Tennis
13. Tiger Woods, Stanford University
Golf
14. Gerald R. Ford, University of Michigan '35
Football
15. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., North Carolina A&T State University '64
Football
16. Kofi Annan, Macalester College
Track and Field, soccer
17. George H. W. Bush, Yale University '48
Baseball
18. Donna A. Lopiano, Southern Connecticut State University '68
Softball, basketball, volleyball, field hockey
19. Alan Page, University of Notre Dame 1963-67
Football
20. Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee-Martin '74
Basketball
21. Jim Thorpe, Carlisle Indian School
Football
22. Michael Jordan, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Basketball
23. Paul Robeson, Rutgers University
Football, basketball, track
24. Jerome "Brud" Holland, Cornell University 1934-38
Football
25. Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest University '54
Golf
26. Joseph V. Paterno, Brown University 1946-50
Football and basketball
27. Sally Ride, Stanford University '73
Tennis
28. Leroy T. Walker, Benedict College
Football, basketball, track and field
29. Donna de Varona, UCLA
Swimming and Diving
30. Bill Bradley, Princeton University '65
Basketball
31. Wilma Rudolph, Tennessee State University '63
Track
32. Dr. Denton A. Cooley, University of Texas '41
Basketball
33. Benjamin Spock, Yale University
Crew
34. Peter Ueberroth, San Jose State University '59
Swimming, water polo
35. Edwin Moses, Morehouse College
Track and Field
36. Robert J. Dole, Washburn University '52
Football, basketball, track
37. Patricia Berg, University of Minnesota
Golf
38. General Omar N. Bradley, U.S. Military Academy '15
Football, baseball
39. William "Bill" Cosby Jr., Temple University '64
Track and Field, football
40. Bill Russell, University of San Fransisco
Basketball
41. Byron R. White, University of Colorado, Boulder '38
Football
42. Jackie Joyner Kersee, UCLA
Track and Field, basketball
43. Dot Richardson, UCLA
Softball
44. Ann Meyers-Drysdale, UCLA 1974-78
Basketball, track and field and volleyball
45. Howard K. Smith, Tulane University '36
Track and Field
46. Roger T. Staubach, U.S. Naval Academy '65
Football, basketball, baseball
47. Knute Rockne, Notre Dame
Football, track
48. Richard Nixon, Whittier College
Football
49. Anita DeFrantz, Connecticut College '74
Rowing
50. Dean Smith, University of Kansas
Basketball
51. Mia Hamm, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Soccer
52. Harold "Red" Grange, University of Illinois 1922-25
Football, track and field, baseball
53. Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bowdoin College '79
Indoor and outdoor track and field, field hockey
54. Rafer Johnson, UCLA 1955-59
Men's basketball and track and field
55. Dr. Cedric W. Dempsey, Albion College 1950-54
Football, basketball and baseball
56. Oscar P. Robertson, University of Cincinnati '60
Basketball
57. Val Ackerman, University of Virginia 1978-81
Basketball
58. Annika Sorenstam, University of Arizona
Golf
59. A. Lamar Alexander Jr., Vanderbilt University '62
Track
60. Betsy King, Furman University '77
Golf, basketball, field hockey
61. Norman Schwarzkopf, West Point University
Football, wrestling
62. Walter Jerry Payton, Jackson State University
Football
63. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, UCLA '69
Basketball
64. Capt. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., U.S. Naval Academy '45
Crew
65. Judith Sweet, University of Wisconsin
Badminton
66. Mike Krzyzewski, West Point University
Basketball
67. Vince Lombardi, Fordham University
Football
68. Robert B. Mathias, Stanford University '53
Football, track and field
69. Bill Richardson, Tufts University '70
Baseball
70. Jack F. Kemp, Occidental College '57
Football
71. Calvin Hill, Yale University '69
Football
72. James Brown, Harvard University
Basketball
73. Larry Bird, Indiana State University
Basketball
74. Ervin "Magic" Johnson, Michigan State University
Basketball
75. Herman R. Frazier, Arizona State University '77
Track and Field
76. Dennis Hastert, Wheaton College
Wrestling
77. Otis Chandler, Stanford University '50
Track and Field
78. George P. Schultz, Princeton University '42
Basketball
79. Jerry West, West Virginia University 1959-60
Men's Basketball
80. Robert Kraft, Columbia University 1959-63
Football
81. William "Bill" V. Campbell, Columbia University 1958-62
Football
82. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, Yale University '70
Soccer, track and field
83. William P. Lawrence, U.S. Naval Academy '51
Football
84. Arnold "Red" Auerbach, George Washington University
Basketball, baseball
85. Phil Knight, University of Oregon
Track and Field
86. Edward Temple, Tennessee State University
Track and Field
87. Archie Griffin, Ohio State University '76
Football
88. Thomas J. Hamilton, U.S. Naval Academy '27
Football, basketball, baseball
89. Dr. James Frank, Lincoln University
Basketball
90. Dawn Staley, University of Virginia 1989-92
Basketball
91. Michael H. Armacost, Carleton College '58
Football, basketball, baseball
92. Meg Whitman, Princeton
Lacrosse, soccer
93. Cheryl Miller, USC
Basketball
94. Wyomia Tyus, Tennessee State University
Track and Field
95. Theresa Edwards, University of Georgia
Basketball
96. Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier, Pennsylvania State University 1951-54
Football, track and field
97. Julie Foudy, Stanford University
Soccer
98. Robin Roberts, Southeastern Louisiana University
Basketball
99. Alpha A. Alexander, College of Wooster '76
Basketball, volleyball, tennis. lacrosse
100. Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State University
Football