INDIANAPOLIS--- UCLA
alumni Jackie Robinson and Arthur Ashe are examples of the former NCAA
student-athletes who have made the elite list of the "100 Most Influential
Student-Athletes." Legendary basketball coach John Wooden is also on the list as
a Purdue student-athlete.
Robinson and Ashe rank No.
1 and No. 2 on the list.
In addition to Robinson
(football, basketball, track and field and baseball) and Ashe (tennis), the
other Bruins on the list include No. 63 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (basketball), No. 42
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (track and field and basketball), No. 29 Donna de Varona
(swimming), No. 54 Rafer Johnson (track and field and basketball), No. 44 Ann
Meyers-Drysdale (basketball, volleyball, track and field) and No. 43 Dot
Richardson (softball), giving UCLA a total of eight student-athletes on the
list. John Wooden was ranked No. 5.
UCLA's eight student-athletes was the most of any school in the nation, while Stanford had the second-most on the list with six.
As part of the NCAA
Centennial celebration in 2006, ESPN Classic will air two one-hour programs
highlighting the 100 Most Influential NCAA Student-Athletes. The program
specials will re-air several times on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.
"The list of 100
student-athletes represents the best of what college sports and higher education
bring to our society ," said NCAA President Myles Brand. "Their collective
positive impact serves as a model for today's student-athletes."
The NCAA defines the 100
Most Influential Student-Athletes as those who have made a significant impact or
major contributions to society. "The show is really featuring not just the
accomplishments student-athletes had in competition, but it's their contribution
to society as a whole that's really being celebrated," said John L. Johnson,
NCAA Director of Promotions and Events.
The "100 Most Influential
Student-Athletes" were chosen by a special panel that included college
presidents, athletics directors, faculty representatives, student-athletes and
conference representatives. The NCAA celebrates is 100th anniversary in 2006.
The NCAA Centennial began January 6 at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.
The "100 Most Influential
Student-Athletes" in numerical order are:
1.
Jackie Robinson, University of California Los Angeles, basketball,
baseball, football, track and field
2.
Arthur Ashe, University of California Los Angeles, tennis
3.
Jesse Owens, Ohio State University, track and field
4.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. Military Academy, football
5.
John R. Wooden, Purdue University, 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, golf
9.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Stanford University, swimming, track and field
10.
Edward G. Robinson, Grambling State University, college football coach
with the most victories at one college and the winningiest coach in DIAA.
11.
Ronald Reagan, Eureka College, swimming, football, track and field
12.
Billie Jean King, Cal State, Los Angeles, tennis
13.
Tiger Woods, Stanford University, golf
14.
Gerald R. Ford, University of Michigan, football
15.
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., North Carolina A&T State University,
football
16.
Kofi Annan, Macalester College, track and field, soccer
17.
George H.W. Bush, Yale University, baseball
18.
Donna A. Lopiano, Southern Connecticut State University, softball,
basketball, volleyball, field hockey
19.
Alan Page, University of Notre Dame, football
20.
Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee at Martin, 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 and field
24.
Jerome "Brud" Holland, Cornell University, football
25.
Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest University, golf
26.
Joseph V. Paterno, Brown University, football, basketball
27.
Sally Ride, Stanford University, tennis
28.
Leroy T. Walker, Benedict College, football, basketball, track and field
29.
Donna deVarona, University of California, Los Angeles, swimming and diving
30.
Bill Bradley, Princeton University, basketball
31.
Wilma Rudolph, Tennessee State University, track and field
32.
Dr. Denton A. Dooley, M.D., University of Texas at Austin, basketball
33.
Dr. Benjamin Spock, Yale University, crew
34.
Peter Ueberroth, San Jose State University, swimming, water polo
35.
Edwin Moses, Morehouse College, track and field
36.
Robert J. Dole, Washburn University, football, basketball, track and field
37.
Patricia "Patty" Berg, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, golf
38.
Gen. Omar N. Bradley, U.S. Military Academy, football, baseball
39.
William "Bill" H. Cosby, Jr., Temple University, track and field, football
40.
Bill Russell, University of San Francisco, basketball
41.
Byron R. White, University of Colorado, Boulder, football
42.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, University of California, Los Angeles, track and
field, basketball
43.
Dot Richardson, University of California, Los Angeles, softball
44.
Ann Meyers-Drysdale, University of California, Los Angeles, basketball,
track and field, volleyball
45.
Howard K. Smith, Tulane University, track and field
46.
Roger T. Staubach, U.S. Naval Academy, football, basketball, baseball
47.
Knute Rockne, Notre Dame, football, track and field
48.
Richard Nixon, Whittier College, football
49.
Anita DeFrantz, Connecticut College, 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, Champaign, football, track
and field, baseball
53.
Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bowdoin College, indoor and outdoor track and
field, field hockey
54.
Rafer Johnson, University of California, Los Angeles, basketball, track
and field
55.
Dr. Cedric W. Dempsey, Albion College, football, basketball, baseball
56.
Oscar P. Robertson, University of Cincinnati, basketball
57.
Val Ackerman, University of Virginia, basketball
58.
Annika Sorenstam, University of Arizona, golf
59.
A. Lamar Alexander, Jr., Vanderbilt University, track and field
60.
Betsy King, Furman University, golf, basketball, field hockey
61.
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, West Point University, football, wrestling
62.
Walter Jerry Payton, Jackson State University, football
63.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, University of California, Los Angeles, basketball
64.
Capt. Alan B. Shepard, U.S. Naval Academy, crew
65.
Judith Sweet, University of Wisconsin, Madison, badminton
66.
Mike Krzyzewski, West Point University, basketball
67.
Vince Lombardi, Fordham University, football
68.
Robert B. Mathias, Stanford University, football, track and field
69.
Bill Richardson, Tufts University, baseball
70.
Jack F. Kemp, Occidental College, football
71.
Calvin Hill, Yale University, 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, track and field
76.
Dennis Hastert, Wheaton College, wrestling
77.
Otis Chandler, Stanford University, track and field
78.
George P. Schultz, Princeton University, basketball
79.
Jerry West, West Virginia University, basketball
80.
Robert Kraft, Columbia University, football
81.
William "Bill" V. Campbell, Columbia University, football
82.
Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, Yale University, soccer, track and field
83.
William P. Lawrence, U.S. Naval Academy, 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, football
88.
Thomas J. Hamilton, U.S. Naval Academy, football, basketball, baseball
89.
Dr. James Frank, Lincoln University (Missouri), basketball
90.
Dawn Staley, University of Virginia, basketball
91.
Michael H. Armacost, Carleton College, football, basketball, baseball
92.
Meg Whitman, Princeton University, lacrosse, squash
93.
Cheryl Miller, University of Southern California, basketball
94.
Wyomia Tyus, Tennessee State University, track and field
95.
Theresa Edwards, University of Georgia, basketball
96.
Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier, Pennsylvania State University, football, track
and field
97.
Julie Foudy, Stanford University, soccer
98.
Robin Roberts, Southeastern Louisiana University, basketball
99.
Alpha A. Alexander, College of Wooster, basketball, volleyball, tennis,
lacrosse
100.
Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State University, football