IN THE ARENA: THE NCAA'S FIRST CENTURY: BY JOSEPH N. CROWLEY

As part of the NCAA's Centennial Celebration, a panel consisting of college and university presidents, athletics directors, NCAA committee members, conference office representatives, SAAC representatives and NCAA staff determined the NCAA's 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes. Criteria used by the panel to formulate this list consisted of areas such as, but not limited to: participation at a NCAA member institution; professional accomplishments; academic achievement; athletic success; and the lasting effect and scope of their achievements. These individuals will be honored throughout the Centennial.


100. Jerry Rice
Mississippi Valley State University - Football
99. Alpha Alexander
College of Wooster - Women's Basketball, Lacrosse, Tennis and Volleyball
98. Robin Roberts
Southeastern Louisiana University - Women's Basketball
97. Julie Foudy
Stanford University - Women's Soccer
96. Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier
Pennsylvania State University - Football and Men's Track and Field
95. Theresa Edwards
University of Georgia - Women's Basketball
94. Wyomia Tyus
Tennessee State University - Women's Track and Field
93. Cheryl Miller
University of Southern California - Women's Basketball
92. Meg Whitman
Princeton University - Women's Lacrosse and Squash
91. Michael Armacost
Carleton College - Baseball, Men's Basketball and Football
90. Dawn Staley
University of Virginia - Women's Basketball
89. Dr. James Frank
Lincoln University (Missouri) - Men's Basketball
88. Thomas Hamilton
U.S. Naval Academy - Baseball, Men's Basketball and Football
87. Archie Griffin
Ohio State University - Football
86. Edward Temple
Tennessee State University - Men's Track and Field
85. Phil Knight
University of Oregon - Men's Track and Field
84. Arnold "Red" Auerbach
George Washington University - Baseball and Men's Basketball
83. William Lawrence
U.S. Naval Academy - Football
82. Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong
Yale University - Men's Soccer and Track and Field
81. Bill Campbell
Columbia University - Football
80. Robert Kraft
Columbia University - Football
79. Jerry West
West Virginia University - Men's Basketball
78. George Schultz
Princeton University - Men's Basketball
77. Otis Chandler
Stanford University - Men's Track and Field
76. Dennis Hastert
Wheaton College - Wrestling
75. Herman Frazier
Arizona State University - Men's Track and Field
74. Ervin "Magic" Johnson
Michigan State University - Men's Basketball
73. Larry Bird
Indiana State University - Men's Basketball
72. James Brown
Harvard University - Men's Basketball
71. Calvin Hill
Yale University - Football
70. Jack Kemp
Occidental College - Football
69. Bill Richardson
Tufts University - Baseball
68. Robert Mathias
Stanford University - Football and Men's Track and Field
67. Vince Lombardi
Fordham University - Football
66. Mike Krzyzewski
U.S. Military Academy - Men's Basketball
65. Judy Sweet
University of Wisconsin, Madison - Badminton
64. Capt. Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
U.S. Naval Academy - Crew
63. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
University of California, Los Angeles - Men's Basketball
62. Walter Payton
Jackson State University - Football
61. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf
U.S. Military Academy - Football and Wrestling
60. Betsy King
Furman University - Women's Basketball, Field Hockey and Women's Golf
59. A. Lamar Alexander, Jr.
Vanderbilt University - Men's Track and Field
58. Annika Sorenstam
University of Arizona - Women's Golf
57. Val Ackerman
University of Virginia - Women's Basketball
56. Oscar Robertson
University of Cincinnati - Men's Basketball
55. Dr. Cedric Dempsey
Albion College - Baseball, Men's Basketball and Football
54. Rafer Johnson
University of California, Los Angeles - Men's Basketball and Track and Field
53. Joan Benoit Samuelson
Bowdoin College - Field Hockey and Women's Track and Field
52. Harold "Red" Grange
University of Illinois, Champaign - Baseball, Football and Men's Track and Field
51. Mia Hamm
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Women's Soccer
50. Dean Smith
University of Kansas - Men's Basketball
49. Anita DeFrantz
Connecticut College - Rowing
48. President Richard Nixon
Whittier College - Football
47. Knute Rockne
University of Notre Dame - Football and Men's Track and Field
46. Roger Staubach
U.S. Naval Academy - Baseball, Men's Basketball and Football
45. Howard Smith
Tulane University - Men's Track and Field
44. Ann Meyers-Drysdale
University of California, Los Angeles - Women's Basketball, Track and Field and Volleyball
43. Dot Richardson
University of California, Los Angeles - Softball
42. Jackie Joyner Kersee
University of California, Los Angeles - Women's Basketball and Track and Field
41. Byron White
University of Colorado, Boulder - Football
40. Bill Russell
University of San Francisco - Men's Basketball
39. Bill Cosby, Jr.
Temple University - Football and Men's Track and Field
38. Gen. Omar N. Bradley
U.S. Military Academy - Baseball and Football
37. Patty Berg
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Women's Golf
36. Robert J. Dole
Washburn University - Men's Basketball, Football and Men's Track and Field
35. Edwin Moses
Morehouse College - Men's Track and Field
34. Peter Ueberroth
San Jose State University - Men's Swimming and Diving and Water Polo
33. Dr. Benjamin Spock
Yale University - Crew
32. Dr. Denton A. Cooley
University of Texas at Austin - Men's Basketball
31. Wilma Rudolph
Tennessee State University - Women's Track and Field
30. Bill Bradley
Princeton University - Men's Basketball
29. Donna de Varona
University of California, Los Angeles - Women's Swimming and Diving
28. Leroy Walker
Benedict College - Men's Basketball, Football and Men's Track and Field
27. Sally Ride
Stanford University - Women's Tennis
26. Joe Paterno
Brown University - Men's Basketball and Football
25. Arnold Palmer
Wake Forest University - Men's Golf
24. Jerome "Brud" Holland
Cornell University - Football
23. Paul Robeson
Rutgers University - Men's Basketball, Football and Men's Track and Field
22. Michael Jordan
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Men's Basketball
21. Jim Thorpe
Carlisle Indian School - Football
20. Pat Summitt
University of Tennessee at Martin - Women's Basketball
19. Alan Page
University of Notre Dame - Football
18. Donna Lopiano
Southern Connecticut State University - Women's Basketball, Field Hockey, Softball and Women's Volleyball
17. President George H.W. Bush
Yale University - Baseball
16. Kofi Annan
Macalester College - Men's Soccer and Track and Field
15. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
North Carolina A&T State University - Football
14. President Gerald R. Ford
University of Michigan - Football
13. Tiger Woods
Stanford University - Men's Golf
12. Billie Jean King
California State University, Los Angeles - Women's Tennis
11. President Ronald Reagan
Eureka College - Football, Men's Swimming and Diving and Track and Field
10. Eddie Robinson
Grambling State University - Football
9. Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Stanford University - Women's Swimming and Diving and Track and Field
8. Jack Nicklaus
Ohio State University - Men's Golf
7. Madeline Albright
Wellesley College - Women's Swimming and Diving
6. Althea Gibson
Florida A&M University - Women's Basketball, Golf and Tennis
5. John Wooden
Purdue University - Men's Basketball
4. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
U.S. Military Academy - Football
3. Jesse Owens
Ohio State University - Men's Track and Field
2. Arthur Ashe
University of California, Los Angeles - Men's Tennis

1. Jackie Robinson
University of California, Los Angeles - Baseball, Men's Basketball, Football and Men's Track and Field

 

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