University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Eight UCLA Alumni Head NCAA list of 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes
March 10, 2006 | Bruin Athletics
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.
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:
The "100 Most Influential Student-Athletes": 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
