INDIANAPOLIS---Former University of Arizona golfer Annika Sorenstam joined the likes of Jackie Joyner-Kersey, Larry Bird, Red Grange, Sally Ride, Gerald Ford, Jackie Robinson, Jim Thorpe, Madeline Albright and Tiger Woods ?- all former college athletes ?- as one of the “100 Most Influential Student-Athletes.”
The list was selected by a special panel of college presidents, athletics directors, faculty representatives, student-athletes and conference representatives as part of the NCAA Centennial celebration this year.
ESPN Classic will air two one-hour programs highlighting the select 100 on March 13, and later in re-telecasts on the same network and sister network ESPU, the 24-hour college sports network.
Sorrenstam, 35, one of the top student-athletes to compete for the UA in any sport, is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the LPGA and a top money winner on the professional tour for nearly a decade. The two-time All-American won the NCAA championship as a freshman at Arizona in 1991 and followed that with the Pac-10 title in 1992 beore turning pro after her sophomore year.
Her accomplishments at the collegiate and professional level have helped take women’s golf to unprecedented heights of popularity, and also helped boost tour earnings for female professionals. Sorenstam has earned more than $17 million on the tour, No. 1 on the career list, and is a noted ambassador for her native Sweden. Last year she won 11 of the 21 tournaments she entered.
She has been LPGA Rolex Player of the Year eight times, more than any other pro. She won the Vare Trophy for annual LPGA
scoring average six times, including last year with a 69.33 mark. Last year she also earned the Golf Writer's Trophy, European golf's most prestigious award, beating out Michael Campbell and Colin Montgomerie for her second trophy.
A resident of Incline Village, Nev., she was a Forbes Top 100 Celebrity selection for 2005, and plys her trade above the radar as the LPGA-proclaimed "world's most dominant golfer." She
“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.
Another selection with UA connections is Myles Brand's predecessor at the NCAA, former UA athletics director Cedric Dempsey, whose selection depended on his career as a three-sport student-athlete at Albion College, as well as his subsequent stewardship of the NCAA for more than a decade following his departure from Arizona in 1993.
The list is a who's who of many former and contemporary legends across the spectrum of sports and society.
The “100 Most Influential Student-Athletes” in alphabetical order are:
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem -- University of California, Los Angeles, Basketball
Ackerman, Val, University of Virginia, Basketball
Albright, Madeline, Wellesley College, Swimming & Diving
Alexander, A. Lamar, Jr., Vanderbilt University, Track
Alexander, Alpha A., College of Wooster, Basketball / Volleyball / Tennis / Lacrosse
Annan, Kofi, Macalester College, Track & Field/Soccer
Armacost, Michael H., Carleton College, Football / Basketball / Baseball
Ashe, Arthur, University of California, Los Angeles, Tennis
Auerbach, Arnold "Red", George Washington University, Basketball, Baseball
Berg, Patricia "Patty", University of Minnesota, Golf
Bird, Larry, Indiana State University, Basketball
Bradley, Bill, Princeton University, Basketball
Bradley, General Omar N., U.S. Military Academy, Football / Baseball
Brown, James, Harvard University, Basketball
Bush, George H. W., Yale University, Baseball
Campbell, William "Bill" V., Columbia University, Football
Chandler, Otis, Stanford University, Track and Field
Cooley M. D., Denton A., University of Texas, Basketball
Cosby Jr., William "Bill" H., Temple University, Track and Field / Football
de Varona, Donna, University of California, Los Angeles, Swimming and Diving
DeFrantz, Anita, Connecticut College, Rowing
Dempsey, Dr. Cedric W., Albion College, Football, Basketball and Baseball
Dole, Robert J., Washburn University, Football / Basketball/ Track
Edwards, Theresa, University of Georgia, Basketball
Eisenhower, Dwight D., U.S. Military Academy, Football
Ford, Gerald R., University of Michigan, Football
Foudy, Julie, Stanford University, Soccer
Frazier, Herman R., Arizona State University, Track and Field
Gibson, Althea, Florida A&M University, Tennis, Basketball, Golf
Grange, Harold "Red", University of Illinois, Football, Track & Field and Baseball
Grier, Roosevelt "Rosey", Pennsylvania State University, Football and Men's Track & Field
Griffin, Archie, Ohio State University, Football
Hamilton, Thomas J., U.S. Naval Academy, Football / Basketball / Baseball
Hamm, Mia, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Soccer
Hastert, Dennis, Wheaton College, Wrestling
Hill, Calvin, Yale University, Football
Holland, Jerome "Brud", Cornell University, Football
Jackson, Rev. Jesse L. Sr., North Carolina A&T State University, Football
James Frank, Lincoln University, Basketball
Johnson, Ervin "Magic", Michigan State University, Basketball
Johnson, Rafer, University of California, Los Angeles, Basketball and Track & Field
Jordan, Michael, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Basketball
Kemp, Jack F., Occidental College, Football
Kennedy Shriver, Eunice, Stanford University, Swimming, Track
Kersee, Jackie Joyner, University of California Los Angeles, Track and Field, Basketball
King, Betsy, Furman University, Golf / Basketball / Field Hockey
King, Billie Jean, Cal State, Los Angeles, Tennis
Knight, Phil, University of Oregon, Track & Field
Kraft, Robert, Columbia University, Football
Krzyzewski, Mike, West Point University, Basketball
Lawrence, William P., U.S. Naval Academy, Football
Lombardi, Vince, Fordham University, Football
Lopiano, Donna A., Southern Connecticut State University, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey
Mathias, Robert B., Stanford University, Football / Track and Field
Meyers-Drysdale, Ann, University of California, Los Angeles, Basketball, Track & Field and Volleyball
Miller, Cheryl, University of Southern California, Basketball
Moses, Edwin, Morehouse College, Track and Field
Nicklaus, Jack W., Ohio State University, Golf
Nixon, Richard, Whittier College, Football
Ohene-Frempong, Kwaku, Yale University, Soccer / Track / Field
Owens, Jesse, Ohio State University, Track and Field
Page, Alan, University of Notre Dame, Football
Palmer, Arnold, Wake Forest University, Golf
Paterno, Joseph V., Brown University, Football and Men's Basketball
Payton, Walter Jerry, Jackson State University, Football
Reagan, Ronald, Eureka College, Swimming / Football / Track
Rice, Jerry, Mississippi Valley State University, Football
Richardson, Bill, Tufts University, Baseball
Richardson, Dot, University of California Los Angeles, Softball
Ride, Sally, Stanford University, Tennis
Roberts, Robin, Southeastern Louisiana University, Basketball
Robertson, Oscar P., University of Cincinnati, Basketball
Robeson, Paul, Rutgers University, Football, Basketball, Track
Robinson, Edward G., Grambling State University, College Football's Winningest Coach
Robinson, Jackie, University of California Los Angeles, Basketball, Baseball, Football, Track
Rockne, Knute, Notre Dame, Football, Track
Rudolph, Wilma, Tennessee State University, Track
Russell, Bill, University of San Francisco, Basketball
Samuelson, Joan Benoit, Bowdoin College, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field and Field Hockey
Schultz, George P., Princeton University, Basketball
Schwarzkopf, Norman, West Point University, Football/Wrestling
Shepard, Captain Alan B., Jr., U.S. Naval Academy, Crew
Smith, Dean, University of Kansas, Basketball
Smith, Howard K., Tulane University, Track and Field
Sorenstam, Annika, University of Arizona, Golf
Spock, Benjamin, Yale University, Crew
Staley, Dawn, University of Virginia, Women's Basketball
Staubach, Roger T., U.S. Naval Academy, Football / Basketball / Baseball
Summitt, Pat, University of Tennessee-Martin, Basketball
Sweet, Judith, University of Wisconsin, Badminton
Temple, Edward, Tennessee State University, Track and Field
Thorpe, Jim, Carlisle Indian School, Football
Tyus, Wyomia, Tennessee State University, Track and Field
Ueberroth, Peter, San Jose State University, Swimming / Water Polo
Walker, Leroy T., Benedict College, Football, Basketball, Track and Field
West, Jerry, West Virginia University, Basketball
White, Byron R., University of Colorado, Boulder, Football
Whitman, Meg, Princeton University, Lacrosse/Squash
Wooden, John R., Purdue University, Basketball
Woods, Tiger, Stanford University, Golf
“NCAA Centennial: 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes” Television Schedule
ESPN Classic
March 13 -- 8 p.m. Part 1 (100-51)
9 p.m. Part 2 (50-1)
March 14 -- 12 a.m. Part 1
1 a.m. Part 2
ESPNU
March 14 -- 6 p.m. Part 1
7 p.m. Part 2
March 15 ?- 7 p.m. Part 1
8 p.m. Part 2
March 16 -- 6 a.m. Part 1
3:30 p.m. Part 2
March 22 -- 11 p.m. Part 1
March 22 -- 6 a.m. Part 2
April 20 -- 12 a.m. Part 1
1 a.m. Part 2
May 6 -- 8:30 a.m. Part 1
9:30 a.m. Part 2
