(March 13, 2006) ?C Fordham University football great Vince Lombardi has been named as one of the 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes by the NCAA. Lombardi joins such notables as Jackie Joyner-Kersey, Donna Lopiano, Peter Ueberroth and Tiger Woods to be named to the elite list of the ??100 Most Influential Student-Athletes.?? 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 shows will first air March 13, counting down student-athletes from 100 to 51 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and 50-1 at 9 p.m. respectively. In addition 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. Lombardi, a 1937 Fordham College graduate, was an integral member of the famed Seven Blocks of Granite. During his three years with the varsity football team, the Rams went 16-5-4, 5-1-2 as a senior when Fordham fell to New York University in the season finale, causing the Rams to miss a bid to a bowl game. Lombardi would later call the loss to NYU ??the most devastating loss of my life.?? Following graduation, Lombardi taught and coached at St. Cecilia??s High School in New Jersey before returning to Fordham in 1946 as an assistant under head coach Ed Danowski. In 1948, he joined the famed Red Blaik at Army, and helped him build the great Army teams of the early fifties. Lombardi joined the New York football Giants as an assistant coach in 1954 only to move on to Green Bay in 1959 as the head coach of the floundering Packers. He returned the Packers to world-championships caliber, winning six division championships, five NFL titles, and two Super Bowls. He retired as the head coach after the 1967 season, only to return as head coach of the Washington Redskins in 1969, leading the Redskins to their first winning season in 14 years. Unfortunately, Lombardi was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and died on September 3, 1970. Lombardi was among the inaugural class to be inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971. He was also inducted into the National Football League Hall of Fame that same year. In 1971, the NFL honored Lombardi by renaming the championship trophy the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy. The Rotary Club of Houston also honored Lombardi by presenting The Rotary Lombardi Award annually to the college football lineman -- offense or defense -- who, in addition to outstanding performance and ability, best exemplifies the discipline of Lombardi. The Award was initiated by the Rotary Club in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi to cancer with proceeds of the dinner benefiting the American Cancer Society. The NCAA celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2006. The NCAA Centennial began January 6 at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. 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