The NCAA and ESPN will collaborate on two projects to honor student-athletes during the Centennial year, and officials hope the membership will assist in those efforts.

As part of the Centennial celebration in 2006, ESPN will air two one-hour programs highlighting the 100 "Most Influential NCAA Student-Athletes." The network also will produce and air 25 30-second vignettes drawing attention to the "greatest moments" in NCAA history.

Officials are looking for nominations for both projects, and suggestions may be submitted via e-mail to nominations@ncaa.org. Each nomination for the 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes should include the name, college and graduation year (if applicable), sport(s) participated in, major, honors and awards received, current occupation and contact information, and a reason for nomination (to be edited at a later date if necessary).

Nominations for the "greatest moments" should include the name of student-athletes or the team involved in the moment, the college, the year of the moment, its significance and where participants are now. The NCAA defines the 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes as those who have made a significant impact or major contributions to society. Criteria for the greatest moments nominations are left up to the nominator's discretion.

"The show is really featuring not just the accomplishments student-athletes had in competition -- it's their contribution to society as a whole that's really being celebrated," said John L. Johnson, NCAA director of promotions and events.

All nominations must be received by June 17. After the submissions are compiled, two panels will review the suggestions.

The panelists will be selected by the end of May. The 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes will air in two parts, the first in February 2006. The second tentatively is scheduled for April 5, 2006, the evening after the Women's Final Four championship game. The 25 vignettes will begin airing in January and will be broadcast throughout the year. ESPN Classic and ESPNU will air the two segments of the 100 Most Influential NCAA Student-Athletes and the vignettes. ESPN and ESPN2 also will air the vignettes during coverage of NCAA championships.

The NCAA corporate and broadcast alliances staff will work with ESPN and Pathway Productions to produce the programs. Greg Weitekamp, associate director of broadcasting, said the partnerships with both ESPN and Pathway are strong.

"We're not going to have any problems reaching our goal for this program," he said.

The project fits with the theme of the 2006 Centennial Celebration: Celebrating the Student-Athlete. Johnson said stories of the student-athletes the Association serves is what the NCAA is all about.

"This allows us to celebrate and bring to the forefront the student-athlete," he said. "It's the student-athlete stories and experiences and who they go on to become that support the Association's mission."

For more information on nomination procedures, visit www.ncaasports.com and click on the NCAA Centennial icon.