INDIANAPOLIS---As the NCAA prepares for the Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis and the Women’s Final Four in Boston this week and next, the Association will officially celebrate its 100th birthday on Friday, March 31.

In celebration of the NCAA’s birthday, the Hall of Champions will host a birthday party at 10 a.m. This will also be the grand opening of the Hall’s “100 Years, 100 Hours” event in which the Hall will be open for 100 consecutive hours.

The NCAA Centennial is a yearlong celebration of the student-athlete, which began in January at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis with the theme “Celebrating the Student-Athlete.” The NCAA began in 1906, after President Theodore Roosevelt became concerned about the numerous injuries and deaths in college football caused by the flying wedge.

"The focus of our Centennial celebration is to commemorate 100 years of intercollegiate athletics, focusing on 100 years of the student-athlete, in a manner that honors the past, highlights the advocacy and reform initiatives of the present, and provides a look into the future,” said NCAA President Myles Brand.

NCAA member schools, conferences and communities are playing vital roles in the celebration by participating in special events in conjunction with NCAA championships and campus and community events that commemorate 100 years of the student-athlete.

During the Final Four weekend, visitors will be able to help the Association celebrate its birthday by visiting the NCAA Hall of Champions and its exhibit, “Century of Champions.” The exhibit highlights 100 moments in NCAA history. The Hall of Champions will be open for 100 hours, beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, March 31, and closing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 4.

For more information on the NCAA Hall of Champions please visit: www.ncaa.org/hall_of_champions/global/home.htm

Also on Friday, there will be a Centennial Salute during The Big Dance on Monument Circle from 3 to 10 p.m. and again on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

The purpose of the NCAA today remains the same as it did 100 years ago: to ensure that college sports are fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike and to integrate intercollegiate athletics within higher education.