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Use the menu below to read our biographies of the century's greatest sportswomen and then tell us who you think should be No. 1. Also, be sure to check out our expanded home page and our new issue which is on newsstands now.

61. Shirley Muldowney, Auto Racing

1940-
First woman ever licensed to drive National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel drag racers

When it comes to racing, Muldowney is out in front. Richard Mackson
Shirley Muldowney wasn't about to settle for merely getting her driver's license, she wanted to hit the road. In 1976, she became the first woman to win a national event in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel division. The following year she became the first woman to win the NHRA points title. In 1980, Muldowney took the title again, becoming the first driver to win two titles. In 1982, she won her third NHRA championship, and still stands as the only person -- male or female -- to accomplish that hat trick. Two years later, she suffered a horrific crash at the NHRA Grand Nationals in Montreal that led to five surgeries. The bones in her left foot have been fused so much, that leg is a full inch shorter than her right. But she hasn't let injuries stop her from racing. She is still the only woman to win the Top Fuel Eliminator Championships at the U.S. Nationals, drag racing's oldest and most prestigious event. She also took home the 1987 AHRA title and as recently as 1996 made the finals at five consecutive IHRA races, winning three and finishing second in points that year.

They Said It: "People think it's easy because you drive in a straight line. What they don't realize is you've got to react in a hurry. The whole thing's over in just a little more than five or six seconds -- if you're good." -- Muldowney

--Gil Lopez

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.