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Favorite Sports Illustrated Covers
In no particular order, here are some of my favorite Sports Illustrated covers of all time.....
Just before the 2007 College Football season kicked off, Nick Saban graced SportsIllustrated with his presence, giving the SEC a fair warning that the Tide was turning. Complete with the straw practice hat and no smiles, Nick Saban was putting Alabama back in the media's spotlight.
Of the many SI covers that gleam with Carolina Blue and White, Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins showed that a No. 1 Ranking in the Basketball Preview was much to smile about.
One of Michael Jordan's infamous last-second shots gave no other options for an image to adorn this 1998 SportsIllustrated cover after clinching his 6th World Championship by defeating the Utah Jazz. 'The Man' - he was; 'The Shot' - he perfected.
The two of them, Florence Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, were my idols growing up. The Olympic greats, whether severely asthmatic or always sporting the longest fingernails in sports, were picture perfect in this SportsIllustrated cover. Flo-Jo and Jackie gave way for many more female covershots.
This 1981 classic headshot of Bear Bryant was one of his last. He set the record for all time wins and announced his retirement after the 1982 season. His death shortly after was a day that football lost one of it's greatest ever. Bear Bryant is one of the 'most covered' individuals in SportsIllustrated history.
The 2009 National Championship, won by the Tar Heels, was an end of an era for Tyler Hansbrough fans. The last game of the season. The last time he would wear a Tar Heel jersey before it was to be retired and hung with pride in The Dean Dome. The sub-title, "North Carolina Overpowers Michigan State" was a humble description. The Heels did not win a game by any less than 12 points during the entire, mad month of March, winning "The Big Dance" with perfect swagger.
The 2005 National Title-Winning Tar Heels, led by Sean May, celebrated #42's twenty-first birthday by clinching the title in St. Louis over the (wrongly) Top Ranked Fighting Illini. When critics said "individual talent can't beat the team chemistry of Illinois" the Tar Heels proved them wrong with a fourth national title - and a "Return to Glory" indeed, the fifth national title coming only four years later. And, if the upper-classmen and the phenomenal freshman were to have returned for another season before going to the NBA, I'm certain Sean May would have celebrated his 22nd in the same fashion as he did his 21st. 
A 31-3 blowout over Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators on Oct. 1, 2005 was when the Tide turned and headed back up the ladder to a top-tier program. Led by Brody Croyle, the Tide rolled over Florida and nothing was more appropriate than a nation-wide announcement that "Bama Is Back".
Following his 1997 retirement, Dean E. Smith was named "Sportsman of the Year". A high honor for a respected coach and individual, the shades of grey and black were appropriate for mourning the end of an era and paying tribute to everything he taught the game of basketball, from "Four Corners" to letting the black kid have equal opportunity. If I had to pick, this 1997 issue is by far my favorite.
Just before the 2007 College Football season kicked off, Nick Saban graced SportsIllustrated with his presence, giving the SEC a fair warning that the Tide was turning. Complete with the straw practice hat and no smiles, Nick Saban was putting Alabama back in the media's spotlight.
Of the many SI covers that gleam with Carolina Blue and White, Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins showed that a No. 1 Ranking in the Basketball Preview was much to smile about.
One of Michael Jordan's infamous last-second shots gave no other options for an image to adorn this 1998 SportsIllustrated cover after clinching his 6th World Championship by defeating the Utah Jazz. 'The Man' - he was; 'The Shot' - he perfected.
The two of them, Florence Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, were my idols growing up. The Olympic greats, whether severely asthmatic or always sporting the longest fingernails in sports, were picture perfect in this SportsIllustrated cover. Flo-Jo and Jackie gave way for many more female covershots.
This 1981 classic headshot of Bear Bryant was one of his last. He set the record for all time wins and announced his retirement after the 1982 season. His death shortly after was a day that football lost one of it's greatest ever. Bear Bryant is one of the 'most covered' individuals in SportsIllustrated history.
The 2009 National Championship, won by the Tar Heels, was an end of an era for Tyler Hansbrough fans. The last game of the season. The last time he would wear a Tar Heel jersey before it was to be retired and hung with pride in The Dean Dome. The sub-title, "North Carolina Overpowers Michigan State" was a humble description. The Heels did not win a game by any less than 12 points during the entire, mad month of March, winning "The Big Dance" with perfect swagger.
The 2005 National Title-Winning Tar Heels, led by Sean May, celebrated #42's twenty-first birthday by clinching the title in St. Louis over the (wrongly) Top Ranked Fighting Illini. When critics said "individual talent can't beat the team chemistry of Illinois" the Tar Heels proved them wrong with a fourth national title - and a "Return to Glory" indeed, the fifth national title coming only four years later. And, if the upper-classmen and the phenomenal freshman were to have returned for another season before going to the NBA, I'm certain Sean May would have celebrated his 22nd in the same fashion as he did his 21st. 
A 31-3 blowout over Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators on Oct. 1, 2005 was when the Tide turned and headed back up the ladder to a top-tier program. Led by Brody Croyle, the Tide rolled over Florida and nothing was more appropriate than a nation-wide announcement that "Bama Is Back".
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