On January 19, most of America was shocked by Sports Illustrated’s announcement of almost their entire staff being laid off, leaving the future of SI uncertain. In honor of Sports Illustrated’s 67 years of greatness and unique magazine covers, this is a collection of the most iconic ones of all time.
July 30, 1984 Jack Lambert, “Men of Steel”
Jack Lambert was the perfect image of what the Steelers defense represented in the 80s. They were called the Men of Steel for a reason. You don’t see anyone looking like this in the NFL nowadays with the awesome mustache and missing teeth. A truly different time in the NFL and an iconic SI cover.
February 18, 1991 “Dream Team”
The most dominant squad ever assembled in sports was the 1991-92 Olympic “Dream Team.” 11 of the 12 players rostered are now inducted into the Hall of Fame. This iconic cover features five of the greatest players to ever play: Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley.
April 22, 2019 Tiger Woods
In April, 2019 almost the entire world had their eyes glued to the TV hoping that Tiger Woods would capture another Masters title. No one expected it heading into the week which made the win that much sweeter. He had been battling injuries for the last ten years along with other adversity. The moment of Tiger erupting in joy in his signature red Sunday polo was captured after he sunk his final putt on the 18th green at Augusta.
July 19, 1999 Brandi Chastain, “U.S. Women’s World Cup”
The USA Women’s Soccer team captured its second World Cup Victory in 1999 when Brandi Chastain scored a penalty kick in front of a sold out crowd of over 90,000 fans. The crowd erupted which caused Chastain to rip off her jersey and fall to her knees in celebration. This is known as one of, if not the most, iconic moment in women’s sports.
March 3, 1980 “Miracle On Ice”
After World War 2, the U.S. and the Soviet Union had an ongoing rivalry and tension. This game was more than just a game. It was a win in life for the U.S. The American squad was composed of unproven college players that were massive underdogs against the mighty Soviet hockey team. The Americans quickly fell behind 2-1 but rallied to win 4-3. Al Michaels announced the most famous call in American sports history: “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” The Americans went on to win the gold medal 4-2 against Finland in the championship game.
February 18, 2002 Lebron James “The Chosen One”
No one has ever had as much hype in high school as Lebron James did in 2002. Everyone was convinced that he was going to be an all time great from the beginning. He was nicknamed “The Chosen One” and even has a tattoo of the phrase on his back. He definitely did not disappoint and lived up to the hype.
September 24, 2001 “The Week That Sports Stood Still”
This was the first issue of Sports Illustrated after 9/11. This cover is super meaningful and iconic because America was in shock and they all came together as one country. America was very unified and this cover of SI shows how much everything, including sports, was affected during this time.
