Faces in the Crowd (Sports Illustrated)
Faces in the Crowd is a long-running segment from Sports Illustrated. Starting in the January 9, 1956, issue, the segment was originally titled These Faces in the Crowd. The predecessor to These Faces... was a segment called Pat on the Back. It differed in that it did not just focus on unknown or amateur athletes. Contrary to Faces in the Crowd, it featured professional athletes who set milestones and celebrities who undertook an athletic endeavor. From 1956 to 2006, a total of 15,672 athletes have been featured.
Video ''Faces in the Crowd''
Video Faces in the Crowd is segment from Sports Illustrated and TAKKLE.com, which features up-and-coming high school athletes and their sports videos. The athletes are featured in the Sports Illustrated magazine, on the Sports Illustrated website and on the TAKKLE website.Famous ''Faces in the Crowd''
The 1950s| Athlete | Sport | SI Cover Date | Special Notes |
| Bobby Fischer | Chess | April 30, 1956 | At age 15, became youngest International Grandmaster |
| Althea Gibson | Tennis/Golf | May 21, 1956 | Became first African American to win Wimbledon, and later became the first African American on the LPGA tour |
| Wilma Rudolph | Track and Field | September 3, 1956 | First African American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics |
| Jack Nicklaus | Golf | September 2, 1957 | Winner of 18 professional golf majors, plus 8 senior majors |
| Elgin Baylor | Basketball | February 10, 1958 | Named in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Later became general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers |
| Kris Kristofferson | Rugby, Football, Boxing | March 31, 1958 | |
| Al Oerter | Track and Field | April 14, 1958 | First of only two track and field athletes to win the same event in four consecutive Olympics |
| Bobby Unser | Motor Sports | July 14, 1958 | Won the Indianapolis 500 three times |
The 1960s
| Athlete | Sport | SI Cover Date | Special Notes |
| Marv Levy | Football | February 15, 1960 | Member of Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| Arthur Ashe | Tennis | December 12, 1960 | Only African American man to win the U.S. Open, Australian Open, or Wimbledon |
| Billie Jean King | Tennis | July 17, 1961 | Won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 19 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Also won a combined 20 titles at Wimbledon. |
| Evonne Goolagong | Tennis | February 3, 1964 | Won seven Grand Slam singles titles |
| Lew Alcindor | Basketball | April 27, 1964 | Won three NCAA titles and six NBA championships |
| Lanny Wadkins | Golf | July 20, 1964 | Won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including one PGA Championship |
| Johnny Miller | Golf | August 24, 1964 | Won 25 times on the PGA Tour, including one U.S. Open and one Open Championship |
| Rollie Fingers | Baseball | September 14, 1964 | Had 341 career saves |
| Bob Beamon | Track and Field | May 10, 1965 | Won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1968 Olympics by setting a world record that would stand for over 20 years |
| Terry Bradshaw | Football | April 11, 1966 | Quarterbacked the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl wins |
| Vera Wang | Figure Skating | January 8, 1968 | Became a world-famous fashion designer |
| Hubert Green | Golf | April 22, 1968 | Won 19 times on the PGA Tour, including one U.S. Open and one PGA Championship |
| Chris Evert | Tennis | April 14, 1969 | Won 18 Grand Slam singles titles |
| Earnie Shavers | Boxing | May 5, 1969 | Heavyweight contender in the late 1970s; regarded as one of the hardest punchers ever |
| Steve Prefontaine | Track and Field | June 2, 1969 | Movies Prefontaine and Without Limits were based on his life |
| Nancy Lopez | Golf | September 15, 1969 | Won 48 times on the LPGA tour, including three majors. Married to World Series MVP Ray Knight. |
The 1970s
| Athlete | Sport | SI Cover Date | Special Notes |
| Tony Dungy | Football/Basketball/Track | January 26, 1970 | Coached Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts; became the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl in 2007 |
| Bill Walton | Basketball | January 26, 1970 | Won two NCAA titles and two NBA titles |
| Quinn Buckner | Basketball | April 17, 1972 | Won NCAA title and Olympic gold medal in 1976 |
| Tracy Austin | Tennis | October 15, 1973 | Won the US Open twice |
| Wilbert Montgomery | Football | November 12, 1973 | Philadelphia Eagles starting running back in Super Bowl XV; running backs coach for two Super Bowl championship teams. |
| Bill Cartwright | Basketball | February 4, 1974 | Won five NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls—three as a player and two as an assistant coach |
| Bart Conner | Gymnastics | April 29, 1974 | Won gold medal in parallel bars at the 1979 World Championships and gold medal with Team USA at the 1984 Olympics. Married to Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci since 1996. |
| Brad Faxon | Golf | September 20, 1976 | Played on the PGA Tour |
| John McEnroe | Tennis | November 8, 1976 | Won 7 Grand Slam singles titles |
| Earvin Johnson | Basketball | May 23, 1977 | Won 1979 NCAA title and 5 NBA Championships |
| Jackie Joyner-Kersee | Track and Field | August 29, 1977 | Three-time Olympic gold medalist, and holder of the top six performances to date in the heptathlon |
| Carl Lewis | Track and Field | February 6, 1978 | Won four gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, and the only other track and field athlete to win the same event at four consecutive Olympics |
| Gary Kubiak | Football | November 6, 1978 | Played for Denver Broncos and now is the head coach of the Denver Broncos where he won Super Bowl 50. |
| Sam Bowie | Basketball | January 29, 1979 | Second overall pick of 1984 NBA Draft |
| Don Mattingly | Baseball | July 16, 1979 | 6 Time A.L All Star, and 1985 A.L. MVP |
| Payne Stewart | Golf | July 16, 1979 | Won 11 times on the PGA Tour, including two US Opens and one PGA Championship |
| Herschel Walker | Track and Field/Football | September 10, 1979 | Played in USFL and NFL |
| Greg LeMond | Cycling | November 12, 1979 | Won Tour de France three times |
The 1980s
| Athlete | Sport | SI Cover Date | Special Notes |
| Marcus Dupree | Football | October 27, 1980 | Played in USFL and NFL |
| Cheryl Miller | Basketball | March 9, 1981 | Winner of Olympic Gold Medal and two NCAA titles |
| Michael Andretti | Motor Sports | June 8, 1981 | Longtime CART driver and winner of 1991 CART title; now owner of the successful Andretti Green Racing team in the IRL |
| Shawon Dunston | Baseball | June 7, 1982 | Played with the Cubs and the Giants |
| Spud Webb | Basketball | May 24, 1982 | Won NBA Slam Dunk Competition |
| Darrell Green | Football | July 5, 1982 | Super Bowl Champion who won the NFL's Fastest Man competition |
| Vince Coleman | Baseball/Football | July 12, 1982 | Played in 1985 World Series |
| Rodney Peete | Football | December 20, 1982 | Host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period |
| Steve Alford | Basketball | February 21, 1983 | Won one NCAA title, played four years in the NBA, now head coach at UCLA |
| Pernell Whitaker | Boxing | May 16, 1983 | Gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics, and world champion in four weight classes as a professional |
| Jesse Jackson, Jr. | Football | February 13, 1984 | Son of Jesse Jackson, and United States Representative 1995-2012 |
| Al Leiter | Baseball | June 4, 1984 | Won World Series with Toronto Blue Jays |
| Emmitt Smith | Football | January 13, 1986 | All-time leading rusher in NFL History |
| Jennifer Capriati | Tennis | March 30, 1987 | Won gold medal at 1992 Olympics, and came back from personal problems to win three Grand Slam events in the 2000s |
| Kristi Yamaguchi | Figure Skating | February 1, 1988 | Won gold at 1992 Olympics |
| Raghib Ismail | Football/Track and Field | July 25, 1988 | Won national championship with Notre Dame and the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts |
| John Olerud | Baseball | August 15, 1988 | Winner of two World Series |
| Dorsey Levens | Football | October 24, 1988 | Played with the Green Bay Packers |
| Michelle Akers | Soccer | March 13, 1989 | Winner of Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 1996 Olympics, winner of 1991 and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cups with Team USA, and one of only two women named to the FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living soccer players in 2004 |
| Dominique Dawes | Gymnastics | December 25, 1989 | Member of the gold-medal winning USA team at the 1996 Olympics |
The 1990s
| Athlete | Sport | SI Cover Date | Special Notes |
| Tiger Woods | Golf | Sept. 24, 1990 | Winner of 57 PGA Tour events to date, including 14 majors. Also the only person to hold all four professional major titles simultaneously. |
| Corliss Williamson | Basketball | April 20, 1992 | Drafted by the Sacramento Kings |
| Marion Jones | Track and Field | June 22, 1992 | Won three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics |
| Brad Friedel | Soccer | February 22, 1993 | Played in three FIFA World Cups with the United States, and was included in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year 2002/03. |
| Michelle Kwan | Figure Skating | February 22, 1993 | Winner of nine U.S. Championships and five World Championships. Appeared on cover of Sports Illustrated in 1998. |
| Shaun Alexander | Football | January 10, 1994 | Three-time Pro Bowler, 2005 NFL MVP |
| Raef LaFrentz | Basketball | March 14, 1994 | Has played in the NBA since 1998 |
| Tamika Catchings | Basketball | May 23, 1994 | 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year, twice WNBA Defensive Player of the Year |
| Chamique Holdsclaw | Basketball | January 16, 1995 | 1999 WNBA Rookie of the Year, six-time All-Star |
| Vince Carter | Basketball | February 13, 1995 | 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year, eight-time NBA All-Star |
| Antawn Jamison | Basketball | February 20, 1995 | Has played in the NBA since 1998; 2004 Sixth Man Award. Traded for Vince Carter |
| Tim Thomas | Basketball | March 13, 1995 | Played in the NBA |
| Paul Pierce | Basketball | April 24, 1995 | Set a playoff record with 21 straight free throws made in a game |
| Travis Henry | Football | October 9, 1995 | Played for Buffalo Bills |
| Mike Bibby | Basketball | June 3, 1996 | Has played in the NBA since 1998 |
| Stacy Dragila | Track and Field | July 22, 1996 | Gold medalist in the pole vault at 1999 World Championships, 2000 Olympics, and 2001 World Championships |
| Ron Dayne | Track and Field | September 16, 1996 | Won Heisman Trophy December 12, 1999 |
| Charles Howell III | Golf | December 2, 1996 | Two-time winner on the PGA Tour |
| Andy Roddick | Tennis | December 30, 1996 | Won the 2003 US Open |
| Kerri Walsh | Volleyball | January 13, 1997 | Gold medalist at 2004 Athens Olympics |
| Owen Hargreaves | Soccer | May 26, 1997 | Player in two World Cups with England. Two time Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and Manchester United |
| Shane Battier | Basketball | June 2, 1997 | Has played in the NBA since 2001 |
| James Chico Hernandez | Sombo | October 21, 1997 | Won World FIAS Silver and appeared on Wheaties box |
| Shawn Marion | Basketball | August 3, 1998 | Four-time NBA All-Star and twice on the All-NBA third team |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Football | December 6, 1999 | Two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. |
The 2000s
| Athlete | Sport | SI Cover Date | Special Notes |
| Joe Mauer | Baseball, was featured for football | December 25, 2000 | American League batting champion in 2006 and 2008. 2009 American League Most Valuable Player. |
| Ben Gordon | Basketball | March 19, 2001 | First-round selection of the Chicago Bulls |
| Allyson Felix | Track and Field | August 13, 2001 | Gold medalist in 200 meters at the 2005 World Championships |
| Michelle Wie | Golf | August 13, 2001 | Became youngest winner of any adult USGA title |
| Zach Parise | Hockey | February 18, 2002 | Hockey player with the Minnesota Wild. |
| Jennie Finch | Softball | March 25, 2002 | Gold medalist with Team USA in 2004 Olympics. Appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and hosted segments on This Week in Baseball. |
| Tim Tebow | Football | December 20, 2004 | Won 2007 Heisman Trophy, the first sophomore ever to do so, accounted for more rushing touchdowns in 2007-8 than 51 of 118 teams other than Florida in Division 1-A. |
| Mike Rio | Wrestling | March 27, 2006 | 157-pounder at Lindenwood University, was the only wrestler to defend a national title, pinned all five of his opponents, was named the most outstanding wrestler of the meet. |
| Christian McCaffrey | Football | January 19, 2009 and November 25, 2013 | NCAA single-season all-purpose yards record holder, AP College Football player of the year, Heisman runner-up in 2015. |
| Summer Ross | Volleyball | October 4, 2010 | FIVB 2010 Youth Under-19 and Junior Under-21 world champion, the only athlete, male or female, to win both events in the same year. |