Letter From the Editor

Sports Illustrated’s first issue appeared in August, 1954 with Milwaukee Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews on the cover. He promptly got hurt and missed 10 days of playing time with a bad ankle. Thus, the Sports Illustrated cover jinx was born. Over the years millions of superstitious readers and many athletes believe that an appearance on the cover of SI is the kiss of death. In the six decades the magazine has been in print, the argument can be made that the jinx is certainly a reality. Some of the more prominent football jinxes included the following: • Notre Dame Quarterback Paul Hornung graced the SI cover in 1956 just before the Irish got blown out by Oklahoma, 40-0. Notre Dame then lost to Pitt and Navy to finish 2-8. • Ohio State, the reigning national champion, was 9-0 going into their annual showdown with Michigan in 1969. Ranked #1 at the time, the SI cover featured