PAT ON THE BACK

Herewith a salute from the editors to men and women of all ages who have fairly earned the good opinion of the world of sport, regardless of whether they have yet earned its tallest headlines

Jack Gill, 16, of Laguna Beach, Calif. gazes raptly at the biggest game fish he ever caught, a 59-pound one-ounce white sea bass landed off the southern tip of Catalina Island. Jack's catch beat out 120 boatloads of competitors for the grand sweepstakes award in the Los Angeles Examiner and Junior Chamber of Commerce fishing derby. His prizes: a 22-foot cruiser and a 1954 Willys automobile.

Mary Ann Villegas of New Orleans took up golf, but not very seriously, when she was 14. Then she found that she could smack an iron shot like a man, began winning tournaments. Now 21, the pretty brunette has won four Louisiana State Amateur titles in a row. Her teacher: her father, twice state senior champion.

Walt Dropo, Detroit Tigers' first baseman, always wanted to shoot his weight in deer, no mean feat for a man his size (6 ft. 6 in., 227 pounds). This fall he achieved his mark with something to spare, bringing down a 243-pound 10-point buck at Round Pond, Allagash, Maine with a perfect neck shot.

THREE PHOTOS