Contents

12 Countdown to a Title
Four teams still battle for the NFL championship, but that number will be halved and halved again

18 Nino Goofed Only One Time
Italy's middleweight world champion was knocked down by Don Fullmer but got up to keep his crown

20 A Classic Win to the Broncos
Santa Clara trounced Houston and San Francisco, but the happiest people were a pair of promoters who made good

The College Bowls

22 Dan Jenkins analyzes the perfect bowl game—No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the war of the roses
24 Sugar time is a long sweet week in old New Orleans, capped by Georgia vs. Arkansas
34 Orange and Cotton, Gator and Bluebonnet—an anticipatory look at a heady schedule of football face-offs

40 Sportsman of the Year
His achievement as coach as well as star of the Boston Celtics earns Bill Russell our highest accolade

53 The Unbelievable Moment
Bob Beamon's electrifying 29-foot Olympic long jump is explained in scientific detail by Coles Phinizy

66 Beat the Queen
The noted writer-illustrator of children's books, William Pène du Bois, offers a delightful tale for all ages

The departments

9 Scorecard
62 Bridge
64 People
87 For the Record
88 Basketball's Week
90 19th Hole

Credits on page 87

Cover photograph by James Drake

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ILLUSTRATION

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The Next Issue

(dated Jan. 6, 1969):

A big sunday in pro football decides the league championships in the NFL and AFL and the Super Bowl matchup. Tex Maule and Edwin Shrake report on the playoff scene.

Coach with the most is UCLA's John Wooden. Joe Jares writes about basketball's No. 1 winner, who is not nearly as bland as he likes to make out. Wooden even has enemies.

Give me a "p" is the stock beginning of a standard college cheer, but cheerleading standards vary greatly at colleges in different parts of the country. A report by Pat Ryan.