Contents

The Battle for No. 1

22 Nebraska rallied to defeat Oklahoma and stay on top
25 But Alabama, which thrashed Auburn, poses a new threat

28 The Loser Takes $1 Million
Ken Rosewall defeated Laver in the WCT grand finale, but second-place money made Rod a millionaire

30 The Cowboys Are Best—on Paper
Alas, they play on a field where they have folded more ways than a piece of origami. This year may be different

38 A Long Swim off a Short Pier
Marathon swimming is no fun but, as Diana Nyad found, it sure beats parachuting out of a fourth-floor window

48 Skiing Canada's Big Back Country
Choppers open a new land of snow so vast that it could swallow all of wintertime Europe

56 One Last Impossible Shot at Fame
For those who have failed in sports, who never made the team though they tried desperately, we offer a solution

102 If you Can't See, Smell or Taste It
A vodka company sponsored a world surfing championship, and the riposte to the above is: you can always surf on it

104 The Grail Still Swims
Supreme effort was not enough in this quest for permit on the Yucatan Peninsula; supreme sacrifice was called for

The departments

19 Scorecard
64 People
69 College Football
76 Horse Racing
82 Hunting
88 Boating
94 Cross Country
96 Pro Football
102 Surfing
127 For the Record
128 19th Hole

Cover photograph by Neil Leifer

Credits on page 127

PHOTO

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PHOTO

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ILLUSTRATION

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PHOTO

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PHOTO

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PHOTO

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ILLUSTRATION

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Next week

Whirlwind offense sends the speedy Los Angeles Lakers off on a basketball rampage—and stampede watcher Peter Carry has the inside story on how the West was run.

A good Joe is Dolphin super scout Joe Thomas who, through such canny—or uncanny—acquisitions as Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield, has made Miami a big winner.

The villains, who stir anger and bellowing rage in packed hockey arenas, are quite different personalities off the ice. Pat Jordan takes a soft look at some hard guys.