December 30, 1996 Table Of Contents

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Contents

1996 THE YEAR IN COVERS

NFL Extra

K.C. GETS KO'D ENDING THE SEASON ON A BITTER NOTE, THE ONCE MIGHTY CHIEFS NOW MUST WONDER ABOUT THEIR FUTURE

By David Fleming; John Walters; William F. Reed; RICHARD DEUTSCH

TO OUR READERS

By Jerry Kirshenbaum

LOOKING FOR THE USUAL ALL-PRO SUSPECTS? SOME ARE MISSING FROM THIS LINEUP

By Paul Zimmerman

Faces In The Crowd

FACES IN THE CROWD

Television

SI VIEW THE WEEK IN TV SPORTS

By John Walters

Pro Football

A GREAT RUN AFTER 14 SEASONS AS THE BRONCOS' QUARTERBACK, JOHN ELWAY HASN'T LOST A STEP OF HIS UNCANNY ABILITY TO LEAD DENVER OUT OF DISASTER AND INTO SUPER BOWL CONTENTION

By Rick Reilly

DOWN FOR THE COUNT THE JETS SAID SO LONG TO COACH RICH KOTITE BY LOSING A CLUB-RECORD 15TH GAME, TO THE DOLPHINS

By Austin Murphy

College Football

HEART AND SOUL LINEBACKER DARYL BUSH OF FLORIDA STATE IS A HARD MAN WITH A LYRICAL BENT

By Tim Layden

MIGHTY LIKE A WARRIOR JUAN ROQUE, ARIZONA STATE'S MASSIVE TACKLE, TAKES TO HEART THE HISTORY OF HIS AZTEC FOREBEARS

By John Garrity

Pro Basketball

TWO BUCKS WORTH VIN BAKER AND GLENN ROBINSON GIVE MILWAUKEE THE NBA'S MOST POTENT PAIR OF FORWARDS

By Phil Taylor

College Basketball

LOOK WHO'S FLYING HIGH REGGIE FREEMAN OF TEXAS AND FELIPE LOPEZ OF ST. JOHN'S PLAYED TOGETHER IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND ONE OF THEM WAS SUPPOSED TO BECOME A BIG STAR. ONE HAS, AND THEREIN LIES A STORY

By Alexander Wolff

Spirit Of '96

SPIRIT OF '96 ON THE FOLLOWING 25 PAGES, SI WRITERS TELL OF THEIR CHOICES FOR THE MOST COMPELLING PEOPLE AND THE MOST STIRRING MOMENTS OF THE YEAR IN SPORTS, STARTING WITH THE SUMMER'S BIGGEST SURPRISE ALL TOO HUMAN

By Gary Smith

MELTDOWN AT AUGUSTA

By Rick Reilly

FATHER'S DAY

By Johnette Howard

A MAN WORTH ROOTING FOR

By Leigh Montville

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT

By Tim Crothers

SHE WAS NOT ALONE

By E.M. Swift

A MESSAGE TO MICHAEL

By Don Yaeger

A BAPTISM BY FIRE

By Kelli Anderson

BEST FACE FORWARD

By Michael Bamberger

SPRINTING INTO THE FUTURE

By Kenny Moore

THE GLUE

By Jack McCallum

THE STREAK OF ARABY

By William Nack

DINGDONG DINGERS

By Tim Kurkjian

THIS ONE DIDN'T FAINT

By Richard Hoffer

PEACEFUL PANDEMONIUM

By Gerry Callahan

TO AN ATHLETE DYING YOUNG

By Tim Layden

WAITING TO EXHALE

By Michael Silver

OUT THE BACK DOOR

By Alexander Wolff

Hockey

HEADS UP! LARGELY OUT OF VANITY, AN ALARMING NUMBER OF NHL PLAYERS ARE WEARING FLIMSY HELMETS THAT PUT THEM AT RISK OF SEVERE INJURY

By Michael Farber

Inside The NFL

PACKERS STAR MERITS A SECOND STRAIGHT MVP AWARD WHY SO MANY COACHES ARE GETTING AXED BEST AND WORST OF 1996

By Peter King

Point After

'96 TEARS IT'S A SAD DAY FOR SPORTS WHEN SALARY CAPS REPLACE PARTY HATS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

By Leigh Montville

Departments

LETTERS

THE KEENAN CHRONICLES...FLORIDA'S 1-AA CONNECTION LEADS MARSHALL...DAWES DOES "GREASE"...THE COURTSHIP OF A FAN...A FISHING NUN...ANOTHER GOODEN TALE OF WOE

By Kimberly Wong WRITER/REPORTER Kostya Kennedy EDITED BY Jack McCallum AND Richard O'Brien