LINEUP
SPORTSMAN of the YEAR
LeBron James
56 The King
After a ring, a second gold medal and a third MVP, LeBron James has one last frontier to conquer
BY LEE JENKINS
77 Eternal Sportsmen
The beneficence that inspired SI to honor these athletes continues to shine through
BY DAN GREENE
82 Athletes Who Care
Ten sports figures who evince the same passion for helping others as SI's honorees did 25 years ago
BY ALEXANDER WOLFF
SPECIAL REPORTING BY DAN GREENE
FEATURES
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
98 BCS Preview
Notre Dame--Alabama is a history-drenched championship showdown that embodies the essence of the game
BY TIM LAYDEN
How each team can win
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
106 Johnny Manziel
An oral history of Texas A&M's quarterback, from small-town tot to Heisman front-runner
BY ANDY STAPLES
The other Heisman hopefuls
ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
118 Jim Calhoun
The freshly retired UConn coach reflects on his complicated legacy and what he misses—and doesn't miss—about college hoops
BY SETH DAVIS
PRO FOOTBALL
124 Statheads
Blessed are the geeks who are trying to convince football men that analytics offer the best formula for winning in the NFL
BY ALBERT CHEN
BASEBALL
132 Pablo Sandoval
The 2012 World Series was a chance to discover what San Franciscans have long known: The Giants' third baseman is hard not to love
BY JORDAN CONN
MEMOIR
140 The Steelers
A miraculous play 40 years ago turned the author and his son into Pittsburgh fans. They went back to see what's new
BY ROY BLOUNT JR.
DEPARTMENTS
6 SI Digital
11 Leading Off
20 The Mail
22 Editor's Letter
28 Scorecard
Tragedy in Kansas City
34 Faces in the Crowd
36 Just My Type
Hoops fan Manti Te'o
BY DAN PATRICK
40 Inside ...
MLB | NBA | FANTASY
MLS | BOXING
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
154 Point After
Put that jersey away!
BY STEVE RUSHIN
ON THE COVER: Photographs by Walter Iooss Jr.
Please Recycle This Magazine Remove Inserts or Samples Before Recycling
PHOTO
GREG NELSON
PUTTING IT ALL ON THE LINE LeBron James prepared to take a technical foul shot in the third quarter of the Heat's championship-clinching Game 5 win over Oklahoma City.