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.