SubscribeSpeaking of Sports Illustrated and Jews…
As mentioned yesterday, Israeli model Bar Rafaeli graces the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit edition (Tel Aviv native Esti Ginzburg also appears in the publication).
Bob Wechsler, author of Day by Day in Jewish Sports History (KTAV), put together this list of other Jews that have appeared on the cover of the 50+-year-old sports staple.
According to the list, which was posted on Jewish Sports Collectibles, a Yahoo group dedicated to the topic, these include include:
| Sarah Hughes,
March 4, 2002 |
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| College basketball player Jamila Wideman, March 17, 1997 |  |
| Suzy Weiner (with fiancee Mark Spitz), May 14, 1973 |  |
| Spitz also appeared on July 22, 1968… |  |
| …and Sept. 4, 1972 |  |
| Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians was the first MOT (member of the Tribe), on April 18, 1955 |  |
| and Ryan Braun is the most recent, March 31, 2008 |  |
| Ron Blomberg, a.k.a., The Designated Hebrew, July 2, 1973 (with Bobby Murcer) |  |
| Jay Fiedler, Oct. 1, 2001, marking the return of sports after 9/11. |  |
| Among the records Sandy Koufax holds is most SI covers by a MOT. March 4, 1963, |  |
| April 13, 1964 (my personal favorite) |  |
| Dec. 20, 1965, the season he famously refused to pitch in the World Series on Yom Kippur (Sportsman of the Year) |
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| May 15, 1967 |  |
| July 12, 1999 |  |
| Oct. 9, 2006 (along with about 20 other “Dream Team” members. He’s in the upper right corner) |
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| Art Modell, Dec. 4, 1995 |  |
| Howard Cosell, Aug. 8, 1983 |  |
| NBA rookie Art Heyman, Oct. 28, 1963 (with Jerry Lucas) |  |
| College hoops star Ernie Grunfeld, Feb. 9, 1976 (with Bernard King) |  |
| Yachtsmen Bob and Bus Mosbacher, May 18, 1959 |  |
| Restauranteur and bon vivant Toots Shor, July 27, 1959 |  |
| In its early days, SI covered such “sports” as hunting, bullfighting, and cards, which explains why Charles Goren, bridgemaster, appears in the issues of Oct. 14, 1957… |  |
| … and May 23, 1960. |  |
Wechsler decided to omit pitcher Bo Belinsky, so I’ll leave him off, too.
I’ll also leave it the reader to decide what, if any, influence the dreaded Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx had on the careers of these folks. Koufax retired prematurely, of course, and Rosen and Blomberg also suffered injuries that shortened their playing time.
And for any collectors out there, any of these covers can be purchased through SI Vault, Sports Illustrated’s excellent archival website.
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Awesome post, Ron!