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Over 100 20th Century Sports Legends & Current Stars Will Attend “Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards"

The Greatest, The Great One and Michael To Attend

New York, NY, November 16, 1999 - Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky and basketball great Michael Jordan headline a list of sporting legends set to attend “Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards.” Joining Ali, Gretzky and Jordan among the approximately 100 sports figures confirmed as of this date are Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus, Bill Russell, Chris Evert, Magic Johnson, Carl Lewis, Billie Jean King, Henry Aaron, Arnold Palmer, Richard Petty, Martina Navratilova, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods, Peggy Fleming, Dick Butkus, Pele and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Bryant Gumbel will host the two-hour awards gala that airs live on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden on Thursday, December 2 (9:00 PM ET/PT). Garth Brooks and Paul Simon will honor the greatest athletes of the past 100 years as the musical entertainment for the show.

SI's editors have chosen six nominees for the “Athlete of the Century” in each of the following categories: Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey, Individual Sports (Men), Individual Sports (Women) and U.S. Olympians. All of the nominees will be recognized during the CBS special, with one winner to be selected in each grouping. The magazine will also name its Ten Greatest Sports Moments of the Century and will crown an overall Sportsman of the Century. The winners in both of those categories will be revealed on the show. An elite group of seven “Athletes Who Changed The Game” will be honored during the broadcast for the extraordinary impact they had on the sports in which they participated.

Tickets to the awards show begin at $50 and are on sale now through all TicketMaster locations or by calling TicketMaster directly at 212-307-7171. Tickets are also available at the Madison Square Garden box office. In addition to the awards show, VIP ticketholders will be invited to bid on rare sports memorabilia at an exclusive silent auction open only to guests at the PARTY OF THE CENTURY, which will be held prior to the awards. A contribution will be made to the sports & literacy programs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America following the auction. VIP tickets are valued at $1,500 each and can be purchased by calling the special ticket request line at 1-877-833-3VIP.

“Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards” is being produced by the New York-based television production company TWI. Ken Ehrlich (“The Grammy Awards,” which he has produced for CBS since 1980, and the Network+s upcoming November Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Ricky Martin specials) is the executive producer.

“Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards” is sponsored by the Chrysler brand, Compaq Computer Corporation, Motorola Inc. and American General.

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