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Back to SI.com SI.com 50th Home Pick a State SI Covers Trivia Challenge Tour Info All-American Teen Idaho
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Classic SI photo by Carl Yarbrough

Downhill Dynamo

Alpine ski racer Picabo Street was one of the dominant personalities in her sport for more than a decade. The charismatic schusser -- who once called skiing a "dance with death" -- twice rebounded from career-threatening injuries and won a gold medal in the Super-G at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games.

GREATEST ATHLETES
Harmon Killebrew, Payette
Most homers by AL righthanded hitter (573); fifth alltime overall; 13 All-Star Games with Twins; 1969 AL MVP.

Jerry Kramer, Sandpoint
Starred as tackle and kicker at Idaho; led power sweeps that helped Packers to five NFL titles including wins in first two Super Bowls; four-time All-Pro guard.
Picabo Street, Sun Valley
Earned gold in Super G at 1998 Olympics, downhill silver in '94; only American to win World Cup downhill title ('96).
See the complete list of Idaho's Greatest Athletes


FLASHBACK
1996: Boss Cross
Out of the Spotlight Since '92, Former NFL and TV Star Irv Cross is tackling Sports Again as Athletic Director at Idaho State
You couldn't blame the folks at Idaho State for thinking the letter was a joke. The author wrote that he was interested in applying for the athletic director's job, and it was signed by Irv Cross -- the same Irv Cross who was a mainstay on CBS's popular The NFL Today after spending nine seasons as a defensive back in the NFL.
FULL STORY



SI COVERS
Classic SI cover Painted memories A picture is worth a thousand words, as artist Austin Briggs illustrated in this Oct. 22, 1962 cover piece. A former city slicker released in the wilderness of Idaho, Briggs returned with a lasting impression of the sport behind big-game hunting.

Click here to view a gallery of every hunting cover

THE SI POLL
Who do Idahoans root for? SI asked the Gem State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
Seattle Mariners
24%
New York Yankees
8%
Chicago Cubs
8%
Atlanta Braves
8%


Favorite NFL team
Denver Broncos
14%
Seattle Seahawks
14%
an Francisco 49ers
10%
Green Bay Packers
10%


Favorite NBA team
Utah Jazz
21%
Los Angeles Lakers
13%
No favorite
38%


Favorite NHL team
Colorado Avalanche
12%
No favorite
54%
Favorite pro team
Seattle Mariners
12%
Denver Broncos
9%
Seattle Seahawks
8%


Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your state
Jake Plummer
14%
Jerry Kramer
14%
Harmon Killebrew
10%


State's biggest rivalry
Boise State-Idaho
51%
Boise St.-Idaho St.
15%


State's biggest rival
Utah
16%
Washington
14%
More a fan of college or pro sports?
58%
62%
College
17%


Favorite sport to play
Fishing
13%
Golf
13%


Favorite sports to watch on TV**
Football
72%
Winter Olympics
51%
Summer Olympics
48%
Baseball
41%
**Multiple responses allowed
 
*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 401 Idaho residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/- 5%.
FAST FACTS
Admission to statehood: July 3, 1890 (43rd state)

Area: 83,574 square miles

Bird: Mountain Blue Bird

Capital: Boise

Flower: Syringa

Nickname: Gem State

Population: 1,293,953

Pro sports teams: None

 
Economy: Agriculture -- Cattle, potatoes, dairy products, wheat, sugar beets, barley. Industry -- food processing, lumber and wood products, machinery, chemical products, paper products, silver and other mining, tourism.

Major college programs: University of Idaho Vandals, Boise State University Broncos, Idaho State Bengals


Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary
Hidden gem


Jake Plummer
Although Idaho doesn't have any major professional franchises, it has produced its share of NFL talent. Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer says his home state has so many sports options that he didn't mind not having any big-league teams to root for growing up. One of those options is fly fishing. Thousands of serious trout fishermen make the trek to Idaho, whose array of waters offers more opportunities than any other state in the Lower 48.

• SI Sportstown: Boise, Idaho
Submit your own Idaho sports memory
Idaho's 50 greatest athletes
SI 50th Tour Information

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STATITUDES
1 U.S. stadium with a blue astroplay surface. Bronco Stadium, home to the Boise State University football team, is the only Division I facility that can boast this distinction.

4 Times an Idaho team has won the Humanitarian Bowl title during the seven-year history of the game. Boise State won the Humanitarian title 1999, 2000 and '02. Idaho beat Southern Mississippi 45-42 in 1998.

33 Months Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street spent recovering from a 1998 crash -- during which she tore knee ligaments and broke her left femur.

11 Seasons Idaho native Jake Plummer called Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., home -- four as a college player at Arizona State and seven years as quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals.

2,007 Passing yards amassed by Falcons' quarterback David Archer, who starred at Idaho's Soda Springs High, in 1986, his best professional season.

1,329 Rushing yards Caldwell, Idaho, native Ray McDonald covered in 1966, the year he led the NCAA in that category for the Idaho Vandals.

9 All-America honors earned by Corissa Yasen, an Idaho native, while competing at Purdue. Yasen became the school's first female national champion by winning the heptathlon at the 1996 NCAA track and field championships.

143 Races won by jockey Laverne Fator in 1926. He was the nation's leading rider for two years and was inducted in the National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in 1955.

ENEMY OF THE STATE
Al Davis
Idahoans' favorite NFL team is the Broncos, so the Raiders' owner was a logical choice. As for the runners-up, Nutt coached football at Boise State and Tormey at Idaho. The most hated foes: the University of Idaho (15%) and Washington State (12%).

Al Davis
13%
Houston Nutt
7%
Chris Tormey
6%
SI 50th POLL
What is the most impressive athletic achievement by an Idaho native?







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