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Classic SI photo by Walter Iooss Jr.

Iron clad

After breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive-games record on Sept. 6, 1995 by playing in his 2,131rd straight game, hometown hero Cal Ripken would go on to place the record pretty well out of reach at 2,632. Ripken, once considered huge for a shortstop, was also a two-time AL MVP and retired with 3,184 career hits and 431 home runs.

FACES IN THE CROWD

Dominique Dawes Silver Spring
Dec. 25, 1989 -- Dominique, 13, won the vault, floor exercise and beam events and placed second on the uneven bars to win the all-around title for the second year in a row with a score of 38.45, at the Junior Orange Bowl Gymnastics Invitational.
Career highlight: Three time Olympian was a member of 1996 gold medal winning team.
Now photo by Mike Theiler/Getty Images


Beth Botsford Lutherville
May 24, 1993 -- Beth, 12, set her fifth girls' national age-group swimming record in the backstroke when she swam 50 yards in 26.62 seconds in the age 11-12 division at the Eastern Zone All-Star championships. She still holds girls' 10-and-under U.S. records for 50 yards (28.72), 100 yards (1:01.71), 50 meters (33.14) and 100 meters (1:10.41).
Career highlight: 1998 team championship member.
Now photo by Simon Bruty

GREATEST ATHLETES
Babe Ruth, Baltimore
Larger-than-life ballplayer slugged 714 homers; 94-46 with 2.28 ERA as pitcher; won seven World Series rings with Red Sox and Yankees from 1914 to '35.

Cal Ripken Jr., Aberdeen
Played in record 2,632 consecutive games for Orioles; AL MVP in 1983 and '91.
Lefty Grove, Lonaconing
Nine-time AL ERA champ had 300 wins and .680 winning percentage; 1931 AL MVP with A's.
See the complete list of Maryland's Greatest Athletes


FLASHBACK
2002: A Staggering Achievement
Steadied down the stretch by the unflappable Juan Dixon, Maryland overcame a multitude of errors to win its first national championship
All night long, as his team bumbled and fumbled with an uncharacteristic lack of poise, Maryland coach Gary Williams scowled. He stomped. He screamed.
FULL STORY



SI COVERS
Classic SI cover Colt Classics John Unitas passed away in 2002 and was remembered in Sports Illustrated as much for his courage on the field as his physical gifts: "Unitas got hit plenty. He'd snarl and wipe the blood off his face and lead his team down the field on another of his great scoring drives, operating in that hunch-shouldered way of his, with the herky-jerky setup and deadly accuracy."

Click here to see a gallery of every Baltimore cover

HARRIS POLL RESULTS
Who do Marylanders root for? SI asked the Old Line State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
Baltimore Orioles
49%
New York Yankees
14%
Philadelphia Phillies
5%


Favorite NFL team
Washington Redskins
27%
Baltimore Ravens
25%
Dallas Cowboys
6%


Favorite NBA team
Washington Wizards
21%
Los Angeles Lakers
10%
No favorite
39%


Favorite NHL team
Washington Capitals
34%
Philadelphia Flyers
3%
No favorite
44%

Favorite sport to play
Golf
12%
Basketball
11%
Swimming
11%
Running or jogging
9%
Bowling
8%
Baseball or softball
7%
Fishing
7%
Favorite college team
Maryland basketball
26%
Maryland football
15%
Penn State football
4%


Greatest athlete who lived in or played for a team in your state
Cal Ripken Jr.
31%
Johnny Unitas
30%


State's biggest rivalry
Ravens-Redskins
18%
Redskins-Cowboys
16%
Maryland-Duke
12%
Maryland-Johns Hopkins (lacrosse)
10%


Favorite announcer
John Madden
16%
Chuck Thompson
11%
John Miller
9%


Which is more important to you - sports or sex?
Sports
10%
Sex
60%
Decline to answer
30%
More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro
60%
College
15%
Equal
25%


Favorite sports to watch on TV
Football
82%
Winter Olympics
55%
Summer Olympics
51%
Baseball
47%
Basketball
46%
Multiple responses allowed.
 


Biggest rival among other states
North Carolina
23%
New York
15%
Texas
13%
Virginia
11%
Pennsylvania
10%


FUN FACT
Twenty-seven percent of those polled identified the Dallas Cowboys as the Maryland's chief team villain. The New York Yankees were second, with 22%, and Duke University third (17%).
*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 401 Maryland residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/­4.9%.
Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary
New attitude in the Old Line State

Maryland is the birthplace both of Babe Ruth and Lefty Grove, but it hasn't always been an athletic hotbed. SI's Frank Deford explains that, before the glory of Johnny Unitas and Cal Ripken, the state was a big-time sports wasteland. And SI.com digs into the SI archives to find some famous Faces in the Crowd, Flashbacks and other significant moments in Maryland sports history.


Lacrosse
• SI Sportstown: Howard County, Md.
• Kennedy: Ocean City lacrosse
Maryland's 50 greatest athletes
What's your top Md. sports memory?
SI 50th Tour Information

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STATITUDES
7 Consecutive NCAA women's lacrosse titles from 1995-2001 won by the University of Maryland, which has won more Division I women's games (404 in 29 seasons) than any other program.

8 Maryland Class 1A high school boy's basketball titles won by Dunbar High School, including its most recent in 2003. In 2003 the Dunbar girls' team won its fourth consecutive state championship.

14, 31 Appearances through the 2002 season in the NCAA men's lacrosse final by Johns Hopkins University, and years in which the Blue Jays reached the NCAA lacrosse semifinals, both records. The University of Maryland men's program ranked third with 25 semifinals appearances, while the Naval Academy was tied for fifth with 20. Hopkins and Syracuse shared the NCAA record with seven titles.

47 Midshipmen wins in the 103 editions of the Army-Navy game (seven ties).

47 Consecutive games in which John Unitas completed a touchdown pass for the Colts between 1956-60, 17 more than his nearest rival, Dan Marino, in that category.

76 Height, in inches, of David Robinson when he entered the Naval Academy, before growing seven inches during his collegiate career, which ended in 1987.

165 Points allowed by the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, an NFL record for a 16-game schedule.

1,274 Wins as head coach by DeMatha High's Morgan Wooten, who led the Stags to a .868 winning percentage from 1956-2002.

98,983 Estimated capacity (including approximately 60,000 in the infield) at Pimlico, site of the Preakness Stakes, which hosted its 128th running on May 17, 2003.

ENEMY OF THE STATE
Bob Irsay
The late owner who moved the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984 barely beat the owner who has presided over the Orioles' recent decline. As their most hated opponent, Marylanders chose the Dallas Cowboys (27%), New York Yankees (22%) and Duke (17%).

Bob Irsay
16%
Peter Angelos
15%
George Steinbrenner
12%
FAST FACTS
Admission to statehood: April 28, 1788 (7th state)

Area: 12,407 square miles

Bird: Baltimore Oriole

Capital: Annapolis

Economy: Agriculture -- Seafood, poultry and eggs, dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, soybeans, corn. Industry -- Electric equipment, food processing, chemical products, printing and publishing, transportation equipment, machinery, primary metals, coal, tourism.

 
Flower: Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Nickname: Old Line State

Population: 5,296,486 (19th)

Pro sports teams: Baltimore Orioles (MLB), Baltimore Ravens (NFL)

Major college programs: University of Maryland Terrapins, United States Naval Academy Midshipmen, Towson University Tigers, Mount St. Mary's Moutaineers, Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays

SI 50th POLL
Which non-professional Maryland sporting event would you most like to attend?







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