 Classic SI photo by Heinz Kluetmeier |
Vegas attraction
While an image may have landed Andre Agassi in the spotlight, it was his tennis that sustained a remarkable career. After turning pro at 16 and rising to a No. 1 world ranking in 1995, Agassi slipped to No. 141 by 1997, only to rise again to No. 1. In the process he shed the image-is-everything persona and become one of the most respected players in the game.
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GREATEST ATHLETES |
Greg Maddux, Las Vegas
Valley High graduate has won four Cy Young Awards; 221 career wins through 14 big league seasons (1986 to '99).
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Andre Agassi, Las Vegas
One of five men to win all four tennis Grand Slam singles events.
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Matt Williams, Carson City
Third baseman had 334 homers and 1,050 RBIs through 13 seasons (1987 to '99); owner of four Gold Gloves; led NL with 43 homers in 1994.
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FLASHBACK |
1990: Runaway
UNLV beat Duke 103-73 in the most lopsided NCAA title game ever
Good vs. evil? What about East vs. West? Tobacco Road vs. the Strip? Grits vs. Glitz? Bookworms vs. Croupiers? Blue vs. Red, for Godsakes?
FULL STORY
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SI COVERS |
Quality Control
"The best righthanded pitcher born in the past 100 years walks among us today," Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci wrote in this 1995 cover story. "Did you see van Gogh paint? No, you could respond, but I saw Greg Maddux pitch. Or maybe you haven't noticed, which is precisely the way Gregory Alan Maddux of the Atlanta Braves would prefer it."
Click here to see a gallery of every Las Vegas cover
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THE SI POLL |
Who do Nevadans root for? SI asked the Silver State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
San Francisco Giants | 12% |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 9% |
Chicago Cubs | 8% |
Favorite NFL team
Oakland Raiders | 12% |
San Francisco 49ers | 12% |
Favorite NBA team
Los Angeles Lakers | 21% |
Sacramento Kings | 11% |
No favorite | 32% |
Favorite NHL team
Colorado Avalanche | 7% |
Detroit Red Wings | 7% |
No favorite | 53% |
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Favorite pro team
Oakland Raiders | 10% |
San Francisco 49ers | 7% |
Favorite college
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your state
Randall Cunningham | 17% |
Larry Johnson | 12% |
Greg Maddux | 11% |
Andre Agassi | 8% |
State's biggest rival
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More a fan of college or pro sports?
Favorite sport to play
Golf | 18% |
Running | 12% |
Swimming | 11% |
Favorite sports to watch on TV**
Football | 80% |
Summer Olympics | 47% |
Winter Olympics | 46% |
Baseball | 42% |
Basketball | 41% |
**Multiple responses allowed | |
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*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 401 Montana residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/- 5%.
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FAST FACTS |
Admission to statehood: Oct. 31, 1864 (36th state)
Area: 110,567 square miles
Bird: Mountain Bluebird
Capital: Carson City
Economy: Agriculture -- Cattle, hay, dairy products, potatoes. Industry -- Tourism, mining, machinery, printing and publishing, food processing, electric equipment.
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Flower: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
Nickname: The Silver State
Population: 1,998,257 (35th)
Pro sports teams: Las Vegas Gladiators (AFL)
Major college programs: University Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels, University of Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack
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Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary |
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STATITUDES |
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.889 University of Nevada-Las Vegas football coach John Robinson's career winning percentage in bowl games (8-1) since 1976, including one win with UNLV in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.
1 Member on each the PGA and LPGA Tours to have been enshrined in the University of Nevada-Reno's athletic hall of fame -- Kirk Tripplett (1981-84) and Patty Sheehan (1976-78).
3 Sports Illustrated covers on which Las Vegas' Andre Agassi has appeared.
12 MLB teams for which Las Vegas' Mike Morgan pitched during a career that began in 1978.
14 Average Winston Cup race finish in 2002 and through 18 races in 2003 for Las Vegas' Kurt Busch, whose average finish through his first two Cup seasons (2000, '01) was 25th.
15 Wolf Pack wins in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon. UNLV has won 13 games in the series, which has been played nearly every season since 1969.
30 Points by which UNLV beat Duke in 1990 to win its only NCAA basketball title.
295 Division I-A career receptions record set in 1998 by Nevada-Reno's Geoff Noisy.
2004 Year in which Nevada-Reno will host the NCAA skiing championships.
16,860,300.00 Sales, in U.S. dollars, for Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield II (Nov. 13, 1999), which, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission's Web site is the state's highest-grossing fight.
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ENEMY OF THE STATE |
Jerry Tarkanian
No need to gnaw on the towel, Tark: Plenty of Nevadans love you, thanks to your 509-105 record and one national title at UNLV. Respondents' most hated opponents: the University of Nevada (15%), the University of Utah (13%) and UNLV (11%).
Jerry Tarkanian | 10% |
Al Davis | 9% |
Rick Majerus | 9% |
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