November 12, 1979 | Volume 51, Issue 20

When Linda Verigan joined SPORTS ILLUSTRATED in 1973 as secretary to our Articles Editor, she dispatched her chores with the speed and efficiency appropriate to a graduate of New York's esteemed...

Contrary to what used to be said in the cereal ads, it's my opinion that champions are born, not made. It seems to me that exceptional athletes are so filled with desire, so blessed with physical...

My father was a duck hunter and, I guess, a good one. At least, he came back from Moriches Bay on Long Island to our home in Scarsdale, N.Y. often enough with ducks he had killed. On the Island he...

Cover—Top Row: Rich Clarkson, Lynn Pelham, John F. Kenney, Bottom: R.J. Capak, Shelly Katz-Black Star10—Evelyn Floret36-37—James Drake38—Rich Clarkson39—Heinz Kluetmeier40-41—Tony Tomsic42—Peter...

PRO BASKETBALL—In a week of streaks, Indiana and Houston had the least impressive. The Pacers lost their seventh straight on the road, 115-93 at New Jersey, and the following night saw a five-game...

GREG LeMONDCARSON CITY, NEV.LeMond, 18, the U.S. junior cycling champion, won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Buenos Aires to become the first American...

TEMPEST IN TEMPESir:Thank you for Ron Reid's excellent article on Frank Rush's dismissal at Arizona State (There's the Devil To Pay. Oct. 29). His overview of the events, and his analysis of the...

I'm finally weary of non-runners, most especially the ones who write magazine articles denouncing running and other forms of exercise as well. Such articles have appeared in Playboy, which you...

Christmas came early to Minorca this year. I was sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean, brooding over the fact that, for the first time in 30 years, I was out of range and had missed the...

There's an old saying that goes, "Every mile is two in winter," and it may be especially true this winter. Consider this forecast in The Old Farmer's Almanac for the Northern Great Plains: "Jan....

Terry Davis' first novel, Vision Quest (Viking, $8.95), is compared by John Irving, the author of The World According to Garp, to The Catcher in the Rye. There's nothing unusual about that; every...

STEROIDS: THE GROWING MENACE

•Bum Phillips, Houston Oiler coach, assessing the talents of Running Back Earl Campbell: "Earl may not be in a class by himself, but whatever class he's in, it doesn't take long to call the roll."

In the debate over who's on top—Alabama, Nebraska, USC, Ohio State, Houston or Florida State—one point is clear: No. 1 wears red

L.A.'s Marcel Dionne, Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor, the NHL's hottest line, have all the stats but no name

There is an adage among lawyers that Sam Ervin, the former Senator, liked to cite: when the law is against you, refer to the evidence; when the evidence is against you, refer to the law. And if...

Wondrous to behold are Coach Mouse Davis and Portland State's R&S offense

SOUTH

OFFENSE: Paul McDonald, Southern Cal's 6'2", 180-pound senior quarterback, set team single-game records for passing yardage (380) and completions (25 in 35 tries) and tossed three TD passes as USC...

Tracy Austin (above) was a star in a resolute battle against the British as the U.S. team regained the Wightman Cup

After 12 dismal seasons, the Saints have finally discovered the road to victory

Pro Football, 1979 has been the year of the passer, the blitzer, the holder, the lawyer and rules maker, not to mention the AFC (again), says Paul Zimmerman, who reviews the first 11 weeks of the...

The Bucks had a shocker on tap: a fast start resulting in a nifty 10-2 record