University of Kentucky freshman star John Wall finds himself the cover man of this week's Sports Illustrated. The cover shot deems Wall "the Great Wall of Kentucky". The cover boldly proclaims Wall as the best college basketball player in the country.
Kentucky fans have had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness a true future star don the Kentucky uniform for the 2009-10 basketball season. Wall has already achieved a place among the greatest freshman to ever play for Kentucky, joining players like Rex Chapman and Jamal Mashburn as all-time great UK freshman. It is extremely likely we are watching Wall's only NCAA season, though there might still be some small chance he returns. As soon as Wall declares for the NBA draft, he will be the overall number one selection and will be a Kentucky fan favorite in the NBA for many years.
Wall's appearance on the cover of SI is not the first for a Kentucky player. Many great Kentucky teams, players and coaches have graced the cover since the 1960's. One of the earliest SI covers to showcase a Kentucky player was this one from 1962. This Sports Illustrated cover features former UK great Cotton Nash. In 1966, Kentucky was featured on the cover twice, once with legendary coach Adolph Rupp on the cover and again with Pat Riley on the cover from the 1966 NCAA Championship game.
In the 1970's, the Wildcats were featured three times, once in 1970 when Dan Issel joined three other players on the cover, again in 1975 when Mike Flynn was on the cover, and again in 1978. The 1978 cover features Kentucky legend Jack "Goose" Givens and his unforgettable performance in the 1978 National Championship game. Givens dropped 41 points in the game against Duke, giving Kentucky their fifth National Championship and first for coach Joe B. Hall.
In the 1980's, freshman phenom Rex Chapman shared the cover with football player Brian Bosworth in 1987. The other SI cover from the 1980's was the infamous Kentucky Shame cover that chronicled one of the darkest times in the history of the program. Probably one of the best SI covers ever for a Kentucky player came out in 1983. The cover featured an unforgettable image of Sam Bowie rejecting the shot of a Louisville player and had the headline Sam Bam! The issue chronicled UK's historic win over the rival Cardinals in 1983.
In the 1990's, the Wildcats dominated the college basketball landscape and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated multiple times. The most noteworthy appearance to Wildcat fans are the covers that commemorate the National Championship wins of 1996 and 1998. Other players featured on SI covers in the 1990's include Antoine Walker, Nazr Muhammed, Wayne Turner, and coaches Tubby Smith and Rick Pitino.
In 2009, current Kentucky superstar Patrick Patterson graced the cover of the College Basketball preview issue. The preview issue dubbed Kentucky as the pre-season number 5 team in the country, signaling their return to college basketball dominance with the arrival of John Calipari and a great freshman class. It is quite likely that we have not seen the last UK themed SI cover this season. Could there be another Championship issue featuring the Wildcats at the end of this season?
Here is a look at the other UK Sports Illustrated covers from the past: (click on all the images for larger views)
