Sports Illustrated's 10 Strangest Covers Of The `60s

We all know Sports Illustrated, for decades the leading athletic magazine around. Even in its heyday, though, editors felt the need to be hip and edgy.

Sometimes.

Or maybe they just did a lot of drugs in the Time-Life offices, and occasionally the boss who was supposed to stop terrible cover ideas was on vacation. That’s the only explanation we can think of for these 10 SI covers from the 1960s.

1. Turn Me On, Dead Man

Duuude. There’s like this team, like the Knicks? And they’ve got Jazzie and Cazzie and….ummm…like…..you ever look at a dollar bill, man? There’s some spooky shit going on there, man.

2. An Early Version of Tron

Maybe if you’re high and the players all look like this to you, the case for the 12-foot basket makes sense.

3. On the other hand….

Maybe players did look like that back then.

4. The Sad Clown

For someone the cover is touting as “irrepressible,” this guy looks pretty damn pressible, as in depressible. Maybe it’s because he’s stuck down in a deep well of loneliness and self-hatred, looking in vain for help from those above who insist only on taunting him.

5. Cthulu Approaches

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards the Orange Bowl to be born?

6. This Will Get Readers

If the designers wanted to put out a cover conveying exactly all the heart-stopping excitement of the subject, they succeeded. First of a series, too!!

7. Next: Muhammad Ali With Fried Chicken

Hey!! Heeza Italian!! He eata da spaghetti wit’ a bigga smile onna his face-a!!

8. These Are Your Rams on Drugs

This cover probably won some awards in 1967. Then again, so did Nehru jackets.

9. We Dare You To Pick Up This Magazine

Wow, that looks like it’s going to be a very interesting, readable article. On nuclear physics.

10. SI: The Taliban Years

The burqua version of the swimsuit issue — an idea that probably should have been given some more thought.

And a bonus…..

Carl Yastrzemski, starring in Vertigo: