Iconic Sports Illustrated covers of Detroit/Michigan athletic heroes

A trip down memory lane is in order after an iconic part of sports culture took a hit Friday.

Sports Illustrated, the long-running sports magazine known for stunning photography and long-form coverage, laid off many of its staff, according to the magazine's owner. The magazine's union tweeted Friday it would continue to fight for the publication of the magazine but that its future is now in the hands of the magazine’s owner, Authentic Brands Group.

The immediate future of the magazine is unknown, which means the future status of Sports Illustrated's memorable cover art is too. In each issue, the magazine displayed a full-size picture of a sporting event or athlete, which sports fans often look back to as a time capsule from a different era of sports.

Detroit sports, as well as Michigan and Michigan State, have produced a number of memorable covers that hang proudly in sports bars and on the walls of fans' homes to this day. Here's a look at some of the famous Sports Illustrated covers graced by teams or athletes from Michigan.

Michigan Wolverines SI covers

Jan. 9, 2024: This image is still fresh in the minds of Wolverine fans, with Blake Corum breaking through defenders for a late touchdown to secure the national championship over Washington.

Dec. 9, 1991: Desmond Howard broke a 51-year drought of a Michigan player winning the Heisman with his 1991 campaign, and earned the label as a runaway winner in the final issue before the 1991 Heisman ceremony.

April 10, 1989: The last time Michigan basketball won it all was 1989, when Glen Rice led the Wolverines by setting an NCAA record by scoring 184 points over the six-game sprint. In the championship cover, Rice was shown grabbing a rebound over Seton Hall players.

Jan. 14, 1998: Quarterback Brian Griese was the quarterback on the national championship edition following the Wolverines' national Rose Bowl win and co-national title.

May 12, 2015: After Jim Harbaugh was hired at the end of 2014, he was the main cover story in a May 2015 issue of SI. He was profiled in his return to college football, with the article asking the question if he can restore the Wolverines to their past success (we know the answer to that one now).

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Michigan State Spartans SI covers

April 2, 1979: Magic Johnson's time at Michigan State was short-lived, but boy was it memorable. Magic led Michigan State to the 1979 national championship with a win over Larry Bird and Indiana State, which was immortalized with this SI cover of Magic posterizing poor Bob Heaton.

Nov. 27, 1978: Magic Johnson's talent was well-known before he led Michigan State to its first-ever national title. He was profiled by SI at the beginning of the 1978-79 season and was the cover athlete wearing a tuxedo and top hat. This was the beginning of a long relationship between Johnson and the cover, as he dominated the NBA in the '80s with the Lakers.

April 10, 2000: The 2000 run to the national championship for Michigan State basketball was led by Mateen Cleaves, who battled through a busted ankle to drop 18 points while hobbling up and down the court. The SI cover caught Cleaves sneaking a layup past Florida's Udonis Haslem, with the title reading "Spartan Warrior."

Nov. 28, 1966: Dubbed the "Game of the Century," the battle between top-ranked Michigan State and Notre Dame lived up to the hype, as they finished in a 10-10 tie after Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian ran out the clock to preserve the deadlock. The SI cover shows Michigan State's defense, anchored by Bubba Smith, swarming the Notre Dame offensive line with a tagline reading "furor over No. 1."

April 24, 1989: Swimsuit models weren't the only ones showing a lot of skin on SI covers, MSU offensive lineman Tony Mandarich did too. Before being selected No. 2 overall in the 1989 draft, Mandarich graced the over of SI with nothing but a pair of skin-tight jean shorts, a chain and a backward hat for the 1989 NFL draft preview, after his All-American career at MSU was over.

Detroit Lions SI covers

Oct. 3, 1955: The oldest Lions cover in the SI archives comes from the last era when the franchise won championships. Doak Walker, who played at halfback and kicker, graced the cover of SI in what would be his final professional season.

Sept. 10, 1989: Barry Sanders earned the SI cover for the 1990 NFL season preview edition after sweeping NFL Rookie of the Year awards in 1989 with a caption reading "Mr. Mighty Mite." Sanders built off his strong freshman campaign by leading the NFL in rushing with 1,304 yards in 1990.

Dec. 25, 1995: Sanders earned the cover again at the end of the 1995 season for leading the Detroit Lions to the playoffs by rushing for 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns, calling him "the pride of the Lions." Five days after this issue was released, the Lions were pounded, 58-37, in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Oct. 10, 2011: Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford were in the business of doling out hope in 2011, as they climbed to the playoffs with those two cornerstones. The SI cover in October captured Johnson making a spectacular catch against his favorite opponent, the Cowboys, in a 34-30 comeback win.

Sept. 3, 2012: Fresh off the Lions' first playoff appearance of the 21st century, Stafford and Johnson were put back on the cover of SI with a title reading "Mega-arm | Megatron". The Lions couldn't build on the momentum of 2011 and missed the playoffs with a 4-12 record.

Detroit Pistons SI covers

June 21, 2004: The Pistons stunned the rest of the NBA world by handling the Lakers 4-1 in the NBA finals for the franchise's third championship. Ben Wallace earned the cover for anchoring the Pistons' historic defense and going one-on-one with the best player in the world at the time, Shaquille O'Neal. Rip Hamilton slicing through two defenders for a layup was the championship edition cover.

May 18, 1987: After many tries in the '80s, the Pistons finally broke through to the Eastern Conference finals in 1987, where they lost in seven games to Bird and the Boston Celtics. Isiah Thomas was put on the cover, guarded by Atlanta Hawks guard Doc Rivers, after leading the Pistons to the conference finals for the first time since the NBA-ABA merger.

June 27, 1988: The Pistons broke through to the NBA Finals in 1988 after taking down the Celtics and met the other behemoth of the '80s, the Lakers. This edition with Johnson and Bill Laimbeer on the cover was released during the Finals, before the Pistons lost in seven games in part due to a crucial "phantom foul" called against Laimbeer in Game 6.

June 11, 1990: After taking care of the Bulls in the East finals for a second straight NBA Finals trip, the Pistons were placed on the cover in the lead-up to the NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. Thomas was on the cover converting a layup between two Bulls defenders.

Nov. 5, 1990: Laimbeer earned quite the reputation as the backline enforcer for the "Bad Boys" Pistons teams, racking up fouls, both personal and flagrant, at a league-high rate. Following the back-to-back championships, Laimbeer was on the cover with his hands on the head and a headline reading "What Foul?"

Detroit Red Wings SI covers

March 18, 1957: The owners of the No. 7 and No. 9 Red Wings jerseys that hang in the rafters of Little Caesars arena graced the cover together during the end of the 1957 season. Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe were photographed together in the Detroit locker room for this cover.

April 25, 1966: You can feel the physicality and rivalry of the Original Six jump out with this SI cover, which depicts the Red Wings' Bill Gadsby, without a helmet, laying a brutal check into the back of the head of the Chicago Blackhawks' Stan Mikita.

June 2, 1997: The bitter hatred between the Colorado Avalanche and Red Wings throughout the '90s is well-documented, including this SI cover after the Red Wings knocked the Avalanche out of the Western Conference Finals, 4-2, on their way to the Stanley Cup.

June 24, 1998: The Red Wings were able to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in 1998 after sweeping the Washington Capitals in four games. The SI cover shows Steve Yzerman, now the team's GM, lifting the Stanley Cup above his head in celebration.

June 27, 2002: The Red Wings' dynasty earned another championship edition magazine in 2002 after beating the Carolina Hurricanes four games to one. Dominik Hasek was on the cover making a save during Game 3.

Detroit Tigers SI covers

June 5, 1967:Al Kaline, also known as Mr. Tiger, graced the first June issue in 1967 as he prepared for an at-bat, with a caption saying "The Detroit Tigers stalk a pennant." The Tigers finished second in the AL that season, but made and won the World Series the following year.

June 6: 1977: Everyone remembers The Bird. Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych, aka The Bird, was on a 1977 SI cover along with Big Bird from Sesame Street to profile his unusual antics and explain his Rookie of the Year-worthy campaign in 1976, when he posted a 2.34 ERA to lead the MLB.

Oct. 22, 1984: The last time the Tigers won the World Series, Alan Trammel was on the cover of the SI championship edition, with a caption reading "Grrreat!" The photo shows Trammel hitting a home run in Game 4 of the World Series, which the Tigers won in five games.

Aug. 28, 2006: In his first full season as an MLB pitcher, a young Justin Verlander, goatee and all, was on the cover of SI as he and the Tigers were profiled before the MLB playoffs, where they reached the World Series. The headline focuses on Verlander's ability to touch triple digits with his fastball, which was rare at the time.

June 17, 2013: The primal power in the heart of the 2013 Tigers lineup — Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, who was fresh off the Triple Crown — made the cover. They were walking up the dugout steps with bats in hand, with a headline saying "Bash Bros."

Other athletes on the SI cover

Nov. 4, 2019: Who can forget the Emoni Bates saga? Bates won National High School Player of the Year as a sophomore, the youngest to ever win the award, for Ypsilanti Lincoln. Bates was profiled as the next big thing, being compared to Magic, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. After two up-and-down college basketball seasons at Memphis and Eastern Michigan, Bates became a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft to Cleveland.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Memorable Sports Illustrated covers of Detroit/Michigan athletic heroes