McFadden Featured on Cover of Sports Illustrated

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas junior Darren McFadden is featured on this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated. McFadden is one of five regional covers for the publication’s college football preview issue on newsstands this week. Michigan’s Mike Hart, West Virginia’s Steve Slaton, USC’s Emmanuel Moody, C.J. Gable and Chauncey Washington and Oklahoma’s Allen Patrick are featured on the other four regional covers.

The regional edition with McFadden on the cover includes an in-depth feature on the 2006 Heisman Trophy runner-up by Sports Illustrated writer Phil Taylor.

McFadden becomes the first Razorback football player to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated since Ben Cowins and Ron Calcagni joined former Arkansas coach Lou Holtz on the cover of the magazine on Sept. 11, 1978. McFadden becomes only the second individual football player to grace the cover by himself in school history. Harry Jones was Arkansas’ first cover boy on Nov. 8, 1965.

In addition, Arkansas Basketball has garnered cover recognition four times on the front of Sports Illustrated. Sidney Moncrief was featured on Feb. 13, 1978 while former President Bill Clinton was pictured with an Arkansas warm-up suit on the cover on March 21, 1994. Corliss Williamson (April 11, 1994) made the cover following the Razorbacks’ NCAA basketball national championship in 1994. Corey Beck (April 3, 1995) was the last Razorback to appear on the SI cover prior to the 1995 Final Four.

Arkansas was also included in the cover shot following the 1969 Big Shootout (Dec. 15, 1969) and after its loss to Larry Bird and Indiana State in the 1979NCAA Elite Eight(March 26, 1979).