1975

Saigon falls, Jimmy Hoffa disappears, and President Ford dodges two assassination attempts. As comic relief, Saturday Night Live has its debut, and streakers dash here, there and everywhere. Other diversions: The victorious Reds, Steelers, Warriors, Flyers, UCLA in sneakers, and Oklahoma in cleats.

INCIDENTALLY
YOU TELL 'EM, EDDIE
The Southwest Conference has decided to use lie-detector tests during investigations of recruiting violations. About which Arkansas basketball coach Eddie Sutton said, "If you strapped a couple of coaches I know into a polygraph chair, they'd be electrocuted."

IN SI 'S WORDS
FISK'S HOME RUN
It was past midnight now. The game had lasted almost four hours. It was the 12th inning and Fisk was leading off for the Red Sox. On the second pitch, a low inside sinker thrown by the eighth and last of the Reds' pitchers, Pat Darcy, Fisk took a mighty cut. The ball described a high arc toward the wall in left, curving as if to spin foul. Fisk stood several feet down the line, frantically urging the ball fair with his hands. It hit the yellow foul pole above the wall, a home run. A game-winning home run. The Red Sox had won this epic struggle 7-6. It was V-J Day at home plate when Fisk arrived, a hero of heroes in one of the finest games ever played, one that may well have attracted multitudes of new fans who had considered baseball a sedentary occupation.
—RON FIMRITE

IN SI'S WORDS
THE WIZARD

Monday night in the San Diego Sports Arena, college basketball went off to meet the Wizard of Westwood for the last time. Having arrived in California 27 years ago as something of a scarecrow, John Wooden went out like a most uncowardly lion. UCLA , which under Wooden has failed to win only two of the last 12 NCAA championships, won this one by holding off Kentucky 92-85.

At the finish Wooden remained true to his image; except for an emotional outburst or two during a very emotional game, he was the kindly Tin Man to the end. "I didn't really feel differently about this game," he said. "Just very proud."

Even the Wizard, having announced his retirement on Saturday, must have sensed the extra impact of the game's two most honored schools meeting in his farewell. Here were UCLA and Kentucky , which had won more than a third of all the NCAA basketball titles ever played, evoking memories of Hagan and Ramsey and Issel, of Goodrich and Alcindor and Walton. And here was Wooden one-on-one with destiny.
—CURRY KIRKPATRICK

The Steel Curtain-three members of which, (from left) Ernie Holmes , Mean Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood, are here with Jack Ham (59)-slams down on the Vikings in Super Bowl IX.

WE'RE NO. 1: Jimmy Connors

A beach clearer.