RIP Sports Illustrated… Remember When A Small Montana School Was On The Cover?

It was a melancholy week for sports fans like myself to hear Sports Illustrated is probably as dead as the Queen... too soon?

It seemed like every sports-related publication wrote a story on S.I. laying off all of their staff, so I'm not sure who broke the story. If you're interested in reading more of the downfall of S.I., the Ringer put together a well-rounded article analyzing the demise of everyone's favorite magazine (once upon a time).

I will miss S.I. When I was in middle and high school I received my weekly subscription. It was practically the only thing I read as a kid. Plus, the subscription also gifted me the highly-anticipated Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition. Young me loved that week for obvious reasons, but this isn't my coming-of-age story.

But maybe the best of all was when little ole' Carroll College was featured with one of the greatest pictures in sports history.

On the December 24, 2007, edition of Sports Illustrated's Pictures of the Year, the cover photo featured Carrol College winning the NAIA National Championship.

It looks like a picture straight out of Rudy. The caption is blurry in the pic above but number 34 is Carroll College linebacker Brandon Day. In an absolute show of euphoric jubilation, Day slides to his knees after winning a muddy NAIA National Championship game in Savannah, Georgia. Carroll defeated the University of Sioux Falls 17-9 that day. Sports Illustrated has a great piece about "The Story Behind The Cover."

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If you're a Carroll alum you can order the print above for $105 and frame that bad boy on your wall.

Awesome. Pure awesomeness.