Atlanta, Milwaukee Braves Sports Illustrated Covers, 1960-1979

If you thought the 1980s were the dark ages of Atlanta Braves history, wait 'til you get a load of the team's Sports Illustrated cover run in the '60s. The Braves moved home from Milwaukee in 1966, right in between their only two SI covers of the decade. The '70s were kinder thanks to Hank Aaron, who appeared on three covers from 1969 to 1974. Only three?

Red Schoendienst was a baseball player. He played four seasons for the Braves and went on to become a longtime St. Louis Cardinals manager. In 1960, he looked like this:    

Crazy guess, but I'd assume using the word "whips" in a 1969 headline about a Southeastern baseball team's best player, an African-American, raised an eyebrow or two. That's only five years after the Civil Rights Act. I like this photo:

Even in our digital age, the paper cover of Sports Illustrated magazine remains one of the most thought-out and talked-about items in sports media. In 1970, this was not the case:

1974:

In 1979, Braves legend Phil Niekro spent a lot of time dealing drugs with Gaylord Perry. Again, cherish an image like this, because there will never be another like it:

Atlanta Braves Sports Illustrated Covers, 1980-1989

The Atlanta Braves of the 1980s didn't leave much of a lasting impression on anyone, but they did have one likable star who was among the league's most efficient Sports Illustrated cover men. Dale Murphy made four covers in the decade -- though two were as a part of montages, which were very big in the '80s.

New jacks sometimes think the Braves started being called America's Team in 1991, when baseball was invented. Not quite so, as Murphy's 1982 cover proves:

The Murph followed up in 1983:

Can you imagine spending $3 to obtain this issue since the internet came around, and charts and graphs on everything imaginable are now eternally free just about anywhere on the planet? There's a reason montages died out. Our guy's bottom right, second row:

Murphy cares, but he also spits entirely too much game in Judi Brown King's ear:

Here's how bad the Braves were in the '80s. The only way they could make SI's cover was by having an MVP player, paying him a salary, showing affection to Judi Brown King, or firing their coach at the same time a bunch of other teams fired their coaches:

Atlanta Braves Sports Illustrated Covers, 1999-1990

The '90s were a glorious decade for the Atlanta Braves, which their Sports Illustrated cover run reflects. The Braves made the cover 10 times during the '90s, 11 if you count the throwback Eddie Matthews issue -- and we shall! First, the 1991 season, during which baseball was invented.

I'm not sure how the biggest season in Southeastern baseball history didn't get a SI cover until it was pretty much over, especially once you look at all the zany stuff that did make the cover that year, but here's the Braves only showing from 1991 (there's also one of the Minnesota Twins celebrating their World Series title, which somehow does not include a smaller photo of Kent Hrbek cheating):

That was followed by a pair of Deion Sanders covers four months apart in 1992, as Sanders made his name as a star for two Atlanta teams. The second one is super, super ugly:

The Braves appearance in the 1992 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays earned an extremely rare sideways cover, and an always-exciting pitcher-making-tag sideways photo to boot:

And, again, there was one shortly after that of the other team winning the World Series. Just get used to me saying that. Moving on, here's Ron Gant from 1993, who was going through a big Dr. Dre phase:

1994 continued the Braves' streak of seasons with at least one cover, though one was a reprint and the other was of catcher Charlie O'Brien doing work on a Met:

A tribute to the first-ever SI cover, Eddie Matthews of the Milwaukee Braves:

And on to 1995, the most eventful year in Braves history, as far as SI covers are concerned at least. First up, a sad episode from Bobby Cox's time in town:

Here's Greg Maddux from August '95. I like those teasers up top. No idea who the next Jerry Rice supposedly was, but I bet he wasn't:

And here we are. The greatest moment in Atlanta pro sports history, part one:

And part two, with David Justice starring on the Braves only World Series title collector's issue:

Atlanta Braves Sports Illustrated Covers, 2000-2011

Atlanta Braves stars Jason Heyward and Freedie Freeman landed on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated, marking the 32nd time (that I've found so far) the Braves have made the cover. Dale Murphy and Hank Aaron lead the way, with seven covers between them.

First, here's this week's Heyward-Freeman combo, the first time multiple Braves have appeared on the cover since 1995:

Aaron last made the cover in 2007, during the height of Barry Bonds' chase for the MLB home run record:

And in 2006, when SI was putting together its all-time baseball team, note who's by far the most prominent. How's noted progressive Ty Cobb feel about falling back to Aaron here?

And even if the goal of this project wasn't to list every Braves SI cover ever, we'd still have to talk about this one as is required by baseball law. Jeff Francoeur, the impossibly good baseball player:

More to come soon. These things take a minute to put together.