Biggest Stories of 2011

Biggest Stories of 2011

Bill Haber/AP

With one week left in the regular season, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees became the NFL's single-season passing leader, eclipsing Dan Marino's 27-year-old mark. Brees ended Week 16 with 5,087 yards, three more than what Marino amassed in 1984.

David E. Klutho/SI; AJ Mast/AP

The 13-0 Green Bay Packers lost at Kansas City, and the 0-13 Indianapolis Colts won at home against the playoff-contending Tennessee Titans. And thus, there remains only one 16-0 team in NFL regular season history (2007 Patriots) and one 0-16 team in league regular season history (2008 Lions).

John Minchillo, Louis Lanzano/AP

The Rockets, Hornets and Lakers agreed to a three-team deal that would have put CP3 in a Lakers uniform, sent Pau Gasol to Houston and given the Hornets four players and a first-round pick, but NBA commissioner David Stern created a firestorm by nixing the trade because small market owners like Cleveland's Dan Gilbert (inset) felt the trade was lopsided and benefitted the Lakers too much.

Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

After playing his entire 11-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols went on the open market. The 31-year-old first baseman agreed to a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

Gene J. Puskar/AP; Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI

After 10 months on the sidelines recovering from his concussion, the Penguins star returned to action and lit up the New York Islanders for four points (two goals, two assists). Alas, the excitement was short-lived. In a game against Boston on Dec. 5, Crosby collided with teammate Chris Kunitz and also took an elbow to the head from the Bruins' David Krejci. When his concussion symptoms returned during workouts, Crosby was shelved again by the Penguins, who put him on the Injured Reserve list on Dec. 17 amid a wave of NHL players that included stars such Claude Giroux and Chris Pronger of the Flyers, Mike Richards of the Kings, and Jeff Skinner of the Hurricanes, who had suffered debilitating head injuries.

The Patriot-News, Jim Prisching/AP

In the wake of a sex scandal that led to the indictment of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, legendary head coach Joe Paterno was fired by the Board of Trustees after 46 years in the position. Athletic Director Tim Curley had stepped down earlier in the month as questions were raised whether school officials, including Paterno, could have prevented alleged sexual abuse in which Sandusky was accused of abusing eight boys over 15 years. On the day that Paterno was fired, the Board of Trustees also ousted the school president.

Tony Triolo, Walter Iooss Jr./SI

The legendary heavyweight boxer died after a short battle with liver cancer. Smokin' Joe Frazier won a gold medal in 1964, but will forever be remembered for his three fights against Muhammad Ali. Frazier defeated Ali in 1971 during "The Fight of the Century" at Madison Square Garden, and lost to him in 1974 and 1975.

After being down to their last strike in the bottom of the ninth in an elimination Game 6, the Cardinals rallied to defeat the Texas Rangers in extra innings. St. Louis would go on to win the series in seven games. David Freese, who hit the game-tying double and game-winning homer in Game 6, was the World Series MVP.

Fred Vuich/SI; Michael Conroy. Isaac Brekken, Jessica Ebelhar/AP

The two-time and reigning Indy 500 Champion was part of a 15-car crash on the 11th lap of the Las Vegas Indy 300. He sustained unsurvivable injuries and left behind a wife and two children.

Mary Altaffer/AP; Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The NBA locked out its players July 1 when its collective bargaining agreement expired, and on Oct. 10 cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season because of the labor impasse. The two sides, led by Union chief Billy Hunter and Commissioner David Stern, remained far apart on just about every major issue, from salaries to the salary cap, revenues to revenue sharing. They eventually settled their differences in late November, agreeing to a 66-game schedule, with the first games set for Christmas Day.

Mickey Pfleger/SI

The legendary Raiders owner died at age 82 after six decades' worth of unique impact on pro football, including three Super Bowls and an AFL title in Oakland. Roger Goodell called Davis a "true legend," and it's hard to dispute the Hall of Famer's place among the most influential of the sport's history-makers. Davis was controversial. He was a contrarian. But he was a gift to the game.

Troy Taormina/US Presswire, Kim Klement/US Presswire, Dale Zanine/US Presswire, Gene Sweeney Jr./Zumapress.com

In arguably the wildest night in MLB regular season history, the Red Sox, Rays, Braves and Cardinals entered the 162nd game competing for two playoff spots, the AL and NL wild-card berths. What unfolded next was the stuff of legend. In the NL, the Braves blew a ninth inning lead to lose 4-3 to the Phillies in 13 innings, while the Cardinals cruised 8-0 to complete their late season tear, winning 23 of their final 31 games. Once trailing Atlanta by 10.5 games on Aug. 25, St. Louis improbably clinched a playoff spot. The American League was even crazier. Boston -- which led Tampa Bay by nine games on Sept. 4 -- seemed on the verge of staving off collapse, taking an early 3-2 lead over the Orioles while the Rays fell behind the Yankees 7-0. It was not to be. Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon surrendered consecutive hits to Chris Davis, Nolan Reimold and Robert Andino to lose 4-3. The Rays stormed back behind a pair of dramatic homers from Evan Longoria -- including a 12th inning walkoff -- to win 8-7. Rays' manager Joe Maddon summed it up best. "It was a crazy night," he said. "What happened out there goes beyond imagination."

Dave Einsel/AP

For almost a month, Texas A&M had been attempting to be the next tectonic plate to shift in the NCAA conference realignment world. The Aggies defection from the Big 12 to the SEC became official on Sept. 25, effective with the 2012 season, but it was only part of the picture. Missouri is going to the SEC as well. Syracuse and Pittsburgh are bolting from the Big East to join the ACC in 2012. West Virginia is joining the Big 12.

Kathy Kmonicek/AP

In front of a home crowd at Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera helped the Yankees hang onto a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins for his record-setting 602nd career save. The future Hall-of-Fame closer passed Trevor Hoffman to set the record for most saves in an MLB career.

AJ Mast/AP

Neck surgery forced the Indianapolis quarterback to miss his team's season opener against Houston, snapping a streak of consecutive starts at 227, second all-time behind Brett Favre's 321. Manning is likely to miss the entire 2011 season.

Frederick Breedon/AP

The former enforcer, who had retired in March, was discovered in a Toronto hotel room, an apparent suicide. Belak was the third NHL tough guy to die in the space of little more than three months, the other two being Rick Rypien of the Winnipeg Jets (reported suicide) and New York Ranger Derek Boogaard (accidental overdose). The tragedies cast light on the possible link between fighting in hockey and depression caused by blows to the head. Hockey's grim summer grew darker on Sept. 7 when a jet carrying the KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which included several former NHL players, crashed in Russia, killing all but one person aboard.

Jeremy Brevard/Icon SMI

The NCAA found itself amid its latest eye-opening scandal on Aug. 16, when it was reported that a Miami booster, Nevin Shapiro, provided thousands ofdollars in illegal benefits to past and present Hurricanes players from 2002 to 2010. Currently imprisoned for his role in a $930 million Ponzi scheme, Shapiro revealed that benefits included prostitutes, cars and paid vacations, among others, many of which were known of by Miami staff and coaches. A whopping 73 athletes were implicated in the report.

Evan Habeeb/US Presswire

When the owners and players finally agreed to end the NFL lockout, trade and free-agent deals immediately started swirling across the country. The floodgates opened to NFL deals that had been awaited with several star players switching teams. Veterans were cut, wide receivers found new quarterbacks and players who went undrafted finally got a contract seemingly overnight.

Hannibal Hanschke/EPA; Jens Wolf/DPA/Landov; Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

With just seconds separating the U.S. women's team from elimination from the 2011 World Cup, Megan Rapinoe sent a beautiful left foot to Abby Wambach in the box, who headed home the tying score against Brazil. In a game filled with controversial calls, the U.S. staved off Marta and the Brazilians 5-3 in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals, where they would beat France 3-1.

Bill Kostroun/AP

O Captain, my captain. Derek Jeter blasted a home run to reach the 3,000-hit milestone in style on July 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankee shortstop became the 28th member of the exclusive club and the first Yankee to do it in the team's long history. He would end the day 5-for-5.

Ric Francis/AP

After the Dodgers organization started experiencing financial trouble under owner Frank McCourt in 2010, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig made the unprecedented decision to give the league control over the club's day-to-day operations starting in April 2011. Continuing to struggle to meet paycheck deadlines, the Dodgers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June, a week after a proposed television deal with Fox Sports was rejected by Selig. McCourt and MLB reached an agreement in October to sell the team and its media rights.

Al Tielemans/SI

Tiger who? The 22-year-old Rory McIlroy led the U.S. Open from start to finish, setting a new course record and establishing himself as one of the premier golfers in the world. The Northern Ireland native shot a 268, four shots better than the previous U.S. Open record. He finished 16-under par, a striking number considering the last 10 U.S. Open winners have finished a combined 10-under. McIlroy's dominant victory was especially sweet after his dramatic collapse at Augusta National two months earlier.

David E. Klutho/SI (2); Anthony Bolante/Reuters

In a series between two rabid hockey cities, the home team won each of the first six games of the Stanley Cup finals. But the Boston Bruins broke the trend in Game 7, trouncing the home team 4-0 and denying the Vancouver Canucks their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The win gave the Bruins their first title since 1972 and sparked riots in downtown Vancouver. Boston goaltender Tim Thomas was named the MVP after allowing only eight goals in the series.

John W. McDonough/SI

Remember LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh dancing in front of a Miami crowd in July 2010 after uniting basketball's most prominent trinity? Remember The King's proclamation of bringing seven NBA titles to South Beach? Well Pat Riley's trio is 0-1 in NBA Finals after losing in six games to Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki, the Finals MVP, played through the flu in Game 4 and had plenty of help from Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and J.J. Barea en route to his and the Mavericks first NBA title.

Mike Blake/Reuters

After 13 years in the thankless role as the league's chief disciplinarian, Colin Campbell stepped aside as Brendan Shanahan spearheaded a renewed effort to crack down on dangerous violence and the league's ongoing wave of headshots and concussions. During the summer, the league's Board of Governors would add more teeth to Rule 48 banning targeted blows to the head -- mandating that all such shots be deemed illegal and subject to a two-minute penalty plus a supplementary discipline review -- and Rule 41 that covers boarding. Shanahan, the league's new Senior Vice President of Player Safety, got off to a roaring start by handing out suspensions that cost players $700,000 in lost salaries during the preseason alone, but the parade of violators to his office for disciplinary hearings continued through the first three months of the 2011-12 season.

AP

In less than two weeks, Ohio State lost head football coach Jim Tressel and starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor. One of college football's most successful coaches, Tressel was originally suspended for two games and fined $250,000 for "unethical conduct" after failing to report his knowledge of players trading memorabilia for tattoos. Tressel subsequently asked his suspension be extended to five games to match those of the players involved, including quarterback Pryor. A few months later Tressel resigned as more details emerged, and Pryor announced on June 7 that he wouldn't return for his senior season. The university vacated its wins from the 2010 season on July 8.

AJ Mast/AP

JR Hildebrand was one turn away from writing his name in the racing record books. Instead, he became an infamous part of Indianapolis 500 lore. The rookie crashed into the wall just before the finish line and Dan Wheldon sped by to capture his second Indy 500.

John W. McDonough/SI

The two-time defending champions showed signs of vulnerability in their opening-round series with the Hornets, but no one expected the collapse that ensued. Dallas took both Western Conference semifinal games in Los Angeles, and Lakers' center Andrew Bynum talked of trust issues. Back in Dallas, the Mavs built a stunning 3-0 lead and then destroyed the Lakers 122-86 to close the series. Lamar Odom and Bynum were each ejected for cheap shots as frustration mounted in the closing minutes of Game 4. When the Lakers return to the court, a lot could be different. Trade rumors are swirling after the lackluster performance. One thing the Lakers know: coach Phil Jackson won't be back. The Zen Master retired after an NBA-record 11 championships.

AP

After nearly four days of deliberations, a jury found baseball's all-time home run king guilty on one count of obstruction of justice. The conviction brings some closure to a four-year ordeal that started with Bonds' indictment in November 2007, three months after he broke Hank Aaron's home run record. The charges came in connection with Bonds' grand jury testimony in 2003, in which he denied knowingly using steroids. Bonds can still appeal the conviction. The judge declared a mistrial on three perjury counts after the jury failed to reach a verdict on them.

Kim Klement/US Presswire

In perhaps the final instance of Manny being Manny, the Rays' designated hitter unexpectedly announced his retirement from baseball after being informed of an issue related to the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. According to a statement released by Major League Baseball, Ramirez chose to retire rather than complete the process. Ramirez served a 50-game suspension in 2009 after failing a drug test. He finishes with a career .312 batting average and 555 home runs.

Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos, John W. McDonough/SI

A run to remember behind a star the Huskies won't soon forget, UConn capped its run of 11 straight victories with a 53-41 win over Butler. Kemba Walker and the Huskies ran through five wins in five days to take the Big East tournament title and kept rolling as a No. 3 seed in the tournament. Wins over Bucknell, Cincinnati, San Diego St. and Arizona sent UConn to the Final Four, where they outlasted Kentucky before beating Butler.

AP

A 276-page report detailed the allegations that resulted in the firing of John Junker, the Fiesta Bowl's president and CEO. Among the findings: Fiesta Bowl employees were reimbursed for donations to state and local politicians (a felony); $1,241 spent at a high-end Phoenix strip club was expensed; and the bowl paid the $33,188 bill for Junker's 50th birthday party.

John Biever/SI

Many analysts questioned Virginia Commonwealth's inclusion in the NCAA tournament, but the Colonial Athletic Association runner-up blitzed through the field. A First Four victory over USC started the streak and 18-point wins over Georgetown and Purdue took the Rams to the Sweet 16. There, an overtime victory over Florida State and an upset of top seed Kansas sent VCU to Houston, where it lost a national semifinal against fellow mid-major Butler.

David E. Klutho/SI

A pair of deadline extensions wasn't enough for the players and owners to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The players union filed for decertification, putting into motion a series of federal courtroom hearings. The NFL Draft on April 28-30 was the last league event on the schedule until an agreement is reached.

John W. McDonough/SI

Love scored 16 point and grabbed 21 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers for his 52nd straight double-double, breaking Moses Malone's record of 51 games. Love's streak ended at 53 games three days later against Golden State, when he scored only six points. The Timberwolves' record during the 53-game streak that started on Nov. 22 with a loss to the Thunder: 13-40.

Jean-Yves Ahern/Icon SMI; Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

An epidemic of head shots, concussions, brawls, suspensions and related controversies overshadowed otherwise sterling play. The flashpoint was the March 8 hit by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara that drove Max Pacioretty into a turnbuckle at the end of Boston's bench, leaving the Canadiens forward concussed and with a broke vertebra. When Chara was not suspended, the NHL's efforts to protect its players were called into question. Despite the adoption of Rule 48 banning blindside and lateral hits to the head, concussions increased during the 2010-11 season for a variety of reasons. One of the victims was the NHL's biggest star, Sidney Crosby (inset), who missed the rest of the regular season after taking a blow to the head during the Winter Classic on Jan 1. and again four days later when driven into the glass by Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman.

Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage

The 13-time Grand Slam winner underwent emergency treatment after doctors found a blood clot in her lungs. Williams, 29, called the near-death experience "extremely hard, scary, and disappointing." She made her return in late spring, advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon before losing to Marion Bartoli.

Jesse D. Garrabrant, Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Not to be outdone by the Knicks' signing of Carmelo Anthony, the Nets acquired their own All-Star. Rumors of Deron Williams' role in coach Jerry Sloan's exit were in the air, but the Jazz trading away their franchise player (for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and a pair of draft picks) was still considered a surprise. Williams' contract expires after next season, and unlike Anthony, he hasn't signed an extension.

Mike Segar/Reuters; John W. McDonough/SI; AP

The on-again, off-again saga came to an end with Anthony getting his wish: a three-year, $65 million contract extension and the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. The Knicks sent Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, draft picks and cash to Denver for Anthony, Chauncey Billups and others. New York lost 13 of its first 20 games after acquiring Anthony, but the team came together for a seven-game winning streak and earned the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. Anthony averaged 26.3 points in his 27 games with the Knicks.

AP; Fred Vuich/SI(2)

The 20-year-old rookie driver won NASCAR's most famous race in just his second career start. Bayne, a Tennessee native racing in the No. 21 Ford, held off the fleet of veteran drivers to take a race that included 74 lead changes. His win gave the Wood Brothers, the sport's oldest team, their first Daytona victory since 1976.

Mike Powell/Getty Images; Simon Bruty, Jonas Karlsson/SI; Bruno Fablet/Reuters; Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

The man behind the yellow Livestrong bracelets on millions of wrists, Armstrong ended Comeback 2.0 without the yellow jerseys that marked his first return. The cyclist previously overcame cancer to win seven straight Tour de France titles (from 1999 to 2005). But in his latest return to cycling, announced in September 2008, Armstrong took 3rd at the Tour de France in 2009 and 23rd in 2010.

Robert Beck/SI; Al Bello/Getty Images; Tony Medina/Icon SMI; AP

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers capped a sensational postseason by throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh. But icy weather and a seating mishap -- 1,250 temporary seats were deemed unsafe and 400 misplaced fans were forced to watch from standing-room only sections -- stole some of the Dallas Super Bowl's thunder.

Robert Beck(2), John W. McDonough/SI

Michael Dyer (left) stopped for a moment, unsure whether or not he had been ruled down. No whistle sounded and Auburn's freshman running back rolled off Oregon safety Eddie Pleasant and started running again. He gained 30 additional yards and set up a game-winning field goal, giving a 22-19 victory to the No. 1 Tigers.

Robert Beck/SI

The undefeated Horned Frogs were the first Mountain West team to play in the "The Granddaddy of Them All," and they withstood 226 rushing yards from Wisconsin in a 21-19 victory. After Wisconsin's Montee Ball scored on a four-yard run to close the gap to two with two minutes remaining, TCU's Tank Carder deflected Scott Tolzien's pass on the potential game-tying conversion attempt (inset). What moment in U.S. sports would you add to the list? Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.