Indiana University Athletics
#TBT: John Laskowski on SI Cover
7/2/2015 2:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Read Original Story in Sports Illustrated from 1975
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On Februay 3, 1975, South Bend native John Laskowski became the first Indiana University athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. The 6-6 guard/forward scored 903 points in three seasons and was known as one of the top players to come off the bench in the country and was dubbed "Super Sub" on the cover. IU was 20-0 at the time the magazine came out and finished the year with a 31-1 record. Recently, Laskowski shared his thoughts on appearing on that cover.
John Laskowski:
"It was exciting. We were just named the number one team in the country because North Carolina State had gotten beat. They were the defending national champs. So Sports Illustrated came out to do a story. They had a photographer and a reporter here during practice. The game was at Wisconsin and so they came up to Wisconsin with us. We won that game, of course, still undefeated.
"In a couple of weeks, the magazine came out. I was at a 7:30 class in the morning, and one of the kids in class had the magazine and he said, 'have you seen Sports Illustrated?' And I said, 'no,' and he held it up and I went oh my gosh that's me! Well it was about the team obviously, but they singled me out because of the super sub thing I think mostly, and I remember getting to practice that day and I was wondering how Coach would think about that.
"Well I wasn't playing as well as I could that day in practice and he pulled me aside, well in front of the whole group and said, 'you get your picture on the cover of that damn magazine and don't think you have to work? Now get out there and work harder!'
"So it was just quite an honor. I still get about 20 of those in the mail each year sent to me at my house with a return envelope and a pen, 'please sign this, I collect,' and I sign and I send them back. I don't know how many are out there but it's quite an honor."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On Februay 3, 1975, South Bend native John Laskowski became the first Indiana University athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. The 6-6 guard/forward scored 903 points in three seasons and was known as one of the top players to come off the bench in the country and was dubbed "Super Sub" on the cover. IU was 20-0 at the time the magazine came out and finished the year with a 31-1 record. Recently, Laskowski shared his thoughts on appearing on that cover.
John Laskowski:
"It was exciting. We were just named the number one team in the country because North Carolina State had gotten beat. They were the defending national champs. So Sports Illustrated came out to do a story. They had a photographer and a reporter here during practice. The game was at Wisconsin and so they came up to Wisconsin with us. We won that game, of course, still undefeated.
"In a couple of weeks, the magazine came out. I was at a 7:30 class in the morning, and one of the kids in class had the magazine and he said, 'have you seen Sports Illustrated?' And I said, 'no,' and he held it up and I went oh my gosh that's me! Well it was about the team obviously, but they singled me out because of the super sub thing I think mostly, and I remember getting to practice that day and I was wondering how Coach would think about that.
"Well I wasn't playing as well as I could that day in practice and he pulled me aside, well in front of the whole group and said, 'you get your picture on the cover of that damn magazine and don't think you have to work? Now get out there and work harder!'
"So it was just quite an honor. I still get about 20 of those in the mail each year sent to me at my house with a return envelope and a pen, 'please sign this, I collect,' and I sign and I send them back. I don't know how many are out there but it's quite an honor."
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