Sports Illustrated: 40 for the Ages

"Love, Power, Glory, Achievement, Money"

- The special's slogan.

 is a TV documentary special that aired in 1994.

Hosted by Bob Costas

NOTE: Records and statistics were accurate as of the date the special was aired.

#40 - Julius Erving

 * 1983 NBA Champion

Interviewees

 * Julius Erving

#38 - Greg LeMond

 * 3x Tour De France Winner
 * Survived shooting accident

Interviewees

 * Don King

#35 - Peggy Fleming

 * Lost her coach in a plane crash
 * 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist

Interviewees

 * Peggy Fleming

#34 - Nolan Ryan

 * World Series champion (1969) - Recorded a save in Game 3
 * 7 no-hitters
 * All-time strikeout leader

#33 - Jim Fixx

 * Died of a heart attack in 1984.

Interviewees

 * William Nack - S.I. Senior Writer

#31 - Bobby Orr

 * 2x Stanley Cup Champion
 * 2x Conn Smythe Trophy Winner

Interviewees

 * Pele

#29 - Bill Rasmussen

 * Founder of ESPN

#28 - Richard Petty

 * 200 wins
 * 7x Daytona 500 winner

Interviewees

 * Richard Petty

#27 - Arthur Ashe

 * 1968 U.S. Open Winner
 * 1970 Australian Open Winner
 * 1975 Wimbeldon Winner
 * Contracted AIDS in 80s
 * Began the Arthur Ashe Foundation in 1992.
 * Died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993.

#26 - Olga Korbut

 * 4x Olympic Gold Medalist

#25 - Roberto Clemente

 * 2x World Series champion
 * 1971 World Series MVP
 * Died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve in 1972.

#24 - Paul "Bear" Bryant

 * 7x National Champion
 * Died of a heart attack in 1983.

Interviewees

 * Sally Jenkins - S.I. Senior Writer

#23 - Joe Montana

 * 4x Super Bowl Champion
 * 3x Super Bowl MVP

Interviewees

 * Joe Montana

#21 - Bill Russell

 * 11x NBA Champion - the most out of any NBA player

#20 - Jack Nicklaus

 * 18 major titles

#18 - Joe Namath

 * Super Bowl champion (fulfilling his guarantee)
 * Super Bowl III MVP

Interviewees

 * Peter King - S.I. Senior Writer

#17 - Secretariat

 * 1973 Triple Crown Winner

Interviewees

 * William Nack - S.I. Senior Writer

#16 - John Wooden

 * 10x NCAA Champion

Interviewees

 * John Wooden

#15 - Henry Aaron

 * All-time leader in Home Runs (755)
 * 1957 World Series champion

Interviewees

 * Henry Aaron

#14 - Martina Navratilova

 * 18x Grand Slam singles champion

Interviewees

 * Martina Navratilova
 * Sally Jenkins - S.I. Senior Writer

Interviewees

 * Pete Rozelle

#12 - Wayne Gretzky

 * 4x Stanley Cup Champion
 * 2x Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
 * All-time leader in points, goals, and assists

#11 - Carl Lewis

 * 8x Gold Medalist

#9 - Arnold Palmer

 * 7 major titles

Interviewees

 * Arnold Palmer

Magic Johnson's statistics

 * 5x NBA Champion
 * 3x NBA Finals MVP
 * 2x All-Star MVP
 * 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist
 * 1979 NCAA champion
 * Retired in 1991 due to having HIV virus

Larry Bird's statistics

 * 3x NBA Champion
 * 2x NBA Finals MVP
 * 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist
 * 1980 Rookie of the Year
 * 1982 All-Star MVP
 * Retired in 1992

Interviewees

 * Jack McCallum - S.I. Senior Writer
 * Magic Johnson

Interviewees

 * Marvin Miller

#6 - Pete Rose

 * 3x World Series champion
 * 1975 World Series MVP
 * Banned from baseball over gambling allegations

Interviewees

 * Pete Rose

#5 - Billie Jean King

 * 12x Grand Slam singles champion
 * Defeated Bobby Riggs in Battle of the Sexes match

Interviewees

 * Billie Jean King
 * Sally Jenkins - S.I. Senior Writer

#4 - Jim Brown

 * 1964 NFL champion

Interviewees

 * Jim Brown
 * Peter King - S.I. Senior Writer

#3 - Roone Arledge

 * President of ABC Sports

Interviewees

 * Roone Arledge

#2 - Michael Jordan

 * 3x NBA Champion
 * 3x Finals MVP
 * 3x NBA MVP
 * 1988 NBA All-Star MVP
 * 2x Slam Dunk champion
 * 1985 Rookie of the Year
 * 2x Olympic Gold Medalist
 * 1982 NCAA champion
 * Retired from basketball after his father's murder and began playing baseball in the minor leagues

Interviewees

 * Jack McCallum - S.I. Senior Writer

#1 - Muhammad Ali

 * 56 wins, 5 losses
 * 1960 Gold Medal Winner