List of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models enumerates the chronological history of cover model

Cover Model

"Cover Model" is a pop song by Sabrina. It was released in 1992 as Sabrina's second non-album single. The song was produced by DJ Mori. Unlike Sabrina's previous singles "Yeah Yeah" and the Jo Squillo-collaboration "Siamo Donne", both of which had been performed on TV numerous times, "Cover Model"...

s for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....

. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has grown from being an issue of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

magazine created just to creatively fill space at a time of year with little sports news into a major marketing franchise that includes a special separate issue, a website

Website

A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

, television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 specials, calendars, books and enormous amounts of advertising. It began as a short photo spread of women in bathing suits and has become a fashion

Fashion

Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...

 issue for beachwear worn by the world's top model

Model (person)

A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....

s. Being the subject of the Sports Illustrated magazine cover is a well chronicled event which has both become a measure by which fame is measured and a status which is supposedly accompanied by a curse known as the "SI Jinx". There seems to have been no reports of any association of the SI Jinx with the swimsuit issue.

The media considers being the cover person for Sports Illustrated an important career statistic for notable persons and keeps track of cover appearance counts with Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...

 having taken over the leadership from Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

. In the internet era, Time Warner

Time Warner

Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...

 had to create a dedicated web page for Sport Illustrated cover research.

There is a lot of public interest in who is on the cover of fashion magazines with websites dedicated to the subject. For supermodel

Supermodel

The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...

s being on the cover of important magazines is a matter of prestige and achieving the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit

Swimsuit

A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...

 edition is quite a celebrated highlight. It is especially noteworthy if a cover model is fortunate enough to have a solo cover appearance. The unveiling of the swimsuit issue cover and its model is a media event

Media Event

A media event, as loosely defined by evolving modern usage, is an occasion or happening, spontaneous or planned, that attracts prominent coverage by mass media organizations, particularly television news and newspapers in both print and Internet editions....

, widely reported in the press.

For many the mere sight of bronzed bathing beauties on the cover of a sports magazine is quite a moral issue. The issue generates numerous letters from readers both in support and in opposition of the issue each year. Numerous subscribers cancel subscriptions as a matter of propriety annually. Recently, Time Warner took action to avoid many of the complainants by withholding the Swimsuit issue from certain types of recipients, such as libraries and schools.

Numerous types of trivia and statistics are monitored regarding the swimsuit issue cover subjects. Several have gone on to subsequent success in Hollywood. Others have become the spouses of notable celebrities. The following list is a list of model

Model (person)

A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....

s chosen as subjects for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover

Book cover

A book cover is any protective covering used to bind together the pages of a book. Beyond the familiar distinction between hardcovers and paperbacks, there are further alternatives and additions, such as dust jackets, ring-binding, and older forms such as the nineteenth-century "paper-boards" and...

, incorporating some related statistics and trivia.

List of covers

Issue	Name (appearance)	Nationality	Notes
1964-01-20	Babette March Babette March Babette March or simply Babette, who is now known by the name Babette Beatty, was the first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model. She was on the swimsuit issue cover of the January 20, 1964 issue....
1965-01-18	Sue Peterson
1966-01-17	Sunny Bippus
1967-01-16	Marilyn Tindall
1968-01-15	Turia Mau
1969-01-13	Jamee Becker
1970-01-12	Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and actress.- Early years :Tiegs was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota but raised in Alhambra, California, and she graduated from Alhambra High School in 1965. She also attended the California State University, Los Angeles and became a little sister to the Sigma...
1971-02-01	Tannia Rubiano
1972-01-17	Shelia Roscoe
1973-01-29	Dayle Haddon Dayle Haddon Dayle Haddon is a Canadian model and actress, presently known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L'Oréal. Additionally, she is credited as author of Ageless Beauty: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being...
1974-01-28	Ann Simonton Ann Simonton Ann J. Simonton is an American writer, lecturer, media activist, and former fashion model. She founded and coordinates the non-profit group "Media Watch", which challenges what they see as racism, sexism, and violence in the media through education and action. Simonton has published two...
1975-01-27	Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and actress.- Early years :Tiegs was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota but raised in Alhambra, California, and she graduated from Alhambra High School in 1965. She also attended the California State University, Los Angeles and became a little sister to the Sigma...  (2)		first repeat cover model
1976-01-19	Yvette Sylvander Yvonne Sylvander		first multi-subject cover
1977-01-24	Lena Kansbod
1978-01-16	Maria Joao Maria Joao (model) Maria João is a former Sports Illustrated model who appeared on the 1978 cover of the magazine's Swimsuit Issue. She is the mother of actress Jordana Brewster.-External links:* at sicollection.com....		most cancellations (340), most letters regarding a cover (2947)
1979-02-05	Christie Brinkley Christie Brinkley Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...
1980-02-04	Christie Brinkley Christie Brinkley Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...  (2)
1981-02-09	Christie Brinkley Christie Brinkley Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...  (3)		first three-time cover model
1982-02-08	Carol Alt Carol Alt Carol Ann Alt is an American model and actress.- Early life:Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief. She was noticed waiting tables in her hometown of East Williston, New York. When she was 18, she decided to...
1983-02-14	Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and actress.- Early years :Tiegs was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota but raised in Alhambra, California, and she graduated from Alhambra High School in 1965. She also attended the California State University, Los Angeles and became a little sister to the Sigma...  (3)
1984-02-13	Paulina Porizkova Paulina Porizkova Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek is a Czech model and actress. At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue. She was the second woman to be featured on the swim-suit issue's front cover consecutive times...		Paulina Porizkova was the youngest Swimsuit Issue cover model at age 18
1985-02-11	Paulina Porizkova Paulina Porizkova Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek is a Czech model and actress. At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue. She was the second woman to be featured on the swim-suit issue's front cover consecutive times...  (2)
1986-02-10	Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
1987-02-09	Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...  (2)
1988-02-15	Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...  (3)
1989-02-07	Kathy Ireland Kathy Ireland Kathleen Marie "Kathy" Ireland is an American former model, actress, and entrepreneur. She is the CEO and designer of her eponymous brand product marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide.-Life and career:...		Best selling swimsuit issue, 25th anniversary
1990-02-12	Judit Masco Judit Mascó Judit Mascó i Palau is a Spanish Catalan model, television host and writer from Barcelona.-Early career:Mascó grew up in a family of middle class, daughter of a headmaster. She liked dressing up with her sister, using her mother's clothes. At age 15, began in the fashion world, which he combined...
1991-02-11	Ashley (Richardson) Montana Ashley Richardson Ashley Richardson is an American former model. She has appeared on the cover of Elle a total of seven times. Her photo has also been on the cover of Cosmopolitan twice. She has made six appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue...
1992-03-09	Kathy Ireland Kathy Ireland Kathleen Marie "Kathy" Ireland is an American former model, actress, and entrepreneur. She is the CEO and designer of her eponymous brand product marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide.-Life and career:...  (2)
1993-02-22	Vendela Kirsebom Vendela Kirsebom Vendela Maria Kirsebom is a Norwegian-Swedish model and actress living in Nesodden, Norway.-Early life and career:Vendela Kirsebom was born in Stockholm, Sweden to a Norwegian mother; her Swedish father was of Turkish descent. At age 13, Kirsebom was discovered in a Stockholm restaurant by Eileen...
1994-02-14	Kathy Ireland Kathy Ireland Kathleen Marie "Kathy" Ireland is an American former model, actress, and entrepreneur. She is the CEO and designer of her eponymous brand product marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide.-Life and career:...  (3) Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...  (4) Rachel Hunter Rachel Hunter Rachel Hunter is a New Zealand born American model, actress and reality TV show host who now resides in the U.S. She is best known for her appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her longtime marriage to singer Rod Stewart, which ended in 2006...		pregnant cover models (Ireland Hunter), first four-time cover model
1995-02-20	Daniela Pestova Daniela Peštová Daniela Peštová is a Czech model. She was born in Teplice, Czech Republic, and was discovered by the Madison Modeling Agency's Dominique Caffin. She had plans to attend college but after winning a modelling contest she moved to Paris to sign with Madison Modeling Agency...
1996-01-29	Valeria Mazza Valeria Mazza Valeria Raquel Mazza Is an Argentine supermodel.She was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, and discovered when she was only 16 years old by hairstylist Roberto Giordano. She rose to fame in 1996 when she appeared on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover with Tyra Banks, Guess and presented the San... Tyra Banks Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...		first African-American cover model
1997-02-21	Tyra Banks Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...  (2)		first dedicated special issue, first African-American solo cover model.
1998-02-20	Heidi Klum Heidi Klum Heidi Samuel , better known by her birth name Heidi Klum, is a German model, actress, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer, television producer, and occasional singer. In 2008 she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship...	Germany
1999-02-12	Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her recurring role as Alexis Meade on the television series Ugly Betty.-Early life:...
2000-02-01	Daniela Pestova Daniela Peštová Daniela Peštová is a Czech model. She was born in Teplice, Czech Republic, and was discovered by the Madison Modeling Agency's Dominique Caffin. She had plans to attend college but after winning a modelling contest she moved to Paris to sign with Madison Modeling Agency...  (2)
2001-02-01	Elsa Benitez Elsa Benítez Elsa Benítez is a Mexican model perhaps best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including appearing on the cover in 2001.-Career:...
2002-02-01	Yamila Diaz Yamila Diaz Yamila Díaz-Rahi is an Argentine model.-Background:Díaz was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is of Spanish and Lebanese descent. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a health care manager...
2003-02-18	Petra Němcová Petra Nemcová Petra Němcová is a Czech model, television host, author, and philanthropist. She is the founder and chair of the Happy Hearts Fund. In December 2004, she was injured in Thailand by a tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; her fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee, was killed in the...
2004-02-10	Veronica Vařeková inset Anna Kournikova Anna Kournikova Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite the fact that she never won a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name...		40th anniversary
2005-02-15	Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy is an American model and actress.-Biography:Carolyn Murphy was born in Panama City, Florida and grew up mainly in Northwest Florida, with brief periods in England and Maryland, as a result of her parents’ divorce. Her career began when at the age of 16, her mother enrolled her in a... inset Jessica White Jessica White Jessica White is an American model and occasional actress and DJ.-Career:At the age of 16, White was scouted in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, and had gone to Personal Best modeling school at age sixteen... , Marisa Miller Marisa Miller Marisa Lee Miller is an American model best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret. After a stint shooting with photographer Mario Testino for fashion magazines like Vogue, Miller began working for both companies in... , Yamila Diaz Yamila Diaz Yamila Díaz-Rahi is an Argentine model.-Background:Díaz was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is of Spanish and Lebanese descent. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a health care manager...	, ,
2006-02-17	Veronica Vařeková (2) Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...  (5) Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her recurring role as Alexis Meade on the television series Ugly Betty.-Early life:...  (2) Rachel Hunter Rachel Hunter Rachel Hunter is a New Zealand born American model, actress and reality TV show host who now resides in the U.S. She is best known for her appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her longtime marriage to singer Rod Stewart, which ended in 2006...  (2) Daniela Pestova Daniela Peštová Daniela Peštová is a Czech model. She was born in Teplice, Czech Republic, and was discovered by the Madison Modeling Agency's Dominique Caffin. She had plans to attend college but after winning a modelling contest she moved to Paris to sign with Madison Modeling Agency...  (3) Elsa Benitez Elsa Benítez Elsa Benítez is a Mexican model perhaps best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including appearing on the cover in 2001.-Career:...  (2) Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy Carolyn Murphy is an American model and actress.-Biography:Carolyn Murphy was born in Panama City, Florida and grew up mainly in Northwest Florida, with brief periods in England and Maryland, as a result of her parents’ divorce. Her career began when at the age of 16, her mother enrolled her in a...  (2) Yamila Diaz Yamila Diaz Yamila Díaz-Rahi is an Argentine model.-Background:Díaz was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is of Spanish and Lebanese descent. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a health care manager...  (2) inset Heidi Klum Heidi Klum Heidi Samuel , better known by her birth name Heidi Klum, is a German model, actress, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer, television producer, and occasional singer. In 2008 she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship... , Maria Sharapova Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...	inset  Germany,	McPherson’s record 5th cover
2007-02-15	Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child... inset Bar Refaeli Bar Refaeli Bar Refaeli is an Israeli model and occasional actress, most known for her modeling work and for her relationship with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. She was the cover model of the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.-Early life:...		First non-model/non-athlete; 2nd African-American
2008-02-12	Marisa Miller Marisa Miller Marisa Lee Miller is an American model best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret. After a stint shooting with photographer Mario Testino for fashion magazines like Vogue, Miller began working for both companies in...
2009-02-10	Bar Refaeli Bar Refaeli Bar Refaeli is an Israeli model and occasional actress, most known for her modeling work and for her relationship with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. She was the cover model of the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.-Early life:... inset Brooklyn Decker Brooklyn Decker Brooklyn Danielle Decker is an American fashion model and actress best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including the cover of the 2010 issue. In addition to working for Victoria's Secret for the 2010 "Swim" collection, she has ventured into television with guest...
2010-02-12	Brooklyn Decker Brooklyn Decker Brooklyn Danielle Decker is an American fashion model and actress best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including the cover of the 2010 issue. In addition to working for Victoria's Secret for the 2010 "Swim" collection, she has ventured into television with guest...
2011-02-15	Irina Shayk inset Kate Upton Kate Upton Kate Upton is an American model known for her appearance in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, for which she was named Rookie of the Year.-Early life:...