Faces in the Crowd.

About Faces in the Crowd

Faces in the Crowd is a long-running segment from Sports Illustrated. Starting in the January 9, 1956, issue, the segment was originally titled These Faces in the Crowd. The predecessor to These Faces... was a segment called Pat on the Back. It differed in that it did not just focus on unknown or amateur athletes. Contrary to Faces in the Crowd, it featured professional athletes who set milestones and celebrities who undertook an athletic endeavor. Slight deviations from its basic format are rare. One such example was in the college football preview issue on September 5, 1977, when the segment was temporarily retitled Freshmen in the Crowd and featured six incoming gridiron prospects from major NCAA Division I programs. From 1956 to 2006, a total of 15,672 athletes have been featured.