This Week in SI
1973
Phil Esposito
(above) and Bobby Orr were basically a two-man team for the Bruins, who began their defense of the Stanley Cup championship with seven newcomers.
1983
Dan Marino of the Dolphins led an extraordinary NFL rookie class that also included the leading rushers in the AFC (Curt Warner, Seahawks) and the NFC (Eric Dickerson, Rams).
1998
Ricky Williams, the Heisman Trophy favorite, was closing in on the Division I-A career rushing record while helping new coach Mack Brown resurrect the program at Texas.