The announcement was made in the December 25 issue, on newsstands today.

The Sporting News has named a Sportsman of the Year annually since 1968. This 33^rd annual achievement marks the third time co-winners have been named, in addition to the entire New York Yankees team a year ago. The last co-winners were Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998. The award is given to an athlete from the sports covered by The Sporting News – Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, the NBA, and NCAA football and basketball.

In the cover story written by The Sporting News senior writer Paul Attner, Faulk and Warner are both presented as winners not only for their on-field success, but also for the improbability of it all, and for the sterling off-field lives they lead in an age when so many in sports seem to find that portion in disarray.

Faulk, thought to be an underachiever with the hapless Indianapolis Colts, went to the Rams and set a league record with 2,429 combined receiving and rushing yards, and then continued his brilliance this season before going down with a knee injury. His quick return was a tribute to his determination as well as his durability, and helped set the Rams back on a playoff course.

Warner played the equivalent of minor league football and stocked shelves in a grocery, then was cut by the Packers and went undrafted by the Browns in the expansion draft. He came back to take Super Bowl MVP honors and is again enjoying a great season, even with an interruption for a broken finger.

Both display intense team leadership, and both spend endless hours in good causes, especially benefiting children. Warner helped to raise more than $350,000 for a Christian summer home for special-needs children (his son Zachary is among the attendees), while Faulk has established a foundation involved with inner city children’s needs.