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The big announcement has been made and blond bombshell Kate Upton will be this year's cover model for the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. With the announcement we got feeling nostalgic for covers of years past. Here are our Top 5 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Covers:

 
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It's hard to argue with 8 gorgeous women on the cover of one magazine! The cover of the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue featured 8 previous cover girls including Elle Macpherson's record 5th cover. Macpherson is more than just a pretty face.She is also the founder and primary model for a series of business ventures including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and "The Body", a line of skin care products. According to Forbes, Macpherson possesses assets around $60 million.

 
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If it wasn't enough that Veronica Varekora from the Czech Republic is featured on the cover the 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue also featured an insert proudly proclaiming that Russian tennis star Ann Kournikova was also featured inside. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on Google.

 
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Number 3 in our top 5 list is the 2002 swimsuit issue featuring Yamila Diaz from Argentina. Diaz would also grace the cover again in 2006 as part of the All-Stars special edition, which also made our Top 5 list. All you need to know about Diaz is while studying economics in Buenos Aires in 1996, she traveled to Uruguay where she was discovered by a scout from a Milan modeling agency. She was the first Latin spokesmodel in Cover Girl history.

 
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Elsa Benitez from Mexico was featured on the cover of the 2001 swimsuit issue. Benítez went on to become one of the judges for the Miss Universe 2004 competition. That same year, Sports Illustrated reported Benítez's story of nearly boarding the doomed TWA Flight 800 which exploded over Atlantic.

I think it's the orange swimsuit that brings out the Syracuse fan in us.

 
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Every red blooded American male remembers their first SI Swimsuit cover. For us that cover was the 1981 swimsuit issue with Christie Brinkley. Brinkley appeared on the cover of the SI Swimsuit Issue  for  three consecutive years. Brinkley is also known for being the face of CoverGirl. And for Oldiez 96.1 fans the wife of Billy Joel.

 

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