From bad calls to the agony of defeat – every team has to experience these trials along with the victories. Find out how well you score in the quiz below!
1. Thanks to some bad officiating in the 2002 NBA Playoffs, the league instituted instant replay to help determine the legitimacy of last-second shots. Which team survived referee Bernie Fryer’s misguided assessment that a player couldn’t possibly shoot a ball in 0.7 seconds? Houston Rockets; Charlotte Hornets; New Jersey Nets; Utah Jazz.
2. In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first African-American man to win at Wimbledon. Who did Ashe defeat to achieve this historic milestone? Bjorn Borg; Jimmy Connors; Ken Rosewall; Illie Nastase.
3. NFL head coach Don Shula was the first head coach to take two different teams to a Super Bowl appearance. Who was the next head coach to do this? George Allen; Dick Vermeil; Bill Parcells; Dan Reeves.
4. Which of these USA sports stars never wore the number 13 throughout their career? Kurt Warner; Steve Nash; Joe Medwick; Roberto Clemente.
5. Who was the first United States driver to win a Formula One Championship? Michael Schumacher; Jim Clark; Phil Hill; Juan Manuel Fangio.
6. Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis served in the U.S. Army (1942-45) during WWII. Which statement below is false about his military career? He signed with the Liverpool (England) Football Club as a player; He defended his title against Jersey Joe Walcott in 1945; He won the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor; He boxed in exhibitions throughout Europe.
7. Baseball legend Ty Cobb served with the U.S. Army in WWI. What type of Army unit did he serve with? Cavalry Unit; Observation Balloon Unit; Chemical Warfare Unit; Artillery Unit.
8. What basketball statistical term was created to accommodate the phenomenal skills of former Lakers’ star Magic Johnson? The Over-Under; The Triple-Double; The Double-Double; The Single-Triple.
ANSWERS:
1. Charlotte Hornets. In their first-round meeting with the Orlando Magic in the 2002 playoffs, the Hornets’ Baron Davis clearly released what should have been a catch-and-shoot game-winner before the clock hit zero. But Fryer, the head referee in that game, decided before the shot that there was no way Davis could even make the shot. The Hornets ended up winning the game in overtime and advanced to the second round. The NBA Board of Governors voted to institute instant replay for review of last-second shots that summer, beginning with the 2002-03 season.
2. Connors was seeking to win his second straight Wimbledon men’s singles championship, after defeating Ken Rosewall in straight sets the year before. He lost to Ashe in four sets.
3. Bill Parcells.
4. Joe Medwick played most of his 17-season Major League Baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968.
5. Phil Hill. Formula One competition began in 1950, and Hill was the first U.S. driver to win the championship in 12 seasons.
6. He defended his title against Jersey Joe Walcott in 1945. Louis didn’t fight Walcott until 1947. He did box in exhibitions and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor (not to be confused with the Congressional Medal of Honor) for his services during the war.
7. Chemical Warfare Unit. Cobb and baseball great Christy Mathewson served in the same Chemical Warfare Unit.
8. The triple double, used to indicate a double digit effort in 3 statistical categories.