1969: An Amazing Year in Sports Quiz

Answer: New York Jets

Super Bowl III was played on January 12, 1969 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the first championship game to use the name "Super Bowl" as Super Bowl's I and II were simply known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game before the name "Super Bowl" was adopted. Super Bowl III was contested between the New York Jets of the American Football League and the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League. New York Jets quarterback Broadway Joe Namath led his team to a 16-7 upset over the favored Baltimore Colts.

Despite not throwing a single touchdown, Joe Namath was named the MVP of the game.

Answer: Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens were founded in 1909 and is one of the six original teams of the National Hockey League. They are also one of the most successful teams of the NHL, having captured 24 Stanley Cup championships between 1915 and 1993. In 1969, the Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues in four games to claim their 16th Stanley Cup championship.

Despite losing, it was the Blues second appearance in the Stanley Cup championship after debuting as an expansion team in 1967. In 1967, the size of the NHL doubled from six teams to twelve.

Answer: Rocky Marciano

Rocco Francis Marchegiano (aka Rocky Marciano) was an American professional boxer from Brockton, Massachusetts. He was born on September 1, 1923 and was given the nickname "The Brockton Blockbuster". He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952-1956. Rocky Marciano went undefeated having won all 49 of his professional bouts before he retired in 1956. Sadly Rocky Marciano was killed when a small aircraft he was traveling on crashed in Des Moines, Iowa on August 31, 1969. Marciano was 45 years old when he died.

Answer: Boston Celtics & Los Angeles Lakers

The Boston Celtics were the team to beat in the 1960s. They had competed in the NBA Finals every year from 1957-1969, winning 11 of them under the leadership of legendary coach Red Auerbach. In 1969, the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA championship.

The Celtics and Lakers have the most famous rivalry in the NBA having faced each other in the Finals twelve times in the history of the NBA.

Answer: Indianapolis 500

Mario Andretti is an American race car driver who immigrated from Italy in 1955. Andretti won the United States Auto Club championship in 1965, 1966 and 1969. However, despite his successes in the sport in general, Mario Andretti captured only one win at the Indianapolis 500 (1969) after having competed in the race 29 times. Mario Andretti won the Daytona 500 in 1967. Andretti was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1986.

Answer: Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento is one of the most famous soccer/football players in history. He was more commonly known as Pele. He debuted with the Santos FC in Brazil in 1956. He would later help the Brazilian national team claim three FIFA World Cup championships (1958, 1962 and 1970). Pele scored his 1,000th goal on November 19, 1969 when his Santos FC club faced off against the Vasco Da Gama football club in Rio de Janeiro.

He retired in 1977 accumulating a total of 1,281 goals in his career.

Answer: Hit a home run

Gaylord Perry was a Hall of Fame pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. While Gaylord Perry had a stellar pitching record, his batting skills was one of the worst in the league. Perry's former manager Alvin Dark had allegedly joked about Perry's hitting to a reporter in 1963 saying, "Mark my words, a man will land on the moon before Gaylord Perry hits a home run." Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the Moon on July 20, 1969 at 12:17 pm PST. Later in the day, Gaylord Perry would hit his first career home run during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Answer: Wimbledon

The Grand Slam in tennis is comprised of four major events, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. In 1969, Australians Rod Laver and Margaret Court dominated the scene. Rod Laver won all four tournaments for the men. Margaret Court, however, only won three of the four for the women.

She lost to British tennis player Ann Jones in the semifinal round of the Wimbledon tournament in England. American tennis star Billie Jean King would go on to defeat Jones in the final round.

Answer: Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) is one of the most recognized coaches in NFL history. He led his team to the NFL Championship five times in his career, most notably leading the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowls I and II. On December 21, 1969, Vince Lombardi coached his last game losing to the Dallas Cowboys 20-10 as the head coach of the Washington Redskins. Lombardi would die of colon cancer less than a year later.

The Super Bowl trophy was later dedicated to Vince Lombardi after his death in 1970.

Answer: New York Mets

From their debut in 1962 up until 1969, the New York Mets were considered one of the worst teams in the league. They lost a major league record 120 games in their first season alone and lost more than 100 games in four of their next six seasons. In 1969, the Mets would earn their Amazin' nickname by ending the 1969 regular season with a league leading 100-62 record and then moving on to claim their first World Series victory, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in five games.

Their performance in 1969 earned them the "Miracle Mets" nickname as well.