1989 Sports Champions Trivia Quiz

Answer: Calgary

The Calgary Flames won their first-ever Stanley Cup title to cap off the 1988-1989 National Hockey League season. The Flames, led by stars such as Al MacInnis and Joey Mullen, defeated the Montreal Canadiens, four games to two in the final series. The Flames had earlier defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs.

Answer: Nick Faldo

British-born Nick Faldo won the 1989 Masters Golf Tournament by sinking a 25-foot putt on the second playoff hole with American Scott Hoch. Hoch had earlier given Faldo a second life by missing a 2-foot putt that would have won the tournament. Faldo shot -5 to capture his first green jacket. Seve Ballesteros, from Spain, had a score of -3, good for fifth place. Fellow Spaniard Jose-Maria Olazabal tied for eighth place with an even par score. Ian Woosnam, from Wales, shot +2 and tied for 14th place.

Answer: Hawthorn

The Hawthorn Hawks defeated the Geelong Cats, 144 to 138, to capture the 1989 Victorian Football League Grand Final. The match was exciting and violent. The Hawks outscored the Cats 12.18 to 12.12 to capture the title before nearly 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 1989. Geelong's Gary Ablett was the game's star performer, scoring nine goals for 54 points.

However, Hawthorn withstood some late pressure from the Cats to win the match. The Sydney Swans finished the regular season in seventh place, while the Carlton Blues ended up in eighth position.

Answer: Emerson Fittipaldi

Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1989 Indianapolis 500 race by nudging past American driver Al Unser, Jr., with just two laps to go. Unser crashed into a wall, and Fittipaldi took the checkered flag under yellow flag conditions to win his first Indy 500. Unser didn't blame Fittipaldi, calling the collision a "racing incident". Brazilian Raul Broesel finished third in the race. Belgian-born Bernard Jourdain ended up in ninth position, and Italian driver Teo Fabi finished in 30th place.

Answer: Oakland

The Oakland A's defeated the San Francisco Giants in a four-game sweep to capture the 1989 World Series title. The two Bay Area rivals were upstaged by an October 17 earthquake which occurred shortly before Game #3 was set to begin. The Series was postponed for ten days because of the quake. Oakland pitcher Dave Stewart was named the Series' Most Valuable Player.

The Minnesota Twins finished in fifth place in the American League West standings, while the Los Angeles Dodgers ended up in in fourth place in the National League West table.

Answer: Liverpool

Liverpool won an exciting 3-2 victory over Merseyside rival Everton to capture the Football Association Cup. Liverpool striker Ian Rush had an outstanding game, scoring two goals in the victory. Stuart McCall of Everton scored two goals for Everton, one of which sent the game into extra time. Rush's second goal clinched the victory for Liverpool. Before the match, pop singer Gerry Marsden gave a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" to pay tribute to the nearly 100 fans who had died at Hillsborough a few weeks earlier in a Liverpool FA Cup semi-final game with Nottingham Forest.

Answer: Ivan Lendl

Ivan Lendl easily defeated countryman Miloslav Mecir (6-2, 6-2, 6-2) to win his first Australian Open tennis title. Lendl used strong groundstrokes and a powerful serve to vanquish his opponent. It would be the first of back-to-back Australian Open championships for Ivan Lendl. German-born Boris Becker lost in the fourth round to Jonas Svensson of Sweden, and Swedish-born Mats Wilander lost in the second round of the tournament to India's Ramesh Krishnan.

Answer: San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16, to win Super Bowl XXIII at Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium on January 22, 1989. The 49ers were led by quarterback Joe Montana, who engineered a late-game drive to score the winning touchdown with only 34 seconds remaining in the contest. San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXIII.

The 49ers had earlier defeated both the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears in the 1988 NFL playoffs en route to their appearance in the 1989 Super Bowl.

Answer: Detroit

The Detroit Pistons, led by guards Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, defeated the L.A. Lakers in four straight games to capture the NBA title. The Pistons were known as the "Bad Boys" because of their aggressive, physical style of play. Chuck Daly coached his Pistons to their first-ever NBA championship. Laker superstar center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired after the series had concluded.

Answer: Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 43-40, in a thrilling Grey Cup contest. Saskatchewan kicker Dave Ridgway booted a 35-yard field goal with only nine seconds remaining in the game to clinch the victory. The game was played in Toronto's SkyDome on November 26, 1989. Roughriders' quarterback Kent Austin was named the Most Valuable Player on offense.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were eliminated by Hamilton in the semi-finals, and the Toronto Argonauts lost in the opening playoff round to Winnipeg.