Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century - Part II Quiz

Answer: King of Brazil

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), was known simply as Pele, the "King of Brazil". He single-handedly put Brazil and soccer (football) on the map. He became his sport's first icon. Pele led Brazil to three World Cup titles (1958, 1962 and 1970).

He was named Athlete of the Century in 1999 by the IOC. A year later he was named FIFA Player of the Century (jointly with Diego Maradona).

Answer: LPGA

Babe Didrikson Zaharias excelled at baseball, basketball, track and field, and golf. In 1950 the Associated Press named her "Woman Athlete of the Half-Century". She got the lifelong moniker "Babe" after she hit 5 home runs in one game during her childhood in the early 1930s, when Babe Ruth was in his prime.
While playing high school basketball, she came to the attention of the coach of the Golden Cyclones, one of the best AAU teams in the country. She led them to three consecutive national championships and was an all-star forward for two of those years.

She won two gold medals in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, each time breaking world records. She is best remembered as a golfer, winning 82 amateur and professional tournaments. She was a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. She died from colon cancer in 1956 at age 45.

Answer: Mr. Hockey

In 1997, 69 year-old Gordie Howe became the first hockey player to play in six decades, beginning in 1946. His moniker as "Mr. Hockey" signifies his place in NHL history. He led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup Championships in the 1950s. He played over 32 seasons in the NHL.

Answer: Mustache

Today competitive swimmers shave every hair on their bodies, Spitz not only sported a mustache but a full head of hair. In the 1972 Olympics he won 7 Gold Medals, each one set a new world record. Tragically, the day after Spitz won his 7th Gold Medal, terrorism raised its ugly head. Spitz, who is Jewish, was placed under armed guard and flown to London.

Answer: Melbourne

Bill Russell led the U.S. basketball team to a Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. He was a walk-on at the University of San Francisco but led the team to consecutive NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. He led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA Championships in 13 seasons.

He was arguably the greatest defensive player ever. His on the court battles with Wilt Chamberlain were epic. On the road it was not uncommon for him to have to sleep in a different hotel from the one the white players used. He was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Answer: The Punisher

Steffi Graf won 22 tennis Grand Slam Singles titles and, in 1988, became the first tennis player in history to win a Golden Slam, all 4 major singles titles and the Olympic Gold Medal in the same year. She was the first (male or female) to win all 4 of the major single titles four time, a unique feat which is unlikely or be repeated.

In 2001 Graff married Andre Agassi, nicknamed "The Punisher".

Answer: Brown Bomber

Joe Louis (1914-1981), was world heavyweight champion from 1937-1949. Nicknamed the "Brown Bomber", he had 69 professional flights with only 3 losses. He successfully defended his title an astounding 25 times. In 1938 he became a national hero when he knocked out Max Schmeling, Adolph Hitler's example of Aryan supremacy, in the first round. Louis donated much of his prize money to military relief efforts.

He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1982.

Answer: Chocolate Kitty

Jean-Claude Killy did a TV commercial in which he introduced himself with his heavy French accent. It sounded as though he was saying "chocolate kitty".
He dominated the sport of alpine downhill skiing in the late 1960s. He won 12 of 16 World Cup races during the 1966-1967 season. Then at the Winter Games in 1968 in Grenoble, France he won three downhill gold medals. On September 26, 2023 it was announced on Facebook that Jean-Claude Killy had passed away. The hoax was quickly discovered.

Answer: The G.O.A.T.

Roger Federer is a Swiss former tennis champion. Many consider him to have been the Greatest Of All Time. He won 8 Wimbledon singles titles and, at the 2018 Australian Open, became the first male tennis player to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles. He was aged 36.

Answer: 18 Olympic Medals

Larisa Latynina is a former Soviet artistic gymnast. Until Michael Phelps broke her record in London in 2012, she was the only athlete in any sport to have won eighteen Olympic medals. Latynina won her medals in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 games.