Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Lists regarding the top sports upsets fill the Internet. One upset that appears on nearly every single American-made list (usually at or near the top) is the moment that "Sports Illustrated" called the Top Sports Moment of the 20th Century. In which sport did the United States shock both its opponents from the Soviet Union and the world in winning the gold medal?
2. In the late 1980s, no boxer was as sure of a bet as Mike Tyson. Tyson, however, was upset by a 42-to-1 longshot in Tokyo on February 11, 1990. Who upset the previously undefeated Tyson to shock the boxing world?
3. This horse won 20 of its 21 races, and it lost the 21st race by a half-length to a horse whose name created this quiz -- Upset. While he has never had a movie about him, he was named the top thoroughbred champion of the Twentieth Century by "Blood-Horse" magazine. Who was this horse-racing legend?
4. Rulon Gardner, of the USA, shocked the Greco-Roman wrestling world and sports world by winning the gold medal at the 130 kilogram weight class at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. This was a shock because he defeated a 33 year old Russian wrestler who had won the previous three gold medals (in 1988, 1992, and 1996), had not lost in 13 years, and had not even had a point scored on him for 6 years. Who was this amazing Russian?
5. The 1950 World Cup took place in Brazil and saw one of the sport's greatest upsets in the group stages. The game in question finished 1-0, and the goal scorer was Joe Gaetjens. A movie about this game starred singer Gavin Rossdale as one of the losing team members. Which country won the game and which country lost?
6. The classic Hollywood showdown between David and Goliath played out in Indiana and in the movie "Hoosiers" (1986). The movie was based on real life, of course, and portrayed the 1954 Indiana high school basketball championship. Which real high school won that state championship and became immortalized in "Hoosiers"?
7. In 1955, the world's best golfer was Ben Hogan, and he was trying to win his fifth U.S. Open title. He was almost successful, ending up tied for the lead after 72 holes with the man who would upset him in an 18-hole playoff. Oddly, the man who beat Hogan won three tournaments in his career -- all of them by winning playoffs! Who was this upset winner who shot 69 in the playoff to Hogan's 72?
8. In 2007, football at the University of Michigan was riding high. Lloyd Carr was in his final season as the Wolverines coach, and his team was ranked #5 in the country to start the year. Michigan started its season with a "gimme" game against a Football Championship Series team -- or so Michigan thought the game was a gimme. What FCS team defeated Michigan 34-32 thanks to a last second blocked field goal at Michigan Stadium?
9. One of the biggest upsets in English football (soccer) history occurred in the FA Cup in 1989. A non-league team team playing in the Football Conference defeated Coventry City, a team in the top division of English Football (then the First Division). The final score was 2-1. Who was the non-league team?
10. Rafael Nadal has won six French Open titles, and won 31 consecutive matches at the French Open beginning with his first appearance at Roland Garros in 2005. That all changed in the fourth round of the 2009 French Open. Nadal was defeated by a Swedish player who ended up losing to Roger Federer in the finals in 2009. Can you name that Swede?
Source: Author
dawgfan1995
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
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