Utah Jazz Personalities Quiz | Utah Jazz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The colorful and creative owner of the Jazz beginning in the early 1980s has gotten more than his fair share of headlines. Aside from several verbal sparring matches with opposing players and fans, he has also carried on a love/hate relationship with Karl Malone that began the year the 'Mailman' was drafted in 1985. Name this rotund, bellicose fellow who is blessed with that classic, down-home Utah charm.

Answer: Larry Miller

No owner/player relationship in sports has more resembled a roller coaster than the one carried on between Larry Miller, a car dealership entrepreneur and native Utahan, and his star player and self-professed 'redneck' (huh?) from rural Louisiana, Karl Malone. Often incoherent and always exasperating, one thing the relationship always guarantees is verbal fireworks! Typically, the talking points are money and contract, but occasionally the comments get personal...with 'heart' and 'commitment' questioned. Miller's confrontations with NBA players (and opposing fans) have been the stuff of legend. Formerly, Miller would sit in a courtside seat, opposite the opposing team's bench, and would serve as a virtual 'second coach' on the floor. A confrontation with a Denver Nuggets' fan eventually led the poor fellow to find more distance between himself and the players, I'm certain it has done wonders for his heart!

2. Aside from accepting hot dogs, popcorn and the occasional sip of beer to wash them down from fans near the team bench, this Jazz coach of the early 1980s also doubled as a comedian, thus having two night jobs. Seriously though, his comedy was the team's top media draw during the early Utah days when the Jazz's win-loss record rivaled that of the L.A. Clippers during the...well, pretty much any season. Name this coach, president and chief fast food critic.

Answer: Frank Layden

I will include one of Frank's greatest quotes for good measure here (it's plastered all over the internet!) Frank once related a story about questioning player Jeff Wilkins' intensity, 'I told him, 'Son, what is it with you. Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.' Aside from helping to entertain Jazz fans and the media during the horrid early Jazz days, Frank also hosted several NBA bloopers videos, and coached/managed his way to both NBA Coach and Executive of the Year awards in 1984. Frank's weight loss in the mid-1990s is the stuff of legend, and makes Al Roker's similar feat look like a walk in the park. Jazz fans will always celebrate his immortal contribution to the team, and the game.

3. Aside from being the top assists and steals man in NBA history, according to legions of opposing players and fans (read: whiners) this point guard is also one of the dirtiest players ever to step onto an NBA court. I wish there was something I could say about the personality of this classic point guard whose basketball shorts were cut high enough to reveal the world's whitest legs, but we know nothing about his personal life! Name this now-retired #12 and former floor leader of the Jazz.

Answer: Stockton

Stockton's career statistics are miraculous, with a total of 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals to go along with an over 51% shooting percentage and an astonishing career 3.7 assists/turnover ratio. All this from a guy who, when drafted in the first round by the Jazz in 1984, heard a resounding silence from stunned diehard fans (back then we were all 'diehards'), who collectively asked the question, 'who?' One thing that can be said for certain, after 19 years, we all are still wondering...exactly who is this guy? Fans know as much about his personal life as we do the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle.

4. Coach of the Jazz during the entire decade of the 1990s, this hard-nosed ex-Chicago Bull certainly has made his presence felt on the basketball court during his Jazz head coaching stint. Aside from occasional foul-mouthed tirades, the guy really has delivered a winning system, despite the lack of NBA championships. One of the winningest coaches in NBA history, he has frequently suggested that he prefers operating a tractor to coaching primadonna NBA players. To whom do I refer?

Answer: Jerry Sloan

Jerry Sloan was one of the nastiest players in the NBA during the late 1960s, early 1970s, developing a reputation as one of the top defensive guards in the league's history. Following his retirement, he began his coaching career on the team with which he played, the Chicago Bulls. Later, he joined Frank Layden's assistant coaching staff before becoming the head coach after the 1988-89 season. Having the personality of a pit-bull, this exceedingly successful coach has never won an NBA Coach of the Year award, even after over a decade straight of 50-win seasons!

5. Of all the post Mark Eaton centers on the Utah Jazz, none has caused more consternation than this lovable lunkhead who was drafted from the Kansas Jayhawks in 1995. Entering the league with good potential, his career has been marked by instances of greatness (particularly in the playoffs), followed by extremely disappointing stretches in which his scoring statistics hovered just above his uniform number (that would be #0!) Which Utah Jazz center is described here?

Answer: Greg Ostertag

Ostertag has been an extreme source of frustration for Jazz fans, all of whom understand completely the potential that this fellow has allowed, for the most part, to lie fallow. Suffice it to say, distractions have been a major burden on his career. From Fred Flintstone tattoos to labels of 'fat ass' from Karl Malone, from an on-again, off-again feud with coach Jerry Sloan to embarrassing fisticuffs with Shaquille O'Neil, Ostertag has managed to liven up the lives of Jazz fans, for better or for worse.

He's one of those players who elicits the comment, 'maybe next year', from desperate Jazzophiles everywhere...

6. Jazz fans will always remember this player by his sharp shooting, his interesting tradition of face-wiping before every free-throw attempt, and his charming but somewhat racy nickname. Name this former Philadelphia 76er and Phoenix Sun who finally found a happy home as the third option during the great finals runs for the Utah Jazz in the late 1990s.

Answer: Jeff Hornacek

Prior to his arrival to the Jazz in the early 1990s, Hornacek was best known as a Jazz-killer while playing for the Suns. Jazz fans were finally relieved to have 'Horny' (the 'racy' nickname in question) join the team, so he could direct his accurate three-point shooting against Jazz foes. Hornacek's face wiping tradition at the free throw line was his tribute to his children, one wipe each to say hello to each of the little Hornaceks. Jazz fans will probably never again see such an accurate shooting talent...

7. The top scorer on the Jazz, and frequently the NBA, during the early 1980s, this forward was often the sole double figure scorer in games during the early Utah period. Noted for his extreme skills as a post-up player (perhaps the greatest in NBA history), he also had a penchant for getting under the skin of the coaches and management. Who was this four time 30 point-per-game scorer for the Jazz?

Answer: Adrian Dantley

Adrian Dantley had an extremely storied career. Aside from finishing his career as the 2nd all-time leading scorer in Notre Dame history, he also won an Olympic gold medal, and went on to an extraordinary NBA career, scoring over 23,000 points. With the Jazz, Dantley led the lead in scoring twice during the early 1980s while averaging over 30 points a game four years straight. Strangely enough, then, Dantley was one of Frank Layden's least favorite players, and the two butted heads throughout Dantley's career at Utah which ended after the 85-86 season (Karl Malone's rookie year.) Despite seven straight years with Utah scoring over 26 points a game, Dantley's number was never retired by the Utah Jazz! I think it's time to honor the man...

8. The voice of the Utah Jazz is this former Los Angeles Laker and West Virginia Mountaineer, who broadcasted every single Jazz game on radio and television (with a smattering of exceptions for sick leave) in the 20th century, both in New Orleans and in Utah. Known for his colorful catch-phrases, he was probably the first person to publicly say 'Stockton-to-Malone'. Name the 'voice of the Utah Jazz'.

Answer: Hot Rod Hundley

Hot Rod Hundley is an absolute Jazz fixture for all longtime fans of the team. His colorful catch phrases are exceedingly familiar to stalwart Utah basketball fanatics, and include the following: 'just a gentle push and a mild arc and the cowhide globe hit home', 'hammer dunk!', and 'you gotta love it, baby!' Alongside Rod Hundley for years has been color man and former Utah Jazz (and Utah Stars) player Ron Boone. Together, they announced the Jazz through their greatest years in the 1990s.

9. This Jazz player was around nearly from the beginning, playing in both New Orleans and a year in Utah. One of the NBA's all-time greatest showmen, he also was the greatest scorer in college basketball history while at Louisiana State University. Known as 'The Pistol', his on-court trickery was just overshadowed by his ability to light up his man for 40-50 points on any given evening. Name this scoring phenom.

Answer: Pete Maravich

'Pistol' Pete Maravich was a showman before it became the common thing in the NBA. It's important to note however that despite his showmanship, the man understood how to pass, and usually made the right decision, something that a few of the young players in the NBA could learn! Maravich played for his dad Press Maravich at LSU before moving on to the Atlanta Hawks and finally the Jazz.

His best season was in 1976-77 when he averaged 31.1 points per game, with a career best 68 vs. the New York Knicks! Sadly, 'The Pistol' died of a heart attack in 1988 at the tender age of 40 years old while playing basketball (what else?)

10. Our final Utah Jazz personality is probably the most well-known. Aside from being one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, this man is known for endorsing Rogaine, tossing around a few elbows, body slamming Hulk Hogan and waxing ineloquently in the third person about himself. Who is this #32, arguably the greatest player in Jazz history?

Answer: Karl Malone

Karl Malone has provided NBA fans with an extremely entertaining career, both on and off the court. Whether you love or hate him, you must admit that he has provided for lots of interesting conversation. Who can forget his questioning whether he would be willing to play on the same court as HIV-positive Magic Johnson? What about Malone's battles with young players whom he has termed 'primadonnas' and 'cry-babies'? (In return, Malone has been called 'old man' and 'Uncle Tom'.) One of my favorite Karl Malone moments was the time when he explained why he had hired an agent, suggesting that he had made a 360 degree turn (um...Karl, wouldn't that put you back where you began?) Another favorite...when Karl was drafted by the Jazz, he announced his extreme excitement about 'playing for the city of Utah.' Thank you for trying this quiz, I hope you will give some of my other quizzes a try if you enjoyed it. Oh yes, and one more thing...go Jazz!

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
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Utah Jazz Personalities Trivia Quiz

One of the most storied and successful NBA teams from 1980 to 2000, the Utah Jazz has been fortunately peppered by a number of curious and original talents, both amongst the players and the administration. Bring 'em on...how 'bout this Jazz!

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