FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
USA by Year 1970s Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
USA by Year 1970s Quizzes, Trivia

USA by Year: 1970s Trivia

USA by Year: 1970s Trivia Quizzes

  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Sports Trivia
  6. »
  7. USA by Year

Fun Trivia
4 quizzes and 45 trivia questions.
1.
The 1970s in Sports
  The 1970s in Sports   best quiz  
Photo Quiz
 10 Qns
A look back at USA sports in the 1970s. One question for each year. I hope you have fun with it. :)
Easier, 10 Qns, Nightmare, Mar 21 11
Easier
Nightmare gold member
6129 plays
2.
  1978 US Sporting Winners   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can't remember much about 1978? Maybe you weren't even born then! Worry not, I've added plenty of helpful hints to put you on the right track. So non-Americans and the under-forties shouldn't give up hope completely.
Very Easy, 10 Qns, stedman, Dec 25 21
Very Easy
stedman editor
Dec 25 21
602 plays
3.
  1970s All-American Sports   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
See how much you can remember about sports in the Disco era!
Average, 10 Qns, brewster76, Nov 10 08
Average
brewster76
652 plays
4.
  70s Sports    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The 1970s! Disco, Watergate, and some of sports greatest moments. Relive these moments while taking this quiz.
Average, 15 Qns, bigwoo, Apr 01 20
Average
bigwoo gold member
Apr 01 20
1968 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Who did Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans defeat, to win the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship in 1979?

From Quiz "70s Sports"




Related Topics
  Music from 1970 [Music] (26 quizzes)

  1970s World Series [Sports] (6 quizzes)

  Died in the 1970s [People] (7 quizzes)

  NFL 1970s [Sports] (4 quizzes)

  1970s Country Music [Music] (4 quizzes)

  1970s History [History] (21 quizzes)

  1970s Lyrics [Music] (21 quizzes)

  1970s Movies [Movies] (33 quizzes)

  1970s Music [Music] (302 quizzes)

  1970s Nostalgia [History] (34 quizzes)

  1970s TV [Television] (36 quizzes)

  MLB 1970s [Sports] (16 quizzes)

  One Hit Wonders - 1970s [Music] (24 quizzes)

  Super Bowl 1970s [Sports] (8 quizzes)

  1970s Entertainment [Entertainment] (11 quizzes)


USA by Year: 1970s Trivia Questions
1. Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Bert Campaneris, Rollie Fingers, and Vida Blue all played on one of Major League Baseball's greatest teams, the Oakland Athletics of 1972-74. Who was the A's flamboyant, outspoken owner?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Charles O. Finley

"Charlie O" Finley sold the team to Levi Strauss & Co. president Walter Haas in 1981. He sought to raise the profile of the A's with such innovations as bright green and yellow uniforms and encouraging his players to grow mustaches at a time when other teams forbade facial hair.

2. What team snapped UCLA's 88 game winning streak in men's basketball in 1974?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Notre Dame

Notre Dame beat the Bruins 71-70 to break the streak.

3. Which baseball team won the 1978 World Series? Hint: they hail from a state whose capital is Albany.

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: New York Yankees

The New York Yankees were originally founded as the "Baltimore Orioles" in 1901 but moved to New York in 1903 under the name "New York Highlanders". They soon acquired the nickname "Yankees", and in 1913 adopted it as their official name. They soon became one of the most famous and successful baseball teams in the USA. They first won the World Series in 1923, and in 1978 they beat the LA Dodgers four games to two to win it for the 23rd time.

4. Which first in sports occurred in September of 1973 in New York (Hint: keep the month in mind)?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Men and women received equal prize money for the first time in Grand Slam history at the US Open

The US Open is traditionally held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, the weeks before and after Labor Day. Griffith won back-to-back Heisman trophies in 1974 and 1975. The Heisman presentation is tradtionally held in New York City in December. Hunter played his first game with the Yankees in April, 1975. The Nets with Dr. J. won ABA titles on May 10, 1974 and May 13, 1976.

5. UCLA's 88 game winning streak began in 1970. Who did they last lose to before the streak began?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Notre Dame

6. Who won the 1978 season Super Bowl XIII, played on 27 January 1979? Hint: was it an easy win, or did they "steal" victory at the last minute?

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: Pittsburgh Steelers

For those who don't follow American football, the Super Bowl is the traditional conclusion of the National Football League (NFL) season, to decide the NFL champions. Teams compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after a famous NFL coach. The Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XIII by a score of 35-31, and by doing so became the first team to win three Super Bowl trophies. Well done, guys.

7. Readers of "TV Guide" voted a commercial from 1979, that featured one of the famous Pittsburgh "Steel Curtain" linemen sharing a Coke with a young boy, as one of the ten best ads of all-time. Which Steeler was it?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Joe Greene

"Mean" Joe Greene was the 4th pick overall of the 1969 draft. He spent almost 20 years as an assistant coach for various pro teams including the Steelers, Dolphins, and Cardinals.

8. What New York Ranger goalie recorded his 103rd career shutout in 1970?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Terry Sawchuck

Sawchuck blanked Pittsburgh 6-0 to get his final shutout. He is the only goalie in NHL history with over 100 shutouts.

9. In 1970, this former St. Louis Cardinal made history by filing a lawsuit against Major League Baseball, after he refused to be traded citing anti-trust laws and the unfairness of MLBs reserve clause and lack of free agency. Who was he?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Curt Flood

Though Flood's case went to the Supreme Court where he lost, the impact of his actions turned the tide in professional sports labor disputes. In 1997, Congressional Bill HR 21, named for Flood's Cardinals uniform number, removed MLBs anti-trust exemption from US labor laws. In the US Senate, the Curt Flood Act of 1998 introduced similar legislation.

10. Who was the first member of the Negro League to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Leroy Paige

Leroy 'Satchel' Paige was inducted to the Hall in 1971.

11. Basketball: which team won the 1978 NBA title? Hint: were their players expert "shooters"?

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: Washington Bullets

NBA is the National Basketball Association, which was founded in New York in 1946. It consists of 30 teams, of which 29 are based in the USA and one - the Toronto Raptors - is Canadian. The team known in 1978 as the Washington Bullets has had numerous changes of both hometown and name. It was founded in 1961 in Chicago and known as the Chicago Packers, becoming the Chicago Zephyrs twelve months later. In 1963 it moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Bullets, before moving yet again in 1973 to Washington DC, when they became the Capital Bullets, then the Washington Bullets. In 1997 they changed their name once more, to the Washington Wizards. In 1978, when the team was still the Bullets, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics to win the NBA title for the first time.

12. What was the name of the terrorist group that killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Black September

Conventional wisdom has it that King Hussein's expulsion of the PLO from Jordan after an attempt to take over his kingdom led to the formation of Black September.

13. What two teams played in the last American Football League championship game in 1970?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders

The Chiefs beat the Raiders 17-7. The next year the AFL merged with the National Football League.

14. Which team won the 1978 US College Division 1 Basketball Tournament? Hint: did they train on a diet of fried chicken?

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: Kentucky Wildcats

The 1978 US College Basketball Tournament was contested by 32 schools. The championship game was played on 27 March in St. Louis, Missouri, in which Kentucky beat Duke by 94-88. This was a fifth title win for Kentucky.

15. What team ,in 1971, lost their first game in over 8 years after winning 2,495 consecutive games?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Harlem Globetrotters & Harlem & Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters lost to the New Jersey Reds 100-99 on January 5th, 1971.

16. Which South African golfer won the 1978 Masters? Hint: he's the only non-US player on the list.

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: Gary Player

Gary Player (b. 1935) won nine Major Championships between 1959 and 1978 during his regular career, plus another nine on the Senior/Champions Tour (1986-1997). His career included wins at all four Major Championships (the British and US Open Championships, plus the Masters and the PGA), known as the Career Grand Slam. His 1978 Masters win was the last of his regular tour wins and came four years after his previous victory at a Major - the (British) Open Championship in 1974. He achieved his win despite being seven strokes down going into the final round, and won by a single stroke (277) over three players tied in second place on 278 - Rod Funseth, Hubert Green and Tom Watson.

17. On October 30, 1974 Muhammed Ali beat reigning world heavyweight champion George Foreman in a bout in Kinshasa, Zaire. What name did fight promoter Don King use to promote the match?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: The Rumble in the Jungle

The 1996 Oscar-winning documentary, "When We Were Kings", is based on the "Rumble in the Jungle". Its title refers to the era when Africa was ruled by kings and queens.

18. Who became the first man to win the Daytona 500 six times with his victory in 1979?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Richard Petty

Petty won it a seventh time in 1992.

19. Which horse won the 1978 Triple Crown of US racing (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes)? Hint: was he the "firm" favourite?

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: Affirmed

The so-called "Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing" is the name given to three races for three-year old thoroughbred horses raced in the USA in May and June each year. These are the Kentucky Derby (first raced in 1875), the Preakness Stakes (1873) and the Belmont Stakes (1867). A horse which wins all three is awarded the "Triple Crown" trophy. The first horse to win all three races was Sir Barton, in 1919. Affirmed was the eleventh to achieve this feat, the third to do so in the 1970s, although it wasn't until 2015 that another horse (American Pharoah) managed all three.

20. At the 1970 World Gymnastics championships, this athlete became the first American woman to ever medal at an international event. She also competed at the 1972 Olympics and had a long career as a commentator with ABC Sports. Can you spot her?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Cathy Rigby

Rigby also had a career in acting. Her signature role was the title character in the musical stage production of "Peter Pan".

21. Who did Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans defeat, to win the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship in 1979?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Indiana State University

Johnson led his Spartans to a 75-64 win over Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores.

22. Which driver won the 1978 Indianapolis 500? Hint: his surname is an anagram of someone who might look after you in hospital.

From Quiz 1978 US Sporting Winners

Answer: Al Unser Sr.

The "Indianapolis 500" is a motorsports event that takes place every year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Illinois. As the name indicates, it is raced over 500 miles, being 200 laps of the track. It first took place in 1911, and the 100th race took place in 2016 (the two World Wars having caused some cancellations). In the 62nd race in 1978, Al Unser Sr. narrowly beat Tom Sneva to take his third victory in the race. For those of you not so hot on wordplay, his surname is an anagram of "nurse".

23. "Monday Night Football" began a 36-season run on ABC on September 21, 1970. The three commentators in the first season were Howard Cosell, "Dandy" Don Meredith, and who as the play-by-play announcer?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Keith Jackson

Gifford was still under contract with CBS in 1970, so "MNF" creator Roone Arledge hired Jackson for the first season. Jackson returned to ABC college football coverage when Gifford became available in 1971. Don Meredith left the show in 1974, and was replaced (briefly) by Fred Williamson and then by Karras.

24. On April 8th, 1974 Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run breaking Babe Ruth's record. What pitcher gave up the home run?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Al Downing & Downing

Aaron lined Downing's second pitch of the at bat into the left field bullpen.

25. In 1977 Shirley Muldowney entered sports history as the first woman to do what?

From Quiz 1970s All-American Sports

Answer: Win the National Hot Rod Association Drag Racing Championship

The 1983 movie "Heart Like a Wheel" starred Bonnie Bedelia and was based on Shirley Muldowney's life.

26. Who tied a then Major League record by striking out 19 batters in a game in 1970?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Tom Seaver

Seaver struck out the last 10 Padres in the game securing a 2-1 win for the Mets.

27. For what race did Janet Guthrie become the first woman to qualify for in 1977?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Indianapolis 500

28. In 1977 and 1978 horse racing had its first back to back triple crown winners in history. Seattle Slew won it in 1977. Who won it in 1978?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Affirmed

29. On July 18th, 1976, who earned the first perfect score in Olympic gymnastics?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: Nadia Comaneci

The 14 year old Romanian become a world celebrity with her perfect performance with 10 out of 10.

30. How many gold medals did US swimmer Mark Spitz win at the 1972 Olympics?

From Quiz 70s Sports

Answer: 7

Before then no one had won more than five.

This is category 20764
play trivia = Top 5% Rated Quiz, take trivia quiz Top 10% Rated Quiz, test trivia quiz Top 20% Rated Quiz, popular trivia A Well Rated Quiz
new quizzes = added recently, editor pick = Editor's Pick editor = FunTrivia Editor gold = Gold Member

Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.