Call Me Red Trivia Quiz

Answer: Red Grange

Chicago sportswriter Warren Brown gave Harold Edward Grange his nickname because of his speed and elusive running style. He played for the University of Illinois for three seasons, 1923-1925, and was named an All-America halfback each year. When his third season was over, he dropped out of school and joined the professional Chicago Bears.

He played pro football through 1934. He then became a broadcaster on radio and television from 1934-1969. He is a member of both the NFL Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Answer: Red Nichols

Ernest Loring Nichols (1905-1965), with his trombonist Miff Mole, formed several bands, including "Red Nichols and His Five Pennies," "The Arkansas Travelers," "The California Redheads," "Red and Miff's Stompers," and "Miff Mole and His Little Molers." Others who, at one time or another, played in one of his groups included Gene Krupa, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden, and Benny Goodman.

Answer: Red Skelton

Following his career in burlesque and vaudeville, Richard Bernard Skelton (1913-1997) began in radio in 1937 and ended in television in 1971. He was also an artist who depicted clowns and made several million dollars selling prints and lithographs of his works.

Other characters were Clem Kadiddlehopper (partly deaf), The Mean Widdle Kid (known for the line "I dood it"), and Deadeye (a cowboy). His television sign-off was "Good night and may God bless.'

Answer: Red Barber

Walter Lanier Barber (1908-1992) was a premier announcer for over three decades. He was known for accurate descriptions of what was happening, without a bunch of extraneous statistics or color. He was also known for creating several expressions: "Sittin' in the catbird seat," "Can of corn," ""Rhubarb," and "Back, back, back, back," for example.

Answer: Red Adair

Paul Neal Adair (1915-2004) served in World War II on a bomb-disposal squad. After the war, he became a firefighter with Myron Kinley, who helped found the blowout industry. In 1959, he formed his own company. During his career, he battled about 2000 fires in oil wells and developed a number of new ways to approach them.

He was particularly noted for his work during Operation Desert Storm when he and his crews extinguished many of the Kuwait oil wells set on fire. His story is told, in part, in the film "Hellfighters" (1968) with John Wayne.

Answer: Red Buttons

Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt, 1919-2006) starred on Broadway and in films from 1942 to 1999. In "Sayonara" he played Airman Joe Kelly who married Katsumi, a Japanese woman (played by Miyoshi Umeki, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), but because he was not allowed to take her to the United States, both committed suicide. Among his other achievements: he won an Emmy for Best Comedian for "The Red Buttons Show," a CBS series from 1952-1955.

Answer: John Pollard

John M. "Red" Pollard (1909-1981) had a career of triumph and tragedy. In 1933 he suffered a brain injury that left his right eye blind, something he had to conceal so he could continue riding. In 1938, a horse fell on him, crushing his chest and nearly killing him.

When he was recovering, he broke his leg twice. Starting in 1936, he became the jockey of choice for Seabiscuit, winning 18 races in the 30 times he rode him. The two combined for many handicap victories, including: the Governor's Handicap (1936); and the Brooklyn, Yonkers, and Massachusetts Handicaps (1937). Possibly their great victory was in the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap, a race Seabiscuit had failed to win twice before, and a fitting conclusion to the horse's great career.

Answer: Red Sovine

Woodrow Wilson Sovine (1917-1980) had two other Number One songs: "Giddyup Go" (1965) and "Teddy Bear" (1976). "Teddy Bear" was a sentimental narrative about a boy whose father died and who wants to ride in a semi. Sovine's other Top Ten hits were "Hold Everything" (Number Five in 1956) and "Phantom 309" (Number Nine in 1967).

Answer: Red Cloud

Chief Red Cloud (Mahpiya Luta, 1822-1909) led his tribe from 1866 to 1909. Red Cloud's War stymied the government forces and forced the government into negotiations for peace. Those negotiations led to the treaty of 1868 which established the Great Sioux Reservation in Nebraska and parts of South Dakota.

Answer: Boston Celtics

Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (1917-2006) served as coach (1950-1966), General Manager (1966-1984), and President (1984-2006) of the Celtics from 1950 until 2006. As coach, he led the Celtics to nine NBA championships in ten years, including eight in a row (1958/59-1965/66). Boston fans knew a game was won when Red lit his victory cigar.

In 1967 the NBA honored him by naming its Coach of the Year Award "The Red Auerbach Trophy."