A Few Special Souls We Lost in 2021 Quiz

Answer: He never had a losing season.

John Madden had a larger-than-life personality. While a player, he wore number 77 as a tackle. He finished his college career as a Cal Poly Mustang and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury hit him before he ever played in a professional game. John had majored in teaching and quickly turned to coaching.

He rose through the ranks and, by the age of 32, he became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. During his ten-year run as the head coach, he never had a losing season, putting him in a very elite crowd. Unfortunately for Madden, he did struggle in the championship games and only captured one Super Bowl win in his eight playoff seasons.

In his worst season, he went 8-4. An interesting tidbit about John Madden is he hated to fly.

In 1960. sixteen of his former teammates died in a plane crash. So, for most of his broadcasting career, Madden would take Amtrack or a charter bus.

Answer: Became the first female producer.

The best words to describe Betty White while she was starting out are driven ambition. Betty was determined to be an actress. Ironically, when she first tried to land a job on TV, she was told she was not photogenic enough for television! So, White started her career on the radio. With persistence, White did finally land a job on TV and soon was hosting a 5-hour six-day-a-week live broadcast entitled "Hollywood On Television".

In 1953 she became the first female producer of the show "Life with Elizabeth" with herself as the main character.

This gave her the power to make the show her own and not have to fall into the stereotypical roles women were expected to play. White was opposed to racial injustice and was an early supporter of LGBT rights.

Answer: Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1984 Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless fight against apartheid. Tutu had started out as a teacher but at the time the tightening restrictions of apartheid lead him to quit teaching and become a minister. He quickly rose through the ranks and used his platform to speak out.

He encouraged outside countries to place economic pressure on South Africa to encourage change. Tutu also petitioned for the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. Once Mandela became president of South Africa, he assigned Tutu as his "Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner".

Instead of a punitive approach, Desmond Tutu opted for a more forgiving approach in an effort to move on with society.

Answer: Bill Haley and the Comets

In 1958 the Everly Brothers came to prominence and brought a level of harmony that seriously influenced the likes of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Simon and Garfunkel. Bill Haley and the Comets had a different style of music and by 1958 were on the decline in popularity.

The Everly Brothers are considered one of the greatest pioneers of country-rock. The duo was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 in the inaugural class. The brothers had a brilliant sound but unfortunately, music was about all they had in common. Phil passed away in 2014.

Answer: Dick would push Rick in a wheelchair.

Rick was born with cerebral palsy and the family was told he should be sent to a special home as he would be severely mentally handicapped. But the doctors were wrong, and Dick and his wife gave Rick every opportunity to grow. Thanks to computer technology Rick was finally able to share his world. One day Rick came home from school and asked his father Dick to run with him for a charity race for an athlete who had become paralyzed. Rick wanted to show that life is still worth living. Dick had never run before, however, after the race Rick was so happy.

He told him while they were going that he didn't feel like he was handicapped. After that, Rick worked hard to increase his strength and endurance. Both Dick and Rick participated in 32 Boston Marathons and six Iron Man competitions! They even took a 45-day bike trip across America covering over 3,500 miles!

Answer: He first announced that he would run for president.

Ross Perot was one of the most successful third party candidates in a US presidential election. But part of Ross Perot's flair was his unpredictability. So, he really caught Larry King off guard when he decided to announce his candidacy for president on the show. Larry King had a productive and busy career.

He really came to be known to America when he hosted a late-night live radio show from midnight to 5:30 in the morning across the whole US. King's style of asking easy open-ended questions that allowed the person being interviewed to control the flow of conversation made him a favorite.

Answer: Boxing

Prince Philip was born as a prince for both Greece and Denmark. At a young age, he met and fell in love with Princess Elizabeth. In order to marry Elizabeth, Philip had to denounce his rights to either the Greek or Danish crown. He was given the title of Duke of Edinburgh when he became betrothed to Elizabeth. Prince Philip was not into boxing but he loved to play polo when he was younger and gradually took up carriage racing (think dressage with a chariot behind). Prince Philip also loved to fly and racked up over 5,000 hours in the cockpit.

Other hobbies included being a skilled yachtsman as well as a painter. The prince had a fascination with political comics, especially those aimed at royalty. He was known for his dry wit.

Answer: Death threats and hate mail

Leading up to the 1974 season, Hank Aaron was getting close to 3,000 letters a day - many of which were filled with racist hate. Most of the letters were from the northeast, but he even received some from his hometown of Mobile. Due to segregation, Aaron had to stay in a different hotel than the team and had to stay under a fake name with an armed guard for protection. Even his teammates had to keep away from him due to the nature of the death threats. Through it all, Hank handled it with business-like precision. Hank Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs and 3771 hits.

He was selected as an All-Star 21 times which was a record not beaten in the 20th century.

Answer: Howard

Anne Rice was given the birth name of Howard Allen Rice, the same as her father. Her mother told her the name would make her strong (kind of like a boy named Sue). However, on the first day of school when a nun asked her what her name was, Howard quickly said "Anne" and her mom never said a word to correct her.

A year later her name was legally changed to "Anne". While Rice is probably most known for her vampire novels, she wrote on a wide range of topics including both Christian and erotica. Her books have sold over 100 million copies. Anne grew up in New Orleans which had a big impact on her stories.

Answer: Walked 100 laps around his garden.

When Moore heard that the NHS was in need of supplies, he decided to raise money by posting himself walking laps around his garden. His goal started at 1000 pounds, however, his video went viral and was seen the world over. Within a short amount of time, he had raised over 32 million pounds! He was stunned by the outpouring and became one of the feel-good stories of early Covid media coverage. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him Sir Tom Moore for his service.

After all this success, he made a single with Michael Ball entitled "You'll Never Walk Alone" making him the oldest person to that point to have a number-one single! If you don't remember Sir Tom, I strongly suggest you find a video of him.

It is impossible not to smile while watching him. The slogan he loved to say was "Tomorrow will be a good day".