Did They Really Say That? Memorable Sports Quotes Quiz

Answer: Lou Gehrig, New York Yankee first baseman

Suffering from an incurable disease which prematurely ended his career and would soon take his life, Lou Gehrig delivered his farewell address - what has become possibly the most memorable sports related speech of all time - to an enthralled Yankee Stadium crowd on July 4th, 1939.

The disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is routinely called "Lou Gehrig's disease," and tragically has not been eradicated.

Answer: Heywood Campbell Broun, Jr.

Well, you could eliminate Pete Rozelle, influential National Football League commissioner, and Ronald Reagan who, although he got his start as a sportscaster, cannot be considered a journalist. Broun is the correct answer. He was born in Brooklyn in 1888, started his career as a baseball writer for the NY Morning Telegraph, and later founded the Newspaper Guild.

He was a socialist and a strong believer in using journalism to support the disadvantaged and correct society's injustices. He also ran for congress and lost to Franklin Roosevelt.

This quote or some variation of it has been attributed to his son, Heywood Hale Broun, to John Wooden, legendary former UCLA basketball coach, and to former Texas football coach Darryl Royal. Obviously, many coaches share the sentiment.

Answer: Johnny Most, Boston Celtics radio announcer

Johnny Most's excited and joyfully spontaneous account is a classic testament to the thrill of sport. The setting: Boston Garden, game seven, 1965 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The teams: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics. With a one point lead and possession, Hall of Fame center Bill Russell egregiously turned the ball over by inbounding it and hitting a basket support wire. With one more miraculous chance to steal the game and finally defeat their hated rivals in Beantown, Philadelphia was stymied yet again by Havlicek's heads-up play.

Answer: Diego Maradona, Argentina

Maradona's first of two goals put Argentina up 1-0 in a game they would win 2-1, much to the chagrin of the English. There is little doubt now that he pounded the ball into the net with his left fist from close range, even though he's never admitted it; and the referee, Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia, claims he never saw a hand ball. Maradona's direct quote after the match was "un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios" (translation- "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God"). Adding spice and controversy to the event was the fact that only four years earlier, Britain and Argentina had had a military confrontation regarding control of the Falkland Islands off the coast of Argentina.

Many Argentinians viewed the defeat of England in the World Cup as some kind of retribution for that humiliation.

Answer: Henry Russell Sanders, UCLA football coach

This is another controversial quote, only because it is so widely and incorrectly attributed to Lombardi. It can be viewed in a December 7, 1953 article on Sanders in the "LA Herald and Express", written by Bud Furillo. Furillo says he first heard it from Sanders in 1949 after a loss to USC, which is long before Lombardi used it and became identified with it while directing his great Green Bay teams of the early 1960s. Nixon may have acted in line with the quote, but there is no record of his having used it.

Answer: Allen Iverson, former Philadelphia 76ers guard

This quotation is from Iverson's rant to Philadelphia sports writers. Iverson was responding to a question concerning fines and admonitions from 76er management related to his off-court behavior, missing meetings and a cavalier attitude toward practicing. No one ever questioned Iverson's heart and work ethic during games. Ramirez and Moss were both notoriously poor practice players whose behavioral quirks sometimes clashed with their immense talents. Bird was legendary for his tremendous dedication to practicing and honing his skills.

Answer: Herman Edwards, NY Jets coach

"This is what's great about sports. This is what the greatest thing about sports is. You play to win the game...Hello?...YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME...You start tellin' me it doesn't matter then retire, get out...'cause it matters...This whole conversation bothers me..." That's a longer version of Herman Edwards responding to a reporter questioning the motivation of his 2002 Jets team after a loss to Cleveland left their record at 2-5. Edwards' intensity evidently lit a fire under the Jets who won seven of their last nine games and made the playoffs.

Herm has been a heady defensive back with the Eagles, head coach of the Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, and an insightful commentator on ESPN. Post-retirment, he was in much demand as a motivational speaker.

Answer: You can't compare me to my father. Our similarities are different.

Of course Dale Berra, a decent ten year MLB infielder, was frequently asked about his hall of fame father, Yogi Berra. With this quote, Dale proved some of dad's legendary head scratching sense of humor had passed to him. The gold watch quote was also spoken about Yogi, by manager Casey Stengel. The other two quotes are from Yogi himself.

Answer: Jim Mora, Colts

Jim's post-game press conference rant, a youtube favorite, occurred on November 25th, 2001 after a particularly galling turnover-filled loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which dropped the Colts record to 4-6. They finished 6-10 and did not make the playoffs. Certainly a successful coach (two USFL titles), Jim Mora nevertheless quit coaching after that 2001 season as the winningest NFL coach without a playoff victory (125 wins, 0-4 post-season).

Answer: Wayne Gretzky

"The Great One", Wayne Gretzky, spoke these words attempting to explain his approach to the game and why he always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else on the ice. Gretzky is by far the most prolific scorer in National Hockey League history, holding at least forty regular season and fifteen playoff records upon his retirement in 1999.

He scored 894 regular season goals and tallied more assists (1,963) than the combined total of goals AND assists of #2 point scorer, former teammate Mark Messier. Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and also played with LA Kings, NY Rangers, Toronto and St. Louis. Unlike some other great players, Gretzky was respected and admired by fans and players throughout the league, and was a five time winner of the Lady Byng trophy, awarded for gentlemanly conduct, skill, and contribution to the game.