Headscratchers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Earvin 'Magic' Johnson

One of the 50 greatest NBA players EVER, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson uttered this headscratcher in reference to his uncanny 'telepathic' connection on the basketball court with fellow teammate, James Worthy; naturally, he meant 'ESP'.

Born on August 14, 1959, in Lansing, Michigan, 'Magic' (as he's more commonly known) attended Michigan State University under Coach Jud Heathcote and led the school to its first NCAA Basketball National Championship, in 1979. At 6'9", Magic was one of the tallest point guards to play the position and his skills were on display during that game as he scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out five assists to help defeat the previously undefeated Indiana State Sycamores, who were led by another all-time great player whom Magic would meet on numerous occasions in the NBA and who would also help to resuscitate the dying league (along with Michael Jordan) during the 1980s, Larry Bird.

Magic played 14 years with the Los Angeles Lakers leading them to titles after the 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 seasons, meeting his old college rival Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics in 1984 (loss), 1985 (win), and 1987 (win).
Johnson prematurely retired from the NBA in November, 1991, due to his contracting H.I.V., the virus which causes AIDS. However, Johnson returned to the court several months later to participate in the 1992 NBA All-Star game despite many players being opposed to him playing, specifically Utah Jazz forward, Karl Malone; but the game went off without a hitch and Johnson performed well enough to be named the game's Most Valuable Player. Encouraged by his play, 'Magic' participated the in Summer Olympic games in Barcelona, Spain as part of the "Dream Team" along with several other NBA stars and helped to bring the Gold medal to back to the U.S.A. after dominating those games.

Johnson briefly returned to play with the Lakers during the 1996 NBA season, but retired for good before the midway point of the season. He later tried his hand at coaching the team during the late 1990s, but he lasted less than 20 games; he was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, in 2002.

Answer: Joe Theismann

Super Bowl XVII-winning quarterback, Joe Theismann, played 12 years in the NFL, all with the Washington Redskins. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, in 1971, as the runner-up to that year's Heisman Trophy winner, Jim Plunkett, of Stanford, Joe spent several years in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts before joining Washington, in 1974.

A former National Football League MVP and Man of the Year winner, Joe had a very accomplished career before he became the victim of a gruesome leg injury on a "Monday Night Football" telecast in 1985, at the hands of New York Giants linebacker, Lawrence Taylor, which ended his career. After retiring, Joe went into the broadcast booth and became a very credible analyst "Monday Night Football" and ESPN's "Sunday Night Football" telecasts; however, his 'Norman Einstein' statement was not one of his finer moments.

Answer: George Rogers

The Number One draft pick by the New Orleans Saints, in 1980, and Heisman Trophy winner from the University of South Carolina, George Rogers spent eight years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins after the 1987 season (SB XXII). He was obviously having an "off" day when he made the above statement, however.

Answer: Craig 'Ironhead' Heyward

A powerful fullback who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, in 1988, and a first round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints, Craig 'Ironhead' Heyward, said this to a reporter when asked about his possible draft position; needless to say 'Round Zero' doesn't exist. Heyward spent 11 years in the NFL with the Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, and Indianapolis Colts before retiring after the 1998 season; he made one Pro Bowl during his career when he was with the Falcons, in 1995.

Sadly, Heyward passed away, in 2006, after losing a seven-year battle with a recurring brain tumor. His son, Cameron, followed in father's footsteps and was also a player in the NFL, albeit at a different position (Defensive Tackle) with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Answer: Mike Ditka

One of the greatest Tight Ends to ever play the game, 'Iron' Mike Ditka wasn't at his best when he uttered these words, in 2008. Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, in 1939, Mike Ditka was the Number One draft pick of the Chicago Bears, in 1961. He played 12 seasons in the NFL between three teams, the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys, where he gained a championship ring in the team's 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.

Upon retiring, in 1972, Ditka went on to become an assistant coach with the Cowboys and then, after the 1981 season, he was hired by his old coach, George Halas, to lead the Chicago Bears. It was here that he saw his greatest success as a coach as he led the team to a championship in Super Bowl XX over the New England Patriots (46-10), after the 1985 season. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 1988.

Ditka also coached the New Orleans Saints for three seasons, but never achieved a winning record with them. His stint with the Saints most-likely only remembered due to his having given up all of the team's 1999 draft picks for Texas Longhorns Heisman Trophy-winning running back, Ricky Williams.

Answer: Jason Kidd

So many great highlights in the career of Jason Kidd, one of the greatest point guards the college or professional game has ever seen...but this was not one of them!

Born in San Francisco, California, in 1973, Kidd attended the University of California for two seasons where he led the Golden Bears to their first back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament since the 1958 and 1959 seasons. The team's 1993 NCAA appearance was particularly sweet as, Kidd led the squad to an amazing upset of the two-time defending National Champion, Duke Blue Devils, 82-77. The second overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks, in 1994, Kidd spent 19 seasons in the NBA with Dallas, the Phoenix Suns, the New Jersey Nets, and the New York Knicks, amassing the following resume':

1994-95 Rookie of the Year
1994-95 All-Rookie Team
Six-time All-NBA team
Nine-time All Defensive team
10-time All-Star team
One NBA Championship (2011 Dallas Mavericks)

After retiring in 2013, he went on to coach the Nets before moving on to take the top job with the Milwaukee Bucks, in 2014.

Answer: Sam Rutigliano

Even those of us who love sports had to think a moment to figure out what Coach Sam Rutigliano meant when he made this statement. However, this quote is pretty much forgotten, especially in the Cleveland area, as the coach is remembered more for a play call he made in the Wild Card round of the 1980 playoffs when his Cleveland Browns were driving for the go-ahead score against the Oakland Raiders. Red Right-88 doomed the Browns to a 14-12 loss as QB Brian Sipe was intercepted in the endzone by Safety Mike Davis; the play catapulted the Raiders to go to win Super Bowl XV.

A former Wide Receiver's coach for the New Orleans Saints during the 1976 and 1977 seasons, Rutigliano took over the head position for Cleveland, in 1978, and held it until mid-way through the 1984 season, when he was replaced by his Defensive Co-oridinator, Marty Schottenheimer, after the team started 1-7. In all, Rutigliano posted a 47-50 record during his seven and a half seasons in Cleveland, winning one division title, and losing both playoff appearances the team made (1980 and 1982), coincidentally against the Raiders each time.

Answer: Charles Barkley

Well, this quote certainly proves that being a Hall of Famer and one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history doesn't exempt one from saying something which makes others scratch their heads in confusion.

Charles Barkley was born in Leeds, Alabama on February 20, 1963 and grew up to become one of the most decorated and accomplished basketball players the world had ever seen. After an amazing three-year career at the University of Auburn where he led the Southeastern Conference in rebounding all three seasons, Barkley was named the conference's Player of the Year, in 1984. He entered the NBA Draft that same year and was picked fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Barkley played 16 seasons in the NBA with the 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets averaging 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, and although he never captured an NBA championship, Barkley did win an Olympic Gold Medal as part of the U.S. Basketball team, dubbed the "Dream Team", alongside fellow greats Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, 'Magic' Johnson, and many others. Barkley was elected into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for profession basketball players, in 2006 and into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2008.

Answer: Shaquille O'Neal

Well, here's another one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time in a not-so-great moment. Did Shaquille O'Neal actually mean that he'd NEVER won a championship at any level except for college and the NBA (which we know isn't true as he was a four-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat), or did he mean that he HAD won at every level INCLUDING college and professionally, which would also be incorrect as he never won a championship at Louisiana State University? Who knows? One thing we do know, however, is that Shaquille O'Neal was unquestionably one of the greatest basketball players at ANY position in the history of the game.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972, Shaquille (or 'Shaq') grew to into a 7'1", 325 lbs dominating center. After being picked by the Orlando Magic (1993-1996) as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft and being named as the 1992-1993 Rookie of the Year, Shaq went on to spend 19 seasons in the NBA capturing championships with the Lakers (1997-2004), in 2000, 2001, and 2002 and the Heat (2005-2008), in 2006. He also played for the Phoenix Suns (2009), Cleveland Cavaliers (2010), and Boston Celtics (2011) from whom he retired in 2011. For his career, O'Neal averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

Answer: Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson

Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson was one of the best wide receivers in Cincinnati Bengals history, but this statement proved that he should have reviewed his U.S. History a bit more along with his playbook.

A second-round draft pick from Oregon State University, in 2001, Johnson was one of the most entertaining players ever to play in the NFL (who can forget his donning a fake Hall of Fame Gold Jacket after scoring a touchdown). He played 11 seasons in the league, 10 with the Bengals. In his final season, he joined the New England Patriots and appeared in his one and only Super Bowl at the end of the 2011 season (SBXLVI). He caught one pass for 21 yards in the game. For his career. Johnson averaged 14.4 yards per reception for almost 12,000 total yards, while scoring a total of 67 touchdowns.