NFL in the 1980s #1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins under Joe Gibbs seemingly had something for every football fan in the 1980s, mixing solid ground control running with big play passing on offense, and throwing in a solid defense, to win Super Bowls in 1982, 1987, and 1991. Few NFL offensive lines were ever colorful enough to merit a nickname, but when the Redskins' line coach told them they "looked like a bunch of hogs," they took the name as a badge of pride that they wore for the rest of the decade.

The Smurfs were the team's undersized receiving corps, nicknamed after a cartoon about little blue people that was popular at the time.

The Fun Bunch was the group who would gather in the end zone after a touchdown for a mass high-five. And the Diesel was their tireless Hall of Fame running back John Riggins, who seemed to get stronger after his 30th carry of a game.

Answer: Al Davis & Pete Rozelle

The Davis vs. Rozelle courtroom dustup took shape when Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis wanted to move his team to Los Angeles. Blocked from doing so by a 22-0 vote of NFL owners (five owners abstained), Davis sued NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle for antitrust violations related to the league's interference in his move of the team. Davis prevailed in the suit, winning an $18 million settlement, plus $35 million in damages, in 1982. "In their mind, it's their team," Davis said of the Oakland fans. "In my mind, it's not." For many, the highlight of the Davis-Rozelle battle came when the Raiders won the Super Bowl in January 1981, right in the midst of the ongoing lawsuit. Rozelle handed the Super Bowl trophy to Davis with two hands to avoid having to shake hands with his nemesis, Davis replied with some barely audible mumbles, and some observers marvelled that neither hit the other with the heavy object.

Answer: Joe Montana, his 49ers trailing late in the game, 92 yards from the end zone, coolly pointed out John Candy in the stands before driving to the winning score

Montana's mix of coolness and being starstruck as Super Bowl XXIII neared its climax is one of the most widely cited examples of the quarterback's grace under pressure. Trailing Cincinnati 16-13 with just over three minutes remaining, Montana huddled the team 92 yards from the end zone. Looking up in the stands, he pointed out comic actor John Candy to the players. Getting his mind back on football, he then led the team down the field, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left.

Answer: Art Shell

Shell, a former Raiders offensive tackle, was brought in two games into the 1989 season and led the team to a 54-38 record and three playoff appearances in six seasons. Thinking the team was underachieving, the Raiders fired Shell after the 1994 season, then proceeded to go another six years before having another winning season or playoff appearance. Before Shell, the league's last black coach had been Fritz Pollard with the 1921 Akron Pros.

Answer: Bruce Smith

Bruce Smith joined the Buffalo Bills in 1985, straight from college. The USFL was started in 1982 and played football for three seasons from 1983-85. Besides having stars like Jim Kelly (Houston Gamblers), Herschel Walker (New Jersey Generals), and Reggie White (Memphis Showboats), the league attracted such other future NFL players as Doug Flutie, Randall Cunningham, and Steve Young.

The USFL folded under financial pressure before it could play a 1986 schedule, and sued the NFL for antitrust violations.

Its victory in the suit rang hollow though, when the judge awarded the USFL $1 (yes, one US dollar, trebled to $3 under antitrust law), saying that he would not allow the league to collect in court money a viable business should have been able to earn from fans and television.

Answer: Ickey Shuffle

Ickey Woods helped the Super Bowl bound Cincinnati Bengals in 1988 with his incredible rushing (1,066 yards on 203 carries for a league-leading 5.3 yards per carry). But what really enamored him to fans was his Ickey Shuffle, a little dance defying easy description.

He became an instant celebrity, with his face on clothing, in commercials, and in music videos. However, in the second game of the 1989 season, he tore his ACL and sat out the rest of the year. Two seasons later, he was cut by the Bengals and retired, having gained less than 500 yards in his last three years in the league.

Answer: Lawrence Taylor

Taylor brought speed, strength, and unparallelled ferocity and intensity to the New York Giants. In his rookie 1981 season, he won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, as well as NFL Defensive Player of the year, and being selected for his first of ten consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Perhaps best remembered for ending Joe Theismann's NFL career by breaking his leg in a 1985 Monday Night Football game (it was a clean hit and Taylor was the first player to call for a stretcher; he has since described the play as "not a moment I want to remember or see again"), Taylor was NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 when he had 20 1/2 sacks and the Giants won the Super Bowl.

Answer: Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins had early leads in Super Bowls XVII and XIX against the Redskins and Dolphins, but couldn't hold on, as Washington beat them 27-17 for the 1982 title, and San Francisco took the 1984 championship 38-16. The Dolphins' quarterback in that game was Dan Marino, who, in just his second NFL season, had set new NFL records for touchdown passes (48) and passing yards (5,084). Amazingly, after all that promise, the best the Dolphins ever subsequently did under Marino was losses in the 1985 and 1992 AFC championship games. Miami handed the great 1985 Chicago Bears their only loss, 38-24, in the highest rated Monday Night Football game to that point, but after going 64-24-1 in the first six years of the 80s, they closed out the decade 30-33.

Answer: Jerry Rice

Rice was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1985 partially because Bill Walsh, their coach, saw him by chance on a televised college football game he was watching in hopes of scouting a different player. It proved to be a good choice. Rice was MVP of Super Bowl XXIII, then helped the team become the first repeat NFL champions in a decade when they won the following year. Known for having one of the most gruelling work ethics and workout regimens of any athlete in the world, Rice led the NFL in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns six times apiece, and set career receiving records hugely above what any player before him had ever done.

Answer: Doug Williams

Doug Williams, who had a solid NFL career as a quarterback for Tampa Bay and Washington, took over for a floundering Jay Schroeder as the Redskins starting quarterback in 1987. He was the starting QB in the Super Bowl. After the Denver Broncos jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead, Williams caught fire in the second period, throwing four touchdown passes as Washington moved out to a 35-10 halftime lead, effectively putting the game out of reach. Williams endured a mind-numbing volley of questions going into the game, because he was the first black quarterback to start a Super Bowl, later alluding to the pressure by titling his autobiography "Quarterblack." An innocent question asked of him before the Super Bowl ("Doug, obviously you've been a black quarterback your whole life.

When did race begin to matter to people?") was misheard in a noisy room and continues to be wrongly cited as the dumbest question ever asked of an athlete ("How long have you been a black quarterback?"). Williams eventually became football coach at Grambling, his college alma mater, before taking a position as a personnel executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004.