Roads to Recovery Quiz / Test | USA

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Perhaps the most famous retirement and comeback in sports history was made by this basketball great. He led his team to multiple NBA titles, won 10 scoring titles, and played in 14 all-star games. However, he "retired" from basketball in 1993 to pursue a possible career in professional baseball, in which he failed miserably. He returned to basketball nearly a year and a half after first announcing his retirement and rose to the top again. Who is this man?

Answer: Michael Jordan

After winning 3 NBA titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993, Jordan announced his retirement. He returned in the middle of the 1994-95 season, in which the Bulls lost in the second round in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic. He then led his team to the 1996, 1997 and 1998 NBA titles, and again announced his retirement afterward.

He also spent the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with the Washington Wizards.

2. This Major League Baseball pitcher played in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with 7 different teams. He is most noted for his pitching with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s, and recorded 288 wins in his 26-year career. However, it was interrupted midway through while he recovered from the revolutionary surgery that now bears his name. Who is he?

Answer: Tommy John

Tommy John came up with the Cleveland Indians in 1963 and retired as a New York Yankee in 1989. On September 25, 1974, he had "Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction", which was eponymously named Tommy John Surgery. It caused him to sit out the entire 1975 season, but he came back with 10 wins in 1976.

The surgery involves taking a portion of a tendon from the elbow or knee to rebuild one of the ligaments of the elbow. Over 50 MLB players have had the surgery, many having it more than once.

3. Shortly after the start of his career in 2006, this Boston Red Sox pitcher was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a treatable type of blood cancer. He underwent successful treatment and rejoined the team in the middle of the 2007 season, where he won the clinching game of the 2007 World Series for Boston in his first postseason start. In 2008, he won 16 games and pitched a no-hitter. Who is he?

Answer: Jon Lester

Lester was drafted by the Red Sox in 2002 and was included in a potential trade that would have landed Sox shortstop Alex Rodriguez in 2004. He won 61 games in his first 5 years in the league and made the All-Star Game in 2010. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a treatable cancer affecting white-blood cells and lymph nodes throughout the body.

4. This NFL quarterback started his career in 1995 with the expansion Carolina Panthers, and led them to the NFC championship game the following year. In 1998 he was waived by the Panthers as an indirect result of an alcohol addiction. However, two years later he came back and led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl. Who is he?

Answer: Kerry Collins

Collins was drafted 5th overall in 1995 by the Panthers, their first draft pick ever. In 1996, the Panthers lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game. In 1997, he used a racial slur which made public his battle with alcoholism. He signed with the Giants in 1999, and shortly afterward entered treatment for the condition.

The Giants lost to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV in January of 2001.

5. This NFL quarterback was the first overall pick in the 2001 draft. In his first six seasons in the league, he put up amazing stats and led his team to the playoffs twice. In 2007, he was sent to jail for 23 months, causing him to miss two seasons. However, after his release from jail, he quickly rose to the top again, leading his new team into the playoffs in 2010. Who is this player?

Answer: Michael Vick

Vick was the first pick overall in the 2001 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. In six seasons, he led the Falcons to the playoffs twice, had 4 seasons with over 2300 passing yards, and one with over 1000 rushing yards. However, his career blew up in 2007 when he was arrested for running a dog-fighting ring and sentenced to 23 months in jail, causing him to miss two seasons.

After signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, he led them to the playoffs in 2010, where they lost early.

6. This Spanish golfer began playing professional tournaments in 1986, and went on to win the 1994 Masters. In 1996, he was forced to sit out from golf due to an unknown foot injury. However, he rose back to the top in winning the Masters again in 1999. He won over 30 tournaments in his career. Who is this Spaniard?

Answer: Jose Maria Olazabal

Born in Handarribia, Olazabal spent his first season on the European tour in 1986. He went on to spend over 300 weeks in the top 10 of the world rankings before his injury sidelined him. He also was on the European Ryder Cup team 7 times. At the age of 40, he had 18 top-10 finishes in the majors.

7. This horse raced in the late 1930s and won 33 races in his career. One was a famous match-race against rival and Triple Crown winner War Admiral in 1938, which he won by 4 lengths. However, he went down with a leg ligament injury in 1939, and many thought he would never race again. But, he returned in 1940 and won two more races. His story was the subject of an Academy Award nominated film. Which legendary thoroughbred was this?

Answer: Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit, foaled in 1933, was raised in Kentucky. Despite not winning a Triple Crown race, he became a legendary figure in horse racing and a top news maker in the late 1930s, winning 11 times in 1937. After much speculation, he raced War Admiral in a match race in 1938 and won easily in front of 40,000 spectators at Pimlico. Both he and his jockey, Red Pollard, went down with injuries before both coming back in 1940, and winning the Santa Anita Handicap in February.

He died in 1947. The film "Seabiscuit" was nominated for Best Picture Award in 2003 but did not win.

8. This baseball outfielder came up in 1983 with the New York Mets. During his 8 seasons there, he won the Rookie of the Year Award and made 8 consecutive all-star teams. He also won the 1986 World Series with the team. In 1994, he got into trouble with the law due to cocaine possession and was suspended from baseball. He later came back to win 3 World Series with the New York Yankees. Who is this resilient ball player?

Answer: Darryl Strawberry

Darryl Strawberry spent 8 years with the Mets before becoming a Los Angeles Dodger from 1991-1993. He spent 1994 with the San Francisco Giants and the rest of his career with the Yankees. He signed with the Yankees in both 1995 and 1996 (He was released after the 1995 season ended.).

He was also diagnosed with colon cancer in 1998, causing him to miss the World Series that year. He put up career totals of 335 home runs, exactly 1000 RBIs, and a batting average of .259.

9. This boxer started his career in 1960 at the age of 18, and won his first 31 bouts. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1964 and retained it for 3 years. In 1967, he was arrested and stripped of the title due to his failure to report for the Vietnam War draft. He made his return in 1970, then in 1974 won the "Rumble in the Jungle" as a heavy underdog to recapture the heavyweight crown. Who is this boxer, regarded by many as the best ever?

Answer: Muhammad Ali

Born Cassius Clay, Ali's career lasted 21 years. His career record is astounding with 56 wins in 61 fights, including 37 knockouts. He beat Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight crown in 1964. He was undefeated until his suspension in 1967. His first career loss came against Joe Frazier in New York in 1971, but he came back to beat Frazier in 1974.

He faced George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire, and was a heavy underdog due to Foreman's recent successes. Ali won in the 8th round, then defeated Frazier again in the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975.

He retired in 1981.

10. This female tennis player started her career in 1997, then hit it big with year-end WTA championships in 2002 and 2003, and won the 2005 U.S. Open. In 2007, she retired citing injuries and went on to have a baby in 2008. She made a comeback however, and in a big way, winning both the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Opens. Who is she?

Answer: Kim Clijsters

Born in Belgium in 1983, Clijsters opened her career at the age of 16, but did not make a major final until 2001. In 2003, she made it to either the finals or the semi-finals in all four majors. She has been ranked #1 in the world in both the singles and doubles disciplines. She has over 500 singles and over 130 doubles match victories to her name.

Source: Author Jordanar18

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Roads to Recovery Trivia Quiz

Many athletes have started their careers well and went down and out, sometimes for years, before rising back up to the top. Can you name them?

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