Southpaws Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nate Archibald

This Nate Archibald is, obviously, NOT the character from the "Gossip Girl" series. For older sports fans, Nathaniel Archibald is a retired basketball player who spent fourteen years playing in the NBA (National Basketball Association). He was a 6ft 1in (185cm) point guard who was given the nickname "Tiny". Nate grew up in the Bronx, NY, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1970 NBA draft.

In 1991, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Answer: Ken Stabler

If you are an older (American) football fan, you will probably remember Ken Stabler (1945-2015) as a quarterback in the NFL (National Football League) from 1970 to 1984. Ken, nicknamed "Snake", played for the Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints.

He was voted NFL's MVP in 1974, and led the Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XI for the 1976 season. Stabler was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, posthumously, in 2016.

Answer: Oscar De La Hoya

Mexican-American Oscar De La Hoya was a professional boxer, competing from 1992 to 2008. He has the distinction of having won world titles in six different weight classes. In 1995, Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year, and he was the top 'pay-per-view' earner prior to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

The media gave him the nickname "The Golden Boy of boxing" when he represented the United States in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Answer: Tony Gwynn

"Mr. Padre" was the nickname earned by professional baseball player Tony Gwynn (1960-2014). Tony played MLB (Major League Baseball) for 20 years with...you guessed it, the San Diego Padres. During that time, he won eight batting titles. He was skilled defensively as well, with five Gold Glove awards. Tony was one of the few players in modern years who remained with the same team his entire career. Tony was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Answer: Bob Lanier

Bob Lanier was a 6ft 10in (208cm) center who played in the NBA for fourteen years, first with the Detroit Pistons from 1970 to 1980, and then with the Milwaukee Bucks. An advocate and activist, in college Bob worked with kids at the nearby Seneca Indian nation, and they gave him his own native American name, "The Dobber", i.e., "one who leaves big tracks".

He was the number one pick of the Pistons in 1970, was named MVP in 1974, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Answer: Ty Cobb

Going back to the early days of baseball, we have Tyrus Raymond Cobb (1886-1961). Ty was born in rural Georgia and was given the sobriquet, "The Georgia Peach". He was an outfielder who played with the Detroit Tigers for 22 years, and went on to end his position with the Philadelphia Athletics. During his career, he set 90 MLB records and won over ten batting titles.

In 1936, the first year balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cobb received more votes than any other player.

Answer: Bobby Orr

On to hockey, where we have "Number Four", Bobby Orr. He was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman, often recognized as one of the greatest of all time. Wearing the uniform number four, Bobby played for the NHL (National Hockey League) from 1966 to 1978, with the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Black Hawks.

In 1979, at the age of 31, Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

Answer: Sandy Koufax

If you were a baseball fan in the 1950s and 1960s, you would be familiar with the name of Sandy Koufax. He was a left-handed pitcher for the MLB Brooklyn Dodgers/Los Angels Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Before his pitching arm was crippled by an arthritic elbow and UCL injury at age 30, he was a six-time All-Star, MVP in 1963, and a three-time Cy Young Award winner. Sandy was the first to pitch four no-hitters and, in 1972, the youngest player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, hence, "The Left Arm of God".

Answer: James Harden

If you have ever watched professional basketball player James Harden, you can understand his nickname "The Beard". Harden is a 6' 5" point and shooting guard for the Houston Rockets. He began his NBA career in 2009 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2012 James was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year and, in 2018, he was named NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Answer: John McEnroe

If we're discussing the sport of tennis and the epithet "Superbrat" comes up, you might conjure up the image of retired professional tennis player and current sportscaster, John McEnroe. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was known as much for his on-court antics and confrontations as he was for his shot-making and volleying skills. Among his victories were seven Grand Slam singles titles, i.e., four at the U.S. Open and three at Wimbledon, and nine men's Grand Slam doubles titles.

Answer: Ted Williams

I couldn't leave out "The Splendid Splinter, the inimitable Ted Williams (1918-2002). A left fielder for the Boston Red Sox for his entire MLB career (from 1939 to 1960), he has also been called "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived". Despite a career interrupted by World War II and the Korean War, he was a 19 time All-Star and won the Triple Crown of baseball twice.

He ended his career with the remarkable record of a .344 batting average, 521 home runs and a .482 on-base percentage.

Answer: David Robinson

David Robinson is another athlete who spent his entire career with the same team. David is a former center with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. His playing years spanned from 1989 to 2003. Prior to his playing days, David was an officer in the United States Navy, hence the nickname "The Admiral". One of his amazing feats on the court was scoring 71 points in a single game on April 24, 1994.

He is a two time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, i.e., individually in 2009 and, in 2010, as a member of the 1992 Olympic team.

Answer: Bill Walton

Although Bill Walton's hair is now gray, during his playing days in the NBA, he was known as "Big Red-Head". In college, the southpaw led UCLA to two successive NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973. At 6ft 11in (211 cm), he then played center for the Portland Trailblazers from 1974 to 1978, and went on to play for the Clippers (from 1979 to 1985) and the Celtics (from 1985 to 1987).

He won two NBA championships and was voted Most Valuable Player in 1977.

Answer: Barry Bonds

How many sobriquets are actually punctuation marks? Barry Bonds, one of professional baseball's greatest hitters, is known as "The Asterisk". Bonds was a left fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants. During his 22 seasons, his awards included MVP (seven times), Gold Glove (eight times) and Silver Slugger (twelve times).

He had a record 762 home runs and 73 home runs in a single season (2001), BUT he was part of the steroid scandal of the time, which left his achievements questionable, i.e., with an asterisk next to his name.

Answer: Bill Russell

Back in the 1960s, when the Boston Celtics ruled professional basketball, Bill Russell was one of the main reasons for their dominance. 6'10" Russell was the team's center and played from 1956 to 1969. His defensive skills, "The Secretary of Defense", actually altered the way the game was played.

At the end of Bill's career, his total eleven NBA championships gave him an astounding record. He is still regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.