Sports 101: Breakfast of Champions Quiz

Answer: Dale Earnhardt

Son of NASCAR driver Ralph Earnhardt, Dale followed in his father's treads. Dale's two sons, Dale Jr. and Kerry, also joined the world of professional auto racing. Earnhardt, also known as the "Intimidator", had an impressive career. All told, he won a total of 76 Winston Cup races including his long sought Daytona 500 win in 1998.

Tragically, Earnhardt was killed when he crashed in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. He was protecting his son Dale Jr.'s and teammate Michael Waltrip's lead when he was clipped and sent headlong into the outside wall. Waltrip crossed the finish line just moments later, with Dale Jr. finishing second.

Answer: Jackie Robinson

When Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he broke the color barrier, becoming the first black athlete in the 20th century to play in the major leagues. Despite his prowess and winning the National League Rookie of the Year award his first season, Robinson faced horrifying racism. Spectators, opposing team members, and even some of his own teammates barraged Robinson with everything from slurs to death threats.

The pervasive racial tensions almost caused a mutiny amongst the Dodgers, and a national walkout amongst other teams. Dodger Manager Leo Durocher made it clear to his team that he'd be happy to trade any one of them other than Robinson. The Baseball Commissioner and National League President quickly quelled talk of a national strike when they announced any striking player would be suspended.

One of the most iconic moments in sports history was during a game when fans were shouting racial slurs at Robinson. Teammate Pee Wee Reese left his position and crossed the field to put his arm around Robinson. A statue commemorating that moment was unveiled in New York in 2005. Robinson's quiet dignity and courage in the face of such abuse helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement, of which he became a very vocal proponent.

Answer: Lou Gehrig

Born into poverty, with an alcoholic father, and the only one of four siblings to survive infancy; Lou Gehrig had the odds stacked against him. What he did have going for him was a strong, loving, and determined mother. She worked multiple jobs to make sure Gehrig was not only educated, but also able to pursue his passions in sports. Gehrig spent 15 years with the New York Yankees, helping lead them to six World Series championships. In 1938 Gehrig's game began to slip and he started having physical problems. Diagnosed in 1939 with ALS, Gehrig retired from the team. His diagnosis shone a spotlight on the disease, which later became known as 'Lou Gehrig's Disease'.

On July 4, 1939, Gehrig returned to Yankee Stadium to be honored by his team. This was another iconic moment in sports history as Gehrig stepped up to the microphone and declared, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Less than two years later, on June 2, 1941, Gehrig passed away in his sleep.

Answer: Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner

Originally interested in football, an injury crushed that dream, but Jenner took a coach's advice and went into track and field instead. At the 1976 Olympics, Jenner won the gold and set a new world record for the decathlon. Another iconic, and since repeated, moment was born when a fan handed Jenner an American flag, and Jenner took a victory lap while waving the flag.

Jenner turned a succesful athletic career into a successful celebrity career. From the late 70s to the early 2000s, Jenner was a motivational speaker, made tv guest appearances, and did product endorsements. In 2015, following many rumors, Diane Sawyer had an exclusive interview with Jenner at which time Jenner stated that she identified as a woman. It was just two months later that she introduced herself to the world on Twitter as Caitlyn Jenner. 2007 saw the premier of E! reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians", featuring Jenner, former wife Kris, and their children and stepchildren.

Answer: Julius Erving

Erving, known as Dr. J, began his career in 1971 with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The following year Erving signed on with NBA team the Atlanta Hawks, but the Squires took legal action barring Erving from playing in the NBA. Sent back to the ABA, Erving spent one more season with the Squires, then joined the New York Nets. Dr. J led the Nets to titles in 1974 and 1976.

The ABA folded into the NBA in 1976, and Erving was sold to the Philadelphia 76ers. From then until his retirement in 1987, Erving left a permanent and indelible mark on the world of professional basketball. His grace, power, and unique approach set the style for the decades that followed.

Answer: Andre Agassi

Son of a former Olympic boxer, Agassi's father started Agassi in tennis early, and became his first coach. In his mid-teens, Agassi dropped out of school to focus on his tennis game. In 1986, when he was just 16, Agassi turned professional. It was 1992 when he won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon. There followed years of victories and dominating the field of professional tennis.

Agassi's personal life was public domain. Romantically linked with Barbra Streisand, he wound up marrying actress Brooke Shields, a marriage that lasted two years. In 2001 Agassi married fellow tennis great and current wife Steffi Graf.

Agassi retired in 2006 and turned his attention to his charities amongst which are the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, founded in 1994. In 2011, Agassi was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Answer: Lance Armstrong

Athletic from a young age, Armstrong was swimming, cycling, and running by age 10. At 16 he began his professional career as a triathlete, but soon changed his focus to cycling. 1993 saw Armstrong's first significant wins when he took first in the Thrift Drug Classic, the Kmart West Virginia Classic, the CoreStates Race, and the World Road Race Championship in Oslo, Norway. That same year, he wound up withdrawing from the Tour de France even though he had a strong start. Armstrong continued racking up victories until October 1996, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his abdomen, lungs, and lymph nodes, then his brain. His odds of survival, let alone racing again, were dismal. Surgery and aggressive treatment saw Armstrong cancer-free just months later, in February 1997.

It was after his cancer recovery that Armstrong's domination of the Tour de France began. Landing his first win in 1999, he went on to claim 6 more Tour de France victories. Armstrong's fall from grace was years in the making. It began in 2001 with the suspicions of Irish sportswriter, David Walsh. Walsh first wrote a story claiming not only Armstrong was using performance enhancers, but that the sport was rife with such abuses. Walsh followed up in 2004 with the book "L.A. Confidential".

Things really heated up for Armstrong in 2010, when a former teammate of his admitted to doping and then accused Armstrong of the same. A federal investigation began, and more former teammates came forward. Throughout it all, Armstrong flatly denied all accusations and walked away from the fight in 2012, claiming it was too much strain on his family. Ultimately Armstrong was stripped of his titles, medals, and was banned from cycling for life. In 2013, Armstrong appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and confessed that he had been using performance enhancers.

Answer: Joe Greene

Born Charles Edward Greene in 1946, 'Mean' Joe Greene spent his entire pro football career (1969-1981) with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Greene wasn't happy to have been drafted by the losing team, but wound up being a big part of turning the team back into champions. The Steelers took home four Superbowl championships during Greene's tenure as a player. Greene's lengthy list of accomplishments also includes NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1969), twice named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1972 & 1974), and NFL Man of the Year (1979).

Even Greene's memorable Coca-Cola commercial won an award, the Clio. The ad also helped soften Greene's 'Mean' image. After retiring, Greene became an assistant coach, adding two more Superbowl rings to his collection, for a total of six. He also wrote an autobiography, "Mean Joe Greene: Built by Football".

Answer: Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Widely regarded as one of the best female athletes in history, Joyner-Kersee was already a well rounded athlete by her teens. Basketball, volleyball, and track and field were her passions. She also began breaking records while still in high school with a 6.68 meter long jump. At 19 she decided to focus solely on track and field and began training for the Olympic heptathlon. Joyner-Kersee competed in the 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympics, taking home a total of three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

Officially retiring in 2001 for health reasons, she turned her focus to philanthropy. She is founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation, which encourages kids in her hometown to play sports. In an effort to spur more athletes to make a difference, Joyner-Kersee also helped establish Athletes for Hope.

Answer: Esther Williams

"America's Mermaid" Esther Williams first took up swimming after the tragic death of her 16 year old brother. Having won a number of swimming competitions in 1939, she planned on competing in the 1940 Olympics. Unfortunately the 1940 games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II.

Williams eventually landed an acting career thanks to a contract with MGM studios. Her most popular films were made in the 1940s and 50s, and she popularized synchronized swimming with her grace and skill in her films. Officially retiring from acting in the 1960s, Williams turned her attention to business. She created her own line of bathing suits, and also put her name on a line of swimming pools.