Sports Mix Alphabetically - the L's Quiz

Answer: Sonny Liston

Liston had ended Floyd Patterson's six-year reign as heavyweight king in 1962. In 1964, in Miami Beach, Clay became the new champion when Liston failed to come out for the seventh round. A re-match between the pair in Maine in 1965, saw Clay KO Liston in the first round.

Answer: Rod Laver

The Grand Slam consists of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. In the 20th century, only two men (Don Budge and Rod Laver) and three women (Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, and Steffi Graf) won all four during the same calendar year.
Laver, nicknamed the Rockhampton Rocket, did so both as an amateur in 1962, and as a professional in 1968.

Answer: Lions

Columbia University based in New York City is one of the eight elite colleges which are members of the Ivy League. Columbia's (American) football team is one of the oldest in the nation, and won the prestigious Rose Bowl in 1934. The latter years of the 20th century saw the Lions' pigskin squad fall on hard times, losing 44 consecutive games between 1983 and 1988.
The school has produced a number of notable atheletes who have gone on to achieve success in the professional ranks, including New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig and Chicago Bears quarterback Sid Luckman.

Answer: Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi was head coach of the Green Bay Packers betwen 1959 and 1967. Under his leadership, the Pack won five NFL titles including the first two Super Bowls. Following his tragic death from cancer in 1970, the NFL decided to name the trophy awarded to the annual Super Bowl champions, the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Answer: Niki Lauda

Lauda, from Austria, made his Formula 1 debut with the March team in 1971. He won his first Grand Prix in Spain in 1974 whilst driving for Ferrari. In 1975, he won five races on the way to his first world championship. The following year he was badly hurt in a crash at the German Grand Prix which left him in a coma, but amazingly returned to action six weeks later, and almost retained his title.

He won his second title in 1977 before briefly retiring in the early 1980s. He made a comeback with Mclaren, and won his third world crown in 1984.

Answer: Bob Lemon

Lemon originally made his debut with the Indians in 1941 as a third baseman. He pitched his first game for the team in 1946, and two years later won two games in the World Series vs the Boston Braves. He retired from playing in 1958, but would embark on a new career as a manager, leading the New York Yankees to a World Series crown in 1978.

Answer: Liverpool

Shankly, from Scotland, took over at Liverpool in 1959 and transformed the club from one that was struggling in the second division to a team feared throughout Europe. He won three league titles, two FA Cups, and a UEFA Cup before retiring in 1974. His successor in the Anfield hot-seat was Paisley, a former player with the club. Paisley led the team through a period of unparalled domination, winning six titles, an FA Cup, three league cups, three European Cups, and a UEFA Cup.

He retired in 1983.

Answer: Bernhard Langer

Lehman won at Royal Lytham & St Anne's in 1996. The following year saw Leonard triumph at Royal Troon, and Scotsman Lawrie won on home soil at Carnoustie in 1999.
Langer, in a long and distinguished career, never managed to lift the famous claret jug, finishing second on a couple of occassions. However, he was amply compensated with a pair of Masters victories and 10 Ryder Cup appearances. He also captained the victorious European Ryder Cup team in 2004.

Answer: Guy Lafleur

Lafleur made his NHL debut with the Canadiens in 1971/72, and won his first Stanley Cup ring the following season. He would go on to win a further four by the end of the decade. Having retired in 1985, Lafleur made a comeback in 1988/89 with the New York Rangers, before ending his career for good with the Quebec Nordiques in 1991.

Answer: Larissa Latynina

Latynina, born in what is now Ukraine, in 1934 made her Olympic debut in Melbourne in 1956. She won gold medals in the vault, floor, team, and all-round competitions. Four years later in Rome, she won a further three golds in the team, floor, and all-round disciplines.

In 1968 in Tokyo, she took her overall tally of gold medals to nine with victories in the floor and team events. Five silver and four bronze medals took her overall total of Olympic medals to 18.