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USA Quiz: Sportsman of the Year | 10 Questions

Sports Illustrated has picked a Sportsman of the Year since its start in 1954. Test your knowledge of the famous and the obscure athletes who have been honored.

A multiple-choice quiz by d2407. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
d2407

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
167,852

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
412

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who was Sports Illustrated's first Sportsman of the Year in 1954? Hint

Roger Bannister

Sam Snead

Willie Mays

Eddie Mathews

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who was the first football player, college or pro, to be named Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Johnny Unitas

Ernie Davis

Paul Hornung

Terry Baker

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who was the first woman Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Peggy Fleming

Wilma Rudolph

Chris Evert

Billie Jean King

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Question 4 of 10

4. Who was the first two-time Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Jack Nicklaus

Al Oerter

Tiger Woods

Nolan Ryan

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Question 5 of 10

5. Who was the first non-human Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Secretariat

Bruce (the mechanical shark from "Jaws")

Steroids

The Dallas Cowboys' scouting computer

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who was the first cyclist picked as Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Lance Armstrong

Evel Knievel

Eric Heiden

Greg LeMond

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Question 7 of 10

7. 1987 set a record for honoring how many individuals (not associated with a team) as the Sportsman of the Year? Hint

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Question 8 of 10

8. Who was the first NFL player to win Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Roger Staubach

Johnny Unitas

Terry Bradshaw

Gale Sayers

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Question 9 of 10

9. What was the sport of 1994 winner Johan Olav Koss? Hint

Speed skating

Luge

Hockey

Track

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who on this list has not been selected as a Sportsman of the Year? Hint

Bo Jackson

Bobby Orr

Jim Ryun

Mary Lou Retton

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who was Sports Illustrated's first Sportsman of the Year in 1954?

Answer: Roger Bannister

The first Sportsman of the Year, in 1954, was Roger Bannister, who on May 6 of that year ran a mile in 3:59.6, the first human runner ever timed under four minutes at that distance. Bannister proved to be a figure for the ages, becoming a renowned research neurologist in Great Britain, and later knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1975. Eddie Mathews holds an even more singular honor than Bannister: he graced the cover of SI's first issue, August 16, 1954.

2. Who was the first football player, college or pro, to be named Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Terry Baker

Terry Baker, quarterback for Oregon, and the first Heisman trophy winner to also play in an NCAA basketball tournament, was Sportsman of the Year in 1962. He went on to be a backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams for three seasons before leaving football for law school in 1965.

In 1963, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle became the first figure from pro football to be named Sportsman of the Year.

3. Who was the first woman Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Billie Jean King

In 1972, groundbreaking tennis star Billie Jean King and UCLA basketball coach John Wooden were co-Sportsmen of the Year. Of the other women on the list, only Chris Evert, in 1976, was also a Sportsman of the Year.

4. Who was the first two-time Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Tiger Woods

Golfer Tiger Woods won in 1996 and 2000.

5. Who was the first non-human Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Secretariat

Secretariat was a somewhat-controversial winner in 1973. Although he won the first Triple Crown in 25 years with record-breaking times in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, and an unofficial record in the Preakness, and won the Belmont by 31 lengths, 1973 was the year the OJ Simpson became football's first 2000-yard rusher.

6. Who was the first cyclist picked as Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Greg LeMond

Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, was Sportsman of the Year in 1989. Lance Armstrong won the award in 2002 after his fourth consecutive win, and beating cancer.

7. 1987 set a record for honoring how many individuals (not associated with a team) as the Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: 8

In 1987, "eight athletes who care" (hockey's Bob Bourne, track's Kip Keino and Judy Brown King, baseball's Dale Murphy, football's Chip Rives and Reggie Williams, golf's Patty Sheehan, and basketball's Rory Sparrow) were selected as Sportsman of the Year.

Other years have had more than eight people selected, but they were all teams: the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, the 1999 US women's world cup team, and the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

8. Who was the first NFL player to win Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Terry Bradshaw

Incredibly, not until 1979, the 26th year of the award, did an NFL player win.

9. What was the sport of 1994 winner Johan Olav Koss?

Answer: Speed skating

Koss was a speed skater, as was his co-winner in 1994, Bonnie Blair. Koss was the "king of the Lillehammer winter games", winning three Gold Medals.

10. Who on this list has not been selected as a Sportsman of the Year?

Answer: Bo Jackson

Runner Jim Ryun was the 1966 pick. Bobby Orr was selected in 1970 after leading his Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup. Mary Lou Retton and Edwin Moses were co-winners in 1984.

Source: Author d2407

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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