They Broke the Record (it wasn't vinyl)... Quiz

Answer: Cy Young

By the way, his 511th win was a 1-0 shut-out. I guess that's why the award for the best pitchers in Major League baseball (in both the American and the National Leagues) is called the 'Cy Young Award'. The award was first introduced by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick to honor Denton True "Cy" Young (1867-1955). Young's career spanned 21 years and 5 different teams.

He produced his 511th win with the Boston Rustlers; that is 94 wins ahead of #2, Walter Johnson. Among his other records achieved at the time: most innings pitched (7,356), most games started (815) and most complete games (749).

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

Answer: Jackie Joyner-Kersee

At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, Jackie Joyner-Kersee set a world record of 7,291 points in the contest of seven different events called the heptathlon. She won a total of 6 Olympic medals in 4 different Olympics: three gold in the heptathlon and the long jump (in 1988), and the heptathlon in Barcelona in 1992; one silver in the heptathlon in Los Angeles in 1984; two bronze medals in the long jump in both Barcelona (1992) and in Atlanta in 1996. What I find most amazing is that she accomplished all of this with severe asthma and a (ham)string of injuries, yet in 2000, 'Sports Illustrated' named her the greatest female athlete of the 20th Century!

Answer: Martina Navratilova

Czech please...yes, that is the extraordinary tennis player, Martina Navratilova born in 1956. Navratilova is the first player in history to have achieved the rank of #1 in both singles and doubles for over 200 weeks, and she is one of three women (including Margaret Court and Doris Hart) to have won the Grand Slam "boxed set", i.e., Grand Slam in singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

She was in the world's top 10 in singles for a record 20 consecutive years (1975-1994) and at the U.S. Open in June 2006 (yes, 2006), she won the mixed doubles crown just a few months shy of her 50th birthday (32 years after her first Grand Slam title!).

Answer: Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard

No, it wasn't "The Great Gretzky" or Lemieux or Hull, Orr or even Maurice Richard, but his younger brother Henri who achieved this amazing feat. Joseph 'Henri' Richard played center for the Montreal Canadiens professional hockey team in the NHL from 1955-1975. Maurice had been a star right-wing with the Canadiens since 1942, and the players all thought it was a joke when "little" Henri showed up at their training camp, but Henri proved them wrong.

He was one of hockey's most "relentless forecheckers" and, although not as famous as Maurice, he was said to be a more complete player.

Answer: Jerry Rice

Arguably, the best wide receiver of all time in the National Football League, Jerry Rice ("Mr. Reliable") had the highest 'catch to drop' ratio. Among the records set in his 20 year NFL career included most of the significant career receiving records, i.e., receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), touchdowns (197) and most 1,000 yard receiving seasons (14). Rice was selected to play in the Pro Bowl 13 times, he won three Super Bowls while with the San Francisco 49ers and, by 2006, he held over 100 NFL records, a record in itself! He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 (his first year of eligibility) and his #80 was retired.

Answer: AC Milan

Did you guess right? Considering that, in the Premier League division and its forebears; Manchester United held a record of 20 league titles; Arsenal was the team with the most F.A. cups at 12; and Chelsea had the longest unbeaten home wins of 86 (2004-2008).

It was surprising to learn that it was Associazione Calcio Milan who achieved the record of 58 matches without a loss in the league. Over 20 years later, the "Invincibles" of 1991-1993 still held that record which was to end on March 21, 1993, when Parmo brought the historic streak to a halt with a 1-0 win.

Answer: Chicago Bulls

It was Phil Jackson's 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team which set the standard with a 72-10 record. In fact, the only teams that even came close are the 1996-1997 team with 69-13 and the 1991-1992 team with a record of 67-15, but both of those teams happen to also be the Chicago Bulls. Beginning in 1990 and ending in 1998, this team won 6 NBA Championships with, not surprisingly, the same MVP all six times, i.e., Michael Jordan.

Their dynasty was not usurped until the next century when the Los Angeles Lakers won a three-peat. Speaking of records, it was Phil Jackson who coached both the Bulls and the Lakers to a remarkable 11 NBA championships.

Answer: Byron Nelson

Ahhh, golf, which according to Mark Twain was "a good walk spoiled". I have given you choices among the finest golf has had to offer, but the correct answer is not Woods or Hogan or Snead or Palmer or Sarazen or Jones, but John 'Byron' Nelson. Byron Nelson (1912-2006) was a professional golfer beginning in 1935. I found it interesting that he, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were born within seven months of each other in 1912...a very good year for the future of the sport. Nelson won his 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945, with a total of 18 for the year.

He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and, in 2006, was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Answer: Lance Armstrong

Although they took away his medals in 2012, that still does not change the fact that he performed a feat of extreme athleticism by winning seven consecutive Tours de France from 1999 to 2005. His legacy has been tarnished and his Livestrong Foundation and its goals at risk, but when you stop and think he was diagnosed with potentially fatal testicular cancer in 1996 and was able to overcome the disease and continue to compete, it is difficult, in my opinion, to discount his achievement.

Answer: Rocky Marciano

Rocco Francis Marchegiano (1923-1969) was the undefeated World Heavyweight Champion from September 23, 1952 until April 27, 1956; a career without a tie or a loss. Rocky defended his title 6 times against Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore - and not a wimp among them. Of his 49 victories, 43 of them were by knockout, giving him a knockout percentage of 87.75, one of the highest in heavyweight history.

He was known for having one of the best chins in boxing history, being knocked down only twice in his entire career.

His legacy lives on in the "Rocky" movie series as the inspiration for Stallone's Rocky Balboa.