Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball recruiting class is considered by some to be the best class ever recruited together. Four of the five incoming freshmen were McDonald's All Americans and ranked in the top 10 high school players in the nation. Despite such a congregation of talent, this Wolverine class advanced to two NCAA Championship games but lost them both. They're still known by their press-created nickname: the "___ _____".
2. The University of Houston Cougars were a college basketball team that couldn't quite wrap up an NCAA championship in their three attempts. In 1982 the Cougars lost to North Carolina in the semi-final game, then lost the title games in '83 and '84 to North Carolina State and Georgetown. Nicknamed for their high flying, flamboyant style of play, Houston's basketball "fraternity" is still remembered as ___ ______ _____.
3. When this player finished the 1992 US Open, Jack Nicklaus left the broadcast booth to congratulate him on his apparent victory. Unfortunately, two players still on the course overcame high winds to finish ahead of him. He won 31 European Tour events and finished second in majors five times including the 1994 and 2006 US Opens. He's a World Golf Hall of Fame member but, alas, no major wins. Who is this 8-time Ryder Cup team member?
4. The list of professional tennis players who've never won a major event contains several surprisingly famous names. Which of these players has won at least one major and is not on that list of unfortunates?
5. This team was the first to play in the NFL's Super Bowl four years in a row. Unfortunately for them, they're also the first team to lose the Super Bowl four years in a row. What team holds this "good news/bad news" pair of records?
6. The 1954 Cleveland Indians broke the American League record for season wins, previously held by the mighty 1927 Yankees with 110 wins. But their 111 regular season wins didn't carry much weight as they were swept in the World Series. What National League team sent the Indians home as also-rans?
7. They were the first nation to play in three World Cup finals without winning. What nation is represented by three time runners up known as the Orange?
8. Notre Dame thought they were set to take the 1926 college football championship. At 8-0 the Irish had only two games remaining - a tough one with rival Southern Cal but first a snoozer against a small Pittsburgh engineering school whom they had trounced the last two seasons by a combined 111-19 score.
So confident was Irish head coach Knute Rockne that he headed to Chicago to watch the Army-Navy game (and make a few dollars writing a newspaper article) leaving his squad in the hands of assistant "Hunk" Anderson. Notre Dame played its second string in the first quarter, fell behind and never came back. They lost the game 19-0. What team called the Tartans, which now plays in Division III, upset Notre Dame on this memorable day?
9. To say that Aleksandr Karelin was a heavy favorite to win Gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics would be a huge understatement. "The Russian Bear" had won gold in every international event he entered since 1988 including three olympic games. He hadn't given up a point in a match in over six years. Karelin is considered the greatest ever at his sport.
Who was the Wyoming farm boy who defeated the best in the world in winning Olympic gold?
10. Even before the 1980 "Miracle On Ice", Olympic hockey gave us one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Since hockey became an Olympic sport in 1920 Canada had won every Gold Medal so their loss to Great Britain in 1936 stung badly. To make matters worse, how many members of the 13 man British team grew up in Canada?
Source: Author
wilbill
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
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