Who's Who? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chairman of the Boards

Moses Malone earned the nickname "Chairman of the Boards" because of his rebounding skills. He led the NBA in rebounds each season from 1980 to 1985. In the 78/79 season, he averaged 17.6 rebounds per game. Between when Malone retired and 2017, the only player to exceed that stat was Dennis Rodman. His height and stature also led to him being referred to as "Big Mo."

Answer: The Great One

Gretzky dominated the National Hockey League for 20 seasons, and has been flagged by many as the greatest hockey player ever. He retired as the leading scorer in NHL history and became the first player to total over 200 points in one season...a stat he achieved four times. When he retired in 1999, he held 61 NHL records.

Answer: Ice Princess

Evert made her grand slam debut at the 1971 US Open, making it to the semi-finals at just 16. She and Martina Navratilova dominated women's tennis in the 1980s. Evert was known for her calm, unflappable focus. In contrast, Navratilova was much more volatile, arguing with the judges and talking to the crowd. Evert grew up on the court, retiring in 1989. During that timeframe, her nickname went from "Ice Princess" to "Ice Maiden."

Answer: Prime Time

Deion Sanders was an amazing athlete, signing to play American football for the Atlanta Falcons and baseball for the New York Yankees. He played in both a Super Bowl and World Series and managed to score a touchdown and hit a home run in the same seven day period. He was a bigger star in football, with 53 career interceptions, 155 kickoff returns, 212 punt returns, and 22 touchdowns. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls, won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1994, and was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Sanders acquired his nickname in high school, after he scored 30 points in one basketball game. The name epitomized his style, which included flashy clothes and jewelry and a unique touchdown dance. He parlayed that image into appearances in ads and music videos, and earned a job as a sports commentator. He even hosted the 2002 Miss USA pageant.

Answer: Sweetness

Payton was a dominant running back in the sport of American football. During his 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears, he set records for rushing (3,838 times for 16,726 yards and 110 touchdowns). He started being called "Sweetness" in college, although there are varying stories about how he got associated with that name. By some accounts, the word refers to his sweet personality, his athletic grace, or (sarcastically) his aggressive playing style.

In the book "Walter and Me," Payton's brother Eddie quotes an unnamed reporter as saying "he runs so sweet that it gives me cavities just watching him."

Answer: Pele

Pele is one of the greatest soccer (football) players of all time. In the course of his career, he scored 1,283 goals. Brazilian President Jânio Quadros had Pelé declared a national treasure. In 1999 the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics) voted him the World's Best Player of the Century, and FIFA named him Co-Player of the Century (along with Argentine Diego Maradona).

In an interview with "The Guardian," Pele explained how he got his nickname. As a child, his favorite player was called Bilé. His friends started mocking him for mispronouncing the name. Pele hated the nickname and was once suspended for punching a classmate who used it.

Answer: Dr. J

Erving scored 30,026 points over his 16-year basketball career, which spanned both the ABA and NBA. He won three scoring titles, four Most Valuable Player awards, and two championships. His flashy style of play transformed the way the sport is played.

He earned his nickname in high school. He referred to one of his friends as "Professor," and the friend responded with the moniker "Doctor."

Answer: Mr. October

Reggie Jackson was a very good baseball player. He led the American League in home runs four times, hitting a total of 563 over his career. However, he also set a major league record by striking out 2,597 times and earning a lifetime regular-season batting average of .262.

He earned his nickname by coming alive during the playoffs, which happen in October. In five World Series games, Jackson hit 10 home runs and 24 RBIs while batting .357. In Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, he clinched the championship for the Yankees by hitting three home runs on three pitches, from three different pitchers.

Answer: Babe

Babe Didrikson was an all-around athlete, causing The Associated Press to name her "Woman Athlete of the Half Century" in 1950. She is supposed to have earned her nickname as a child when she hit five home runs in one baseball game...just like Babe Ruth.

After high school, she played basketball for the Golden Cyclones, one of the best girls' teams in the nation, and Didrikson was named an All-American forward twice. At the 1932 Olympics, she won medals in the hurdles, javelin throw and high jump (the only three events that allowed women), breaking four world records.

In the early 1930s, she took up golf. Four years later, she won the Texas State Women's Championship and went on to win 17 successive golf tournaments in 1946-1947 and 82 tournaments between 1933 and 1953.

She even pitched an inning for the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game with the Philadelphia Athletics

Answer: The Georgia Peach

Cobb was among the first group to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 and is considered by some to be the best player of all time. Although he played for Detroit, he was born in Georgia, a fact that earned him his nickname. His career spanned 24 seasons, and he batted over .300 for 23 of them.

In fact, three times he batted over .400 (reaching .420 in 1911). During his career, he set 90 major league records. For many sports fans, he's also known as the meanest man to play the sport, a hard-drinking racist who sharpened his spikes so he could wound other players when sliding into a base.

A recent biography ("Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty" by Charles Leerhsen) set the record straight on many of those myths, at least partially rehabilitating his image.