Why Did They Draft Him? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Michael Jordan

The first pick in the 1984 draft actually went to the Houston Rockets who selected Hakeen Olajuwon; the Nigerian center would go on to lead them to two NBA titles. The Blazers then selected Bowie, whose career would be ruined by injuries. The Bulls picked Jordan with the next selection, and the rest is history.

Answer: Ryan Leaf

Manning transformed the Colts from an NFL doormat into a perennial contender, and led them to victory at Superbowl XLI. The Chargers no doubt had similair hopes with Leaf, but his career was over before it had hardly begun. A poor relationship with his teammates and allegations of a poor work ethic overshadowed his on-field performances during his debut season, which were well below expectations.

He missed the following season with injury, and never recovered his college form - he had retired from the game by 2002.

Answer: Ottawa Senators

Daigle was a center from the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL. The Senators were so desperate to sign him that they were accused of throwing games during the 1992-93 season to ensure they ended up bottom of the standings, and thus have the top pick in the draft. Unfortunately for Ottawa, Daigle failed to live up to his hype, scoring just 74 goals in five seasons before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Answer: New York Yankees

Taylor was a high school star in North Carolina with a 99 mph fastball. Things didn't work out for him in the pros however. An arm injury suffered in a fight curtailed his career, and he never made it out of the minor leagues. The Yankees cut him in 1998, and he retired after brief stints in the minors with affiliates of the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians.

Answer: Tony Mandarich

Mandarich was an offensive lineman with Michigan State when the Packers selected him with the second overall pick of the 1989 NFL draft. He refused to sign for his new team until a week before the regular season began, and his career was dogged by off-field attitude problems and sub-standard on-field performances. Among the players Green Bay passed up on to draft Mandarich were Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders (no relation).

Answer: Michael Olowokandi

Olowokandi was a British center of Nigerian descent. After a successful college career at the Univerity of the Pacific, the Clippers picked him first in the 1988 NBA draft. He averaged under nine points per game in 500 games with the Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics.

Answer: Brain Lawton

Lawton was drafted straight out of high school by the North Stars. He failed to score more than 44 points in any of his five season in Minnesota, and was traded to the New York Rangers in 1988.

Answer: Justin Verlander

Bush was a high school shortstop and pitcher in the San Diego area, which was perhaps why the Padres selected him. In an eight year career with the Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, he never played above Class AA level, his career being dogged by injuries and off-field misdemeanours.
Verlander was picked second in the draft by the Tigers and was selected to an All-Star game within three years (2007), and many more thereafter.

Answer: Oakland Raiders

Russell was MVP of the Sugar Bowl during his junior year at LSU and decided to forego his final year of NCAA eligibilty. The Raiders used the number one pick of the 2007 NFL draft on him, but he never lived up to expectations. He rarely featured during the 2007 season, but was named starting quarterback in 2008.

He threw for just 13 touchdowns in 15 games that year, and, in 2009, was benched after further poor performances. He was cut at the end of the season and failed to find another team.

Answer: Detroit Pistons

Milicic, from Serbia, only started two games in his three seasons in Detroit, averaging under two points per game. He was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2006, where his stats improved, but he declined a new contract with them in 2007 and moved on again, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies.