My favorite sports trivia question of all time

[Fight_n_back]

Only one person has ever been on a World Seeries team and coached an NFL team to a world championship.

Who is it?

Clues in about 20 minutes...

[BrotherBuzz]

1. Wow! Not a clue...

without doing a google.

[Bozita]

2. George Halas

[Fight_n_back]

3. First clue

the World Series Year was 1919.

[caledesi]

4. Earl Neale? nt

[Fight_n_back]

5. YES!!!

Greasy Neale, Catcher for the World Champion Reds and coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1949.

Those Eagles were good, Steve van Buren and Pete Pihos plus that monster defense.

:yourock:

[caledesi]

6. I have to admit this - I woke up my sports-trivia husband and asked

him this. His first reponse was Hales. I said no. He then said "Earle." Woo Hoo! Hooray for my husband who taught me all about politics.

[Fight_n_back]

7. Big props to him

I only know it by accident because I was researching the 1950 NFL season and the 1919 Series at the same time. Its hard to believe someone would just have that in their schema.

[caledesi]

8. Yang...you don't know my husband. He's a virtual encyclopedia

in terms of sports trivia and he proved it tonight.

You can ask him the most esoteric sports question and he usually knows the answer. (even when awakened). LOL!

[Fight_n_back]

9. I would love to meet him

it would be a lot of fun.

There have been three universities that have had three different QBs in the Super Bowl.

[caledesi]

10. Notre Dame, U of Alabama, UCLA

[Fight_n_back]

12. No

Notre Dame:
Joe Thiesman
Darylle Lamonica
Joe Montana

Alabama:
Bart Starr
Joe Namath
Ken Stabler

Cal:
Joe Kapp
Craig Morton
Vince Ferragamo

fucking Cal can you believe it?

[VermontDem2004]

13. Yes I can

Lots of great QBs came from Cal, look at Kyle Boller for Baltimore, he could be the 4th.

[Fight_n_back]

15. Lots of great QB come from CAl

except not the three that made it to the Super Bowl.

Its why nobody answers the question correctly.

[VermontDem2004]

17. Craig Morton wasn't bad

He had amazing seasons as well as bad seasons.

[Fight_n_back]

18. Craig Morton

was the worst QB in Super Bowl history until Rich Gannon. He was a good passer that couldn't move and was a mediocre decision maker. If Denver had any kind of QB at all they would have beaten that Cowboy team.

[VermontDem2004]

20. I know what kind of QB he is

But like I said he had great seasons as well as god awful seasons.

[Fight_n_back]

21. I challenge anyone

to show me evidence of a "great" Craig Morton season. He lost his job to Joe Pisarcik...and then he lost it to Norris Weese.

[VermontDem2004]

22. I can think of one right off the bat

1981 or 82 I can't remember, he threw for 21 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and completed around 60 percent of his passes as well as throwing for over 3,000 yards. I can probaly look it up and find about 2 or 3 more seasons. He had a few great seasons as well as god awful seasons.

[Fight_n_back]

23. He wasn't in the top ten

in any of those categories. Its all context. He was Kerry Collins with a smile.

[VermontDem2004]

11. College Football question

Who has the freshman record for best pass completion percentage?

[Fight_n_back]

14. Anything that can be googled

is not a good question

Grady Benton ASU. 62.2%

[VermontDem2004]

16. Correct

But you didn't know it off hand though.

[Fight_n_back]

19. Okay

who was the first player to rush for a thousand yards in the NFL? And why is it thought that is doesn't really count? If that player doesn't count then who would be the first "real" thousand yard rusher in the NFL?

What was the first team in NFL history to use a multiple set offense?

What college did Sid Luckman go to?

Who was the quarterback of the 1950 Pittsburg Steelers? (its a trick question, they didn't have one)

Who played the "other" end at Alabama when Don Hutson was there?

What was Paul Brown's most lasting innovation on coaching?

What did Vince Lambardi lie about on his resume?

We could do this all day but what is the point?

[Awsi Dooger]

24. This is my stumper sports trivia question:

It is easily googled or answered via almanac, but in 15+ years I have never had anyone -- even the most avid sports fans -- answer it correctly minus reference help. People will guess 20 names and never threaten the answer, always frustrated because it seems like a basic question.

* John McEnroe played 5 straight Wimbledon finals from 1980 to 1984. He split two matches each with Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. But who did McEnroe face in his other Wimbledon final, in 1983?

Try it initially without looking it up.

[Fight_n_back]

25. Arthur Ashe?

or some Russin guy.

[Fight_n_back]

26. DAMN

I just looked up the answer...how the hell did that happen?

[Awsi Dooger]

27. Yep, the ultimate "who the hell is that?"

When I finally provide the answer it's always followed by blank stares, then the inevitable "I never heard of him."

That was still the heyday of tennis, early in the Breakfast at Wimbledon period, so I get flooded with logical guesses like Ivan Lendl or Roscoe Tanner or Vitas Gerulaitas. Plus Ilie Nastase or Arthur Ashe, who had already retired, or sometimes Boris Becker, who didn't arrive until '85.

I think the guy was from New Zealand and survived a 5-set marathon to reach the final. I remember the match vs. McEnroe. The guy actually held serve to open the match, then got swamped in 3 sets while winning only a handful of games.