Tom Footballery Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson

"Go and ask Henderson if I was dumb today", said Bradshaw after Super Bowl XIII, in which his four touchdown passes and then-record 318 yards passing won him MVP honors. Henderson played in three Super Bowls in his NFL career, but alcohol and drug problems led to his leaving football after only seven seasons.

He eventually wrote a book, "Out of Control," about his life experiences, and got a good laugh on the rest of the world, Bradshaw included, in 2000, when he won the Texas lottery, for several times more money than he'd earned in his football career.

Answer: Tom Dempsey

This kind of stuff happens all the time, not! On November 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey, a kicker who was only 5/15 on field goal attempts up to that point in the season, and who had a stub of a right arm and only half a right (kicking) foot, joined his New Orleans Saints teammates, 1-5-1 at the time, against the 5-2 Detroit Lions, having one of their best seasons in years.

In typical fashion, the Saints found themselves trailing late in the game, but only by 17-16. With time running out the Saints moved across the chewed up field to give Dempsey a chance to kick a field goal from 63 yards out, seven yards longer than the existing NFL record.

Incredibly, he made the kick, winning the game and setting a record that was finally tied 28 years later.

The kick turned Dempsey's season and career around. He made 13 of his final 19 field goal attempts that year, and played in the NFL through 1979.

Answer: Tommy McDonald

McDonald, a 1998 inductee into the Hall of Fame, had 84 touchdowns and averaged 17 yards per reception during his 1957-68 NFL career.

Answer: Tom Fears

Fears set a record by catching 77 passes in 1949. In his second season he broke it with 84 receptions. 18 of those catches came in one game against the Packers, setting another record at the time. Fears retired after the 1956 season with 400 receptions for 5,397 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Answer: Tom Matte

Matte was a solid running back for the Colts from 1961-72, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage and touchdowns in 1969. Perhaps his two best remembered NFL moments were his performances in Super Bowl III, and in a 1965 divisional tiebreaker game against Green Bay.

In Super Bowl III, Matte gained 116 yards in 11 carries, including a 58-yard run to the New York Jets' 16. But, Earl Morrall was intercepted two plays later. He was even more heroic in a 1965 game between the Colts and Green Bay Packers, both of whom finished the season at 10-3-1. Pressed into service as a quarterback after both Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo were injured, Matte wore a plastic wristband with the Colts' plays written on it.

The Colts lost in overtime after the Packers tied the game on a disputed late field goal. Matte completed only five passes, adding 57 yards rushing.

Answer: Tom Landry

Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys for the first 29 years of the franchise's existence, leading them to five Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s, two of which they won. For 20 consecutive seasons, from 1966-85, the Cowboys had winning records, including winning 10 or more games in 16 of those years.

After being forced out as Cowboys coach in a 1989 ownership change, Landry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the following year.

Answer: Tommy Nobis

Frank Borman's Gemini 7 spacecraft orbited the earth. Proud Americans and curious scientists around the globe watched and listened, hanging on every word. And among his messages for those tuning in from Planet Earth? "Tell Nobis to sign with the Oilers". Ignoring this extraterrestrial guidance, Nobis, a vaunted linebacker out of University of Texas, signed with the brand new Atlanta Falcons, going on to be 1966 NFL Rookie of the Year.

In 10 of his 11 seasons with the Falcons, he led the team in tackles. Selected for five Pro Bowls, Nobis was in the austere company of Dick Butkus, Larry Morris, Ray Nitschke, and Dave Robinson as one of the linebackers on the NFL's all-1960s team.

Answer: Derrick Thomas

Linebacker Derrick Thomas made himself an immediate force with the 1989 Kansas City Chiefs racking up 10 sacks. During his 11 seasons with the Chiefs, he totaled 126.5 sacks, four touchdowns on fumble returns, and three safeties. His long list of community service achievements in the Kansas City area significantly out-stripped his football accomplishments, even his nine consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Driving to the Kansas City airport on January 23, 2000, to fly to the NFC championship game, Thomas lost control of his car on an icy road.

He was not wearing a seatbelt and sustained injuries that paralyzed him from the chest down. Two weeks later, he died of breathing-related complications from the paralysis. Derrick Thomas was 33 years old.

Answer: Tom Mack

Mack played all 184 games during his 13 seasons with the Rams, as they won their division eight times, played in four NFC championship games, and won 72% of their games.

Answer: Tom Brady

Tom Brady, despite an impressive college career at Michigan, was the 199th player selected in the 2000 NFL draft when the Patriots picked him in the sixth round. After a rookie year in which he completed one pass for six yards, he was pressed into service in 2001 when starter Drew Bledsoe was injured in the second game. Brady helped the team recover from an 0-2 start, leading them to an 11-5 record, including winning their final six in a row. For an encore, he led the team to a Super Bowl win over the St. Louis Rams, who had been heavy favorites going into the game.

He was just getting started. By his fifth season, he had collected three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVP trophies, virtually ensuring, in the minds of many, his eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.