The 1980s: Sports in America Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jesse Owens

Born in Alabama in 1913, Jesse was number seven of 11 children in his family. As a student of East Technical High School in Cleveland, Jesse tied the world record in the 100-yard dash, raising the eyebrows of the sports world. At the 1936 Games, Owens won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, the long jump, and as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team.

In 1976, President Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He died on March 31, 1980 of lung cancer. The year also saw golfing great Jack Nicklaus win another PGA Championship. Dale Earnhardt also won his first of seven Winston Cup championships in Nascar. Also in 1980, Larry Holmes defeated Muhammad Ali in Ali's last world title bout. Boxing fans also saw Roberto Duran in his 'No Mas Fight' with Sugar Ray Leonard.

Answer: Pleasant Colony

Summings, ridden by G. Martens put the hooves to Pleasant Colony at Belmont. Highland Blade finished second, and Pleasant Colony came in third. He could have been the first Triple Crown winner since Secretariat in 1973, but it wasn't to be.
In the same year, baseball fans witnessed the emergence of 'Fernando Mania', when Los Angeles Dodger rookie Fernando Valenzuela won the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award, and helped the Dodgers to a World Series win over the Yankees.

Answer: Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini

Mancini had won the WBA Lightweight Championship in March by defeating Arturo Frias. In Ray's first title defense, he met Duk Koo Kim in November at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Kim died just five days after the 14-round fight. Mancini went into depression after attending the funeral in South Korea, but not as much as Kim's mother who committed suicide four months later. Richard Green, who refereed the bout, also committed suicide the following July.

The fight was later called, "Tragedy In The Ring". Sports fans also saw Scott Hamilton win the 1982 World Figure Skating Championships. Fans also witnessed Gato Del Sol win the Kentucky Derby, and Gordon Johncock win the Indianapolis 500.

Answer: Australia II

The New York Yacht Club had a 132-year winning streak through 25 Cup challenges. The unbeaten streak came to an end when Australia II of the Royal Perth Yacht Club took the Cup.
In the world of tennis in 1983, the Australian Open was won by Mats Wilander, the French Open by Yannick Noah, Wimbledon by John McEnroe, and the US Open by Jimmy Connors. The boxing world also felt the loss of the great Jack Dempsey, who died on May 31.

Answer: Richard Petty

'King Richard' as he was known, won seven Nascar championships behind the wheel of the famous STP number 43. His son Kyle went on to carry the Petty name in auto racing, while Kyle's son Adam was killed in a race car.
The year also saw Swale win the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, two of the three Triple Crown legs of horse racing. The 1984 Summer Olympic Games found the United States win the most medals with 174, and the most gold medals with 83. In the 1984 Winter Olympics at Sarajevo, the USSR took home the most medals with 25.

Answer: Dennis Taylor

Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17 on the final ball of the final frame of the match. Davis won at the Crucible six times in the 1980s, only to be surpassed by Stephen Hendry who won seven in the 1990s.
Also in 1985, the San Francisco 49ers won their second Super Bowl over the Dolphins in January. The Chicago Bears, under the helm of head coach Mike Ditka and the arm of quarterback Jim McMahon, went 15-1 in the season and would win the following Super Bowl. The LPGA golf championship also went to Nancy Lopez in the year.

Answer: Mookie Wilson

It was the bottom of the 10th inning in game six with the Red Sox ahead 5-3. It wasn't just Buckner's error that did the Red Sox in. The share of blame had to go with manager who left pitcher Calvin Schiraldi in the game too long after he fell apart in the 10th, and for selection reliever Bob Stanley who threw a wild pitch to his first batter, allowing Kevin Mitchell to score.

The Mets won the game 6-5, then game seven to win the World Series. The Red Sox were one out away from the World Series crown. The year also saw Ferdinand win the Kentucky Derby, and the United States win the fifth World Lacrosse Championship held in Toronto.

Answer: Bet Twice

Bet Twice was the son of British Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky. At the Belmont Stakes, Bet Twice won by 14 lengths and was ridden by Craig Perret.
Also in 1987, the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL won the Stanley Cup over the Philadelphia Flyers. In drag racing, Dick LaHaie won the NHRA Top Fuel championship. The Associated Press presented two track and field stars the Male Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year awards. They were Ben Johnson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Answer: Steffi Graf

The Grand Slams of tennis consist of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. Graf won them all, becoming the third female in history to do it. On the men's side, Mats Wilander won three of the four, losing Wimbledon to Stefan Edberg.
Also in the year, on January 12, Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell was the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In the NCAA, Kansas won 83-79 over Oklahoma for the men's basketball championship. Also, in the cycling's Giro d'Italia, Andrew Hampsten of the United States was the victor.

Answer: Oakland Athletics

The series experienced the earthquake in game three, and the quake resulted in a 10-day series delay. The Athletics had already won game one and two, 5-0 and 5-1, respectively. When game three finally took place, the Athletics picked up where they left off, winning the remaining two games 13-7 and 9-6. Oakland's Dave Stewart was the series MVP.
Also in 1989, the Nascar Championship went to Rusty Wallace. The Pistons beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Also, Greg LeMond won the Tour de France and the World Cycling Championship.