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Wit and Wisdom: John McKay Trivia Quiz

Baseball had the early NY Mets, and the Mets had Casey Stengel. Football had the early Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Bucs had John McKay. Although this isn't an easy quiz, you should be holding your sides from laughing when you're done!

A multiple-choice quiz by d2407. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
d2407

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
202,570

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Very Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
541

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What did McKay say was his biggest reason for taking the job coaching the Buccaneers? Hint

He heard that he'd get a free eye patch if he coached the Buccaneers

Anything had to be better than coaching four national collegiate champions and two Heisman Trophy winners

The cigars

Doesn't everyone want to spend at least part of their career in Tampa?

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Question 2 of 10

2. What praise did McKay have for his defense after Joe Namath and the New York Jets beat the Buccaneers, 34-0? Hint

They were gentlemanly

The score could just as easily have been 54-0

They allowed him to see NFL quarterbacking at its finest

They were the second-best defense on the field that day

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Question 3 of 10

3. How was his mind otherwise occupied during a 42-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1976? Hint

I was hoping my wife would pick me up on the sideline and make me help her with the grocery shopping

There were times I felt like leaving the stadium and hitch-hiking home

Wondering how much worse it could get kept me awake for the second half

I started counting empty seats, but got tired and had to stop at 44,000

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Question 4 of 10

4. After the 1976 Buccaneer team finished 0-14, McKay promised that they'd be back, but what was the caveat he added? Hint

Maybe not this century

That's how we spent this season, right, going back?

We might come back as hairdressers, but we'll be back

Whether you like it or not

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Question 5 of 10

5. How did he assess the team's offense after a 31-0 loss to the Rams in 1977? Hint

We couldn't score against a strong wind

They've been saving themselves for the past 22 games

Our offense is offensive

I think I saw one or two first downs in there somewhere

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Question 6 of 10

6. When the Buccaneers lost 17-0 to the Atlanta Falcons to go to 0-11 in 1977, what miscalculation did McKay admit to? Hint

Expecting his linemen to block

He thought that they'd spot the team a few touchdowns

Hoping that the officials would let him use 12 men on the field

Counting on the players being able to hold on to the football

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Question 7 of 10

7. After a 10-0 loss to Chicago in 1977, the team's 26th in a row (11 of them by shutout), what did McKay speculate might be needed to improve the team's offense? Hint

Placing tackling dummies just behind their offensive lineman to slow the defense up

Hiring bears from the zoo to block the defense

Playing quarterback himself and instituting an offense from the 1920s

Building a cage around the Buc's quarterback

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Question 8 of 10

8. When the Buccaneers won their first NFL game, then followed it up with another win, how did McKay say he'd celebrate? Hint

Die happy

Take a shower and tell himself what a great coach he was

Expect to win 24 more games to even up the team's record

Watch the game film for 24 hours straight

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Question 9 of 10

9. Four years after breaking into the NFL, the Buccaneers made their first appearance on Monday Night Football in 1980, losing 23-0 to Chicago. What was McKay's assessment of the game? Hint

I'm sure we'll be on twice in 1981

We set Monday Night fooball back 2,000 years

It was Monday Night Football, but we looked like Saturday morning cartoons

(ABC producer) Roone Arledge must be kicking himself for waiting so long to schedule us

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Question 10 of 10

10. McKay thought that his 1983 quarterback was "a nice kid". What else did he have to say on that topic? Hint

But so's my wife, and she's no quarterback

When Leo Durocher said nice guys finish last, I'd hate to think what he said about nice kids

Of course I'd trade him tomorrow for a nice passer

If only we didn't play so many mean teams

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What did McKay say was his biggest reason for taking the job coaching the Buccaneers?

Answer: The cigars

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, McKay won four national titles at USC, and coached Heisman winners Mike Garrett and OJ Simpson, plus Heisman contenders Anthony Davis and Ricky Bell. But the allure of the NFL, plus his lifelong love of cigars, drew him to Tampa Bay in 1976. "The big reason I took the job was to get the cigars", he said upon joining the team.

2. What praise did McKay have for his defense after Joe Namath and the New York Jets beat the Buccaneers, 34-0?

Answer: They were gentlemanly

"Namath is still Namath, but I must say that our guys were nice to him. I noticed when they knocked him down, they helped him to his feet. That was gentlemanly. I thought one stood around long enough to get his autograph." The loss to the Jets was the team's fourth shutout of their opening season, bringing their record to 0-10.

3. How was his mind otherwise occupied during a 42-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1976?

Answer: There were times I felt like leaving the stadium and hitch-hiking home

The 1976 Bucs' fifth shutout loss of the season dropped them to 0-13.

4. After the 1976 Buccaneer team finished 0-14, McKay promised that they'd be back, but what was the caveat he added?

Answer: Maybe not this century

"I'll probably take a little time off and go hide somewhere. We will be back. Maybe not this century, but we will be back and we will be a better football team." These were McKay's comments to the press after his team became the first NFL team in history to complete an 0-14 season.

5. How did he assess the team's offense after a 31-0 loss to the Rams in 1977?

Answer: We couldn't score against a strong wind

It was the team's 22nd consecutive loss, and the third time they'd been shutout in the 1977 season.

6. When the Buccaneers lost 17-0 to the Atlanta Falcons to go to 0-11 in 1977, what miscalculation did McKay admit to?

Answer: Expecting his linemen to block

"I was betting some of our 6-6, 250 pound linemen would block somebody", said McKay after the game. "That's what they get paid to do."

7. After a 10-0 loss to Chicago in 1977, the team's 26th in a row (11 of them by shutout), what did McKay speculate might be needed to improve the team's offense?

Answer: Playing quarterback himself and instituting an offense from the 1920s

"I may quarterback the team myself or go to the damn single wing", a justifiably frustrated McKay said after his 26th consecutive NFL loss.

8. When the Buccaneers won their first NFL game, then followed it up with another win, how did McKay say he'd celebrate?

Answer: Take a shower and tell himself what a great coach he was

"I'm going to go home, take a shower and tell myself what a great coach I am. 15 more and we'll tie the record for most consecutive wins", said McKay after ending the 1977 season with two straight wins.

9. Four years after breaking into the NFL, the Buccaneers made their first appearance on Monday Night Football in 1980, losing 23-0 to Chicago. What was McKay's assessment of the game?

Answer: We set Monday Night fooball back 2,000 years

McKay could have done a lot for Monday night broadcasts, had he joined ABC's broadcasting crew. In 1982, two seasons later, the winless Buccaneers made their second appearance on Monday Night Football, upsetting the previously undefeated and Super Bowl bound Miami Dolphins, 23-17.

The win gave the Bucs a spark in their season, and they went on to the playoffs, before losing in Buc-like fashion in the first round to the Dallas Cowboys, 38-0.

10. McKay thought that his 1983 quarterback was "a nice kid". What else did he have to say on that topic?

Answer: But so's my wife, and she's no quarterback

John was referring to Jerry Golsteyn, who threw for 535 yards in the entire season with no touchdowns and two interceptions. McKay's legacy of funny quotes is one of the richest treasures of NFL history.

Source: Author d2407

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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