One-hit Wonders of the 20th Century Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United won loads of league titles in England during the 20th century, but which club, managed by Alf Ramsey, won their only title in season 1961-62?

Answer: Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town, from the East Anglian county of Suffolk, had spent most of their league existence in Division Three (South), but the appointment of Alf Ramsey as manager in 1955 saw an upturn in their fortunes. They were promoted to the top flight for the very first time in 1961, and, incredibly, won the league in their first season amongst the "big boys". Ray Crawford bagged 33 goals as they finished three points ahead of Burnley.
None of the other three teams won the league during the 20th century.

2. The French title had a number of dominant clubs in the 20th century, such as Nantes, Saint Etienne and Marseille, but which club, managed by Gilbert Gress, won their only 20th century title in 1978-79?

Answer: RC Strasbourg

Racing Club Strasbourg had only two French Cups to their name when former player Gilbert Gress took over the reigns as manager in 1977. A third-place finish in 1977-78 was surpassed the following season, when the team from Alsace won their first-ever French title, finishing two points ahead of Nantes and Saint Etienne.
Nice, Bordeaux and Lille all won multiple titles in the 20th century.

3. Barcelona and Real Madrid, perhaps not surprisingly, won more than their fair share of Spanish titles during the 20th century, but which team, managed by Ramon Encinas, had a one-off success in 1945-46?

Answer: Sevilla

Although traditionally one of the bigger clubs in Spain, Sevilla have had most of their success in cup competitions, such has been the monopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid. In 1945-46, the team from Andalusia, with a forward line nicknamed "las stukas", won their only title of the century, finishing the season a single point ahead of Barcelona.
None of the other three teams ever won a title in the 20th century.

4. Celtic and Rangers monopolised Scottish football in the 20th century, but occasionally another club would manage to break the duopoly. Which team, managed by Bob Shankly, won their only title of the century in 1961-62?

Answer: Dundee

Bob Shankly, brother of legendary Livepool manager Bill, took over the reigns at Dens Park in 1959, and led Dundee to their only title of the century in 1962. Victory over St Johnstone at Muirton Park on the final day of the season saw them finish three points ahead of Rangers.
Motherwell won their only title of the century in 1932, Kilmarnock's sole success was in 1965, whilst Third Lanark had a one-off title win in 1904.

5. The top flight of Italian football in the 20th century saw the majority of titles won by Juventus, AC Milan or Inter Milan. Which team, managed by Manlio Scopigno, topped them all in 1969-70?

Answer: Cagliari

Calgliari, from the island of Sardinia, didn't reach Italy's top division, Serie A, until 1964. Six years later, with players such as Gigi Riva and Angelo Domenghini in their ranks, they were champions, finishing the season four points clear of Inter.
The other three teams never won a title in the 20th century.

6. Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and Porto won every Portuguese title bar one between them from 1935 until 2000. Which team, in 1945-46, were the only other team to get their hands on the silverware during this period?

Answer: Belenenses

Belenenses are very much the third team in Lisbon, always in the shadow of Benfica and Sporting. However, in 1946 they finished top of the tree, one point ahead of Benfica. Boavista, from Porto, would become the second team to break the big three's monopoly in 2000-01.

7. The "big three" in Dutch football, after World War II, were Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven. Which team, managed by a German called Georg Kessler, were the surprise champions of 1980-81?

Answer: AZ Alkmaar

AZ '67, as they were officially known at the time, had a brief golden era in the late 1970s/early 1980s, winning three Dutch Cups, reaching the final of the 1981 UEFA Cup, and winning the 1980-81 league title, when they only lost once, finishing 12 points clear of Ajax. They wouldn't win the league again until 2008-09.
Twente didn't win their first title until 2009-10, whilst Sparta and Willem II were multiple-title winners prior to the dominance of the "big three".

8. The Greek title was dominated in the 20th century by Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens. Which team, managed by a Pole, Jacek Gmoch, were the surprise champions of 1987-88?

Answer: Larissa

Larissa, apart from a second-place finish in 1982-83, had never finished in the top five of the Greek League prior to their surprise title win in 1988, when they finished three points ahead of AEK. Vassilis Karapialis was their star player who helped them to one-off glory.
Aris won the title three times in the 20th century, and PAOK twice; Panionios failed to win it at all.

9. The top flight of Austria was dominated for many years after World War Two by the big Vienna clubs, FK Austria and Rapid, as well as Wacker Innsbruck. Which team, managed by Helmut Senekowitsch, won their only title in 1973-74?

Answer: VOEST Linz

VOEST Linz had a fairly inauspicious history prior to being promoted to the top flight in 1969. They won the title by a single point from Innsbruck in 1974, and were runners-up the following season. After relegation in 1988, the club's fortunes plummeted dramatically and, following name changes to Stahl Linz and FC Linz, they folded in 1997. A phoenix club called Blau-Weiss Linz was formed soon after.
Admira, First Vienna and Weiner SC were all multiple winners of the title prior to 1960.

10. The top league in Belgium has been dominated, since World War Two, by Anderlecht, Standard Liege and Club Brugge. Which team, managed by Felix Week, pulled off a solitary title victory in 1974-75?

Answer: RWD Molenbeek

Racing White Daring Molenbeek, to give them their full title, were formed in Brussels in 1973 by the merger of various older clubs. They were immediately successful, winning the league in 1975 by nine points from Antwerp and Anderlecht, and reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1977. Their fortunes dwindled after that, and they were declared bankrupt in 2002.
Beerschot, Cercle and Union all won multiple titles prior to World War Two.

Source: Author Dizart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor 1nn1 before going online.
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Most European football leagues had certain teams which won the majority of the league titles during the 2oth century - this quiz is about clubs who bucked the trend and won their nation's title exactly once during that period.

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