Sports History Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 161
What is one of the oldest sports in the world that has two main styles called freestyle and Greco-Roman?
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wrestling
Which Miami Dolphins coach retired on January 5, 1996, with a record 347 career wins?
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don shula
In 1951, A.B. 'Happy' Chandler ended his 6-year reign as the commissioner of which sport?
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baseball
Who was replaced by F. Griffith Joyner & T. McMillen as chairs of the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports in 1993?
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arnold schwarzenegger
Which team, coached by Vince Lombardi, won the first Super Bowl in 1967?
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green bay packers
Which game was invented by James Naismith in 1891 as an indoor alternative to other sports?
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basketball
What sport did James Naismith invent, for which he also wrote the first rule book?
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basketball
Who was the Nebraska coach that averaged over 10 victories per season for 25 years?
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tom osborne
Which former Celtics star returned to his home state in May 1997 to become the coach of the Indiana Pacers?
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larry bird
Who joined the crew of 'Monday Night Football' in 1971 after playing for the N.Y. Giants and is still there?
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frank gifford
In which sport was Helen Wills Moody the top-ranked women's player a record 9 times in the 1920s and 1930s?
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tennis
Who was the woman that won the Wimbledon singles 6 times between 1966 and 1975 and also defeated Bobby Riggs?
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billie jean king
In which sport did Walter Hagen make his mark during the Roaring '20s?
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golf
What sport did Dinah Shore begin playing after a tournament was named for her in 1972?
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golf
Which Canadian team won 3 of its 4 World Series games in its last-at-bat in 1992?
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toronto blue jays
On which British Atlantic island did Mary Outerbridge play tennis before introducing the game to the U.S.?
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bermuda
Who was the first gymnast to be elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985?
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mary lou retton
Which full-time baseball player began carrying a football for the Raiders in 1987?
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bo jackson
Which professional football team did former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer take over in 1994?
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dallas cowboys
What joint did Nike's basketball shoe introduced in 1989 focus on by allowing it to be inflated for better support?
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ankle
Who became the undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion in 1987 at age 21?
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mike tyson
Which 19th-century American, nicknamed 'Gentleman Jim', was a former bank teller who won the heavyweight boxing title from John L. Sullivan in 1892?
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jim corbett
In 1971, Roberto Clemente was World Series MVP when which team defeated Baltimore?
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pittsburgh pirates
Which American athlete won both the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm?
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jim thorpe
Which stadium hosted New York Yankees home games in the years 1975 and 1998?
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shea stadium
What is the Japanese wrestling form with recorded matches dating back to around 23 B.C.?
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sumo
Who is the former Chicago Bears coach that is in both the College & Pro Football Halls of Fame as a player?
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mike ditka
Who was the 20-year-old African-American golfer that won a record third consecutive U.S. Amateur title in 1996?
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tiger woods
Which basketball team is the subject of the history book named 'The Bird Era', covering the years 1978-88?
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boston celtics
What village is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, which marked its 50th anniversary in 1989, the same year baseball celebrated its 150th anniversary?
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cooperstown, new york
What team, formerly known as the Oilers, will call the new football stadium in Nashville their home starting in 1999?
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tennessee titans
Which former president mediated the Major League Baseball umpire labor dispute in 1985?
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richard nixon
Which country did Bjorn Borg and Stefan Edberg help reach the Davis Cup finals 7 times in the 1980s?
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sweden
Who led Indiana State University to the 1979 NCAA finals, where they lost to a team led by Magic Johnson?
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larry bird
Which event had a winning horse named 'Winning Colors' during Mother's Day weekend in 1988?
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kentucky derby
Which Yankee centerfielder set a career record with 18 World Series home runs, surpassing Babe Ruth by 3?
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mickey mantle
Which boxer, nicknamed 'Sweet', won the world middleweight title a record 5 times between 1951 and 1958?
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sugar ray robinson
In which sport did Henry Armstrong hold three world championships simultaneously?
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boxing
Which U.S. runner married British discus thrower Richard Slaney in 1985?
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mary decker
In which sport did Don Budge become the first player to achieve the Grand Slam in 1938?
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tennis
In 1991, a U.S. stamp was issued in Springfield, Mass. to commemorate the 100th anniversary of which sport?
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basketball
Who was the coach of the Chicago Bulls during their best single-season record in NBA history?
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phil jackson
Who turned professional in 1990 at the age of 13 and was trained by Chris Evert's father?
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jennifer capriati
Which team moved its home games to Shea Stadium from the Polo Grounds in 1964?
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new york mets
Who was the University of Kentucky quarterback selected as the first overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft?
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tim couch
Which team did Marques Haynes, a former dribbling wizard, represent when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998?
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harlem globetrotters
Which backyard game evolved from an older game called battledore and shuttlecock?
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badminton
Who was named head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in June 1999?
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phil jackson
Which sport saw Sri Lanka, a 66-1 underdog, defeat Australia in the World Cup in 1996?
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cricket
Which stadium, known for being the home of the Cubs, had its first game under new lights postponed due to rain on August 9, 1988?
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wrigley field
Which 'colorful' football star was paid $300,000 for his role in the 1926 movie 'One Minute to Play'?
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red grange
Which American athlete won the men's 1,000-meter speed skating event at the 1994 Olympics after finishing 8th in the 500-meter event?
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dan jansen
Which LPGA golfer, inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1987 at the age of 30, is now married to Ray Knight?
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nancy lopez
Who regained the heavyweight boxing crown for a record third time by beating Leon Spinks on September 15, 1978?
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muhammad ali
What iconic Chicago field, newly dedicated in 1926, hosted the Army-Navy Game where Army likely should have had the edge?
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soldier field
What apparatus, developed by George Nissen in the 1930s, later became a standalone sport distinct from gymnastics?
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trampoline
In Pennsylvania, which Olympian, known for winning the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics, has a town named after them?
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jim thorpe
Who became the first black American athlete to win the Wimbledon singles in 1957?
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althea gibson
In what sport did Ilie Nastase lead Romania to the Davis Cup finals in 1969, 1971, and 1972?
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tennis
Who became the youngest golfer to win the Masters in the 1980s and helped Europe win 3 Ryder Cups?
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seve ballesteros