Write Again . . . How’s your sports memory?

Published 4:06 pm Monday, May 30, 2016

My knowledge of what is currently going on in the world of sports is, well, rather limited.

There was a time, though, especially in my youth, and on through middle age, when I really knew my stuff. Sports stuff. Yes.

I think the aging process has served to diminish my sports fervor as much as any one thing. Then, the role money now plays in the athletic world, college and professional, as well as the almost interminably long — ridiculously so — so-called seasons, have also contributed to my waning interest.

However, I have retained at least a modicum of sports esoterica (that sounds better than “trivia”) in the mists of my memory.

So. Let me invite you to take a little sports quiz. Most of which that’s not even close to being current. I’ll provide answers/identifications at the end of the quiz. Just see if you can identify the specific sport of the names listed; or the school or team if applicable, or the location where an event took place.

Here goes:

1. Ace Parker 2. Sammy Ranzino 3. Enos (Country) Slaughter 4. Roger Bannister 5. Bill Tilden 6. Jake LaMotta 7. Art Weiner 8. Dick Groat 9. Fireball Roberts 10. Bobby Jones 11. Grantland Rice 12. Jesse Owens 13. Tommy Harmon 14. Wallace Wade 15. George Mikan 16. Babe Didrickson Zaharias 17.Johnny Weismuller 18. Johnny Mack Brown 19. Amos Alonzo Stagg 20. Everett Case 21.The 1942 Rose Bowl (location) 22. Leroy Walker 23. Beattie Feathers 24. Dick Button 25. Patty Berg. 26. Harvey Ward 27. Jim Beatty 28. Ingemar Johannson 29. Edwin Moses 30. Roy Campanella 31. Mary Lou Retton 32.“Flo Jo” 33. Bob Mathias 34. Bill Barnes 35 Lennie Rosenbluth 36. Dickie Hemric 37. Vic Bubas 38. Jimmy Pearsal 39. Bones McKinney 40. The Dixie Classic 41.The year the ACC was formed 42. What conference were the “Big Four” in prior to the ACC? 43. Art Heyman 44. Arnold Palmer’s alma mater 45. Ronnie Shavlik 46. Peahead Walker 47. Cathy McMillan 48. Dave Sime 49. Stephen Curry’s alma mater 50. The Tin Can

Bonus – Who holds the record for the most kickoffs returned for touchdowns in the U.S. (high school) in one game?

If you answered each of the items correctly, you have one fine memory. If you were familiar with most names, events, you did well. If you “bombed,” as was once termed when flunking a college exam, then you’re old and your memory is, well, a bit rusty, let us say.

If you drew a blank on just about everything, then you’re probably not — never were — a sports fan, or you’re young. Either, or both of which, is okay too.

Thanks for taking the “test.”

Answers: 1. football 2. basketball 3. baseball 4. track 5. tennis 6. boxing 7. football 8. basketball/baseball 9. Nascar 10. golf 11. sports writer 12. track 13. football 14. football coach 15. basketball 16. golf 17. swimming 18. football 19. football coach 20. basketball coach 21. Durham (Duke) 22. track coach 23. football coach 24. figure skating 25. golf 26. golf 27. track 28. boxing 29. track 30. baseball 31. gymnastics 32. track 33. track (decathlon) 34. football 35. basketball 36. basketball 37. basketball/player, coach 38. baseball 39. basketball (player, coach) 40. Raleigh (Reynolds Coliseum) 41. 1953 42. Southern 43. basketball 44. Wake Forest 45. basketball 46. football (coach) 47. track (long jumper) 48. track and field 49. Davidson 50. UNC (Chapel Hill)

Bonus — Roger Maris