Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: The “Super Bowl” was named after what ordinary object?

A child’s toy
A ball of yarn
A serving dish
A jacket

The correct answer is A child’s toy

So why is this answer correct? : In 1966, the AFL and NFL were negotiating their upcoming merger when the issue of a joint championship game came up in a meeting. Lamar Hunt, an early AFL executive and team owner, impulsively suggested calling it the “Super Bowl,” and the name stuck. His son Clark said his father was inspired by his toy, the Wham-O Super Ball. The name was just a nickname until it was officially adopted for the third league championship.

Trivia: In 1906, St. Louis University’s Bradbury Robinson executed the first what?

Interception
Field goal
Fair catch
Forward pass

The correct answer is Forward pass

So why is this answer correct? : During a game against Carroll College, the quarterback threw a 20-yard pass that was caught by Jack Schneider. It made little difference in the scoreless game, but in the history of the sport, it was a landmark play that set the stage for the way football is now played. A few months later, Peggy Parratt of the Massillon Tigers threw the first forward pass in the history of the pro game.

Trivia: The Steelers’ 1972 game-winning play is known by what nickname?

Music City Miracle
The Immaculate Reception
Fail Mary
Miracle at the Met

The correct answer is The Immaculate Reception

So why is this answer correct? : On the last play of an AFC divisional playoff game, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw heaved a deep pass to running back John Fuqua. The ball was deflected upward and landed in the arms of fullback Franco Harris, who ran it in for the final score to win the game. In 2019, the NFL Network named the Immaculate Reception as the greatest play in NFL history.

Trivia: The San Francisco 49ers are named for what historic event?

World War II
Gold Rush
Prohibition
1948 U.S. Election

The correct answer is Gold Rush

So why is this answer correct? : A San Francisco lumber entrepreneur named Tony Morabito was trying to organize a football team in the 1940s. One of his business partners suggested naming the team for the miners who flocked to the area during the 1849 gold rush. After two rejections, the 49ers finally joined the NFL in 1950 through a merger, becoming the second West Coast team in the league.

Trivia: Why was the pre-play huddle invented?

League rules
Sponsor request
A deaf team
Religious gesture

The correct answer is A deaf team

So why is this answer correct? : Gallaudet University, a famous school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, D.C., was playing a football game against another deaf team in 1894. Quarterback Paul Hubbard instructed his teammates to form a tight circle around him with their bodies, preventing the other team from seeing his signs. The huddle has since been adopted in multiple sports all over the world.

Trivia: The first version of the NFL had three teams, all from what state?

Pennsylvania
Ohio
New York
Illinois

The correct answer is Pennsylvania

So why is this answer correct? : In 1902, the first attempt at a pro football association kicked off with the formation of the National Football League. The league had only three teams in it — the Pittsburgh Stars, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Philadelphia Phillies — and many of their players were originally pro baseball players.

Trivia: Which legendary 49ers quarterback was nicknamed “Joe Cool”?

Joe Montana
Joe Namath
Joe Burrow
Joey Galloway

The correct answer is Joe Montana

So why is this answer correct? : Considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, Montana set multiple passing records and helped the 49ers win four Super Bowl championships in the 1980s Unlike more mercurial quarterback greats like Dan Marino and Tom Brady, Montana almost never showed frustration at teammates, even after mistakes. This trait, plus his skill in late-game situations, earned Montana his chilly moniker.

Trivia: Football helmets were originally made of what material?

Styrofoam
Cotton
Leather
Rubber

The correct answer is Leather

So why is this answer correct? : One story traces the roots of the leather helmet to the 1893 Army-Navy football game. Admiral Joseph Mason Reeve had been warned by doctors that another hit to the head could lead to serious medical issues. Not wanting to miss the competition, Reeve asked his shoemaker to fashion him a lightly padded moleskin hat with earflaps. Plastic helmets weren’t developed until decades later in 1939. Helmets, plastic or leather, were not mandatory in football until 1943.

Trivia: Who was the first Black player to sign a contract with the NFL?

Kenny Washington
Fritz Pollard
Marion Motley
Bill Willis

The correct answer is Kenny Washington

So why is this answer correct? : Kenny Washington was the best college football player of his class, leading the nation in scoring in 1939. Unfortunately, the NFL banned Black players at the time, so he coached for a while at UCLA and joined the LAPD. Five years later, the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles and signed Washington, breaking the NFL’s color barrier.

Trivia: Which team had the only perfect season in NFL history?

2007 New England Patriots
2019 Kansas City Chiefs
1942 Chicago Bears
1972 Miami Dolphins

The correct answer is 1972 Miami Dolphins

So why is this answer correct? : The ‘72 Dolphins aren’t the only team with a perfect regular-season record — that’s been done several times, most recently in 2007 by the New England Patriots. But the Patriots went on to lose Super Bowl XLII to the Giants. The ‘72 Dolphins are still the only team to go undefeated in the regular season and win a Super Bowl in the same year.