Every Vikings fan worthy of wearing horns and a purple jersey knows the franchise is 0-4 Super Bowls. Just wanted to get that out before inviting you to take the Sports Headliners Super Bowl Quiz.
I promise not to ask too many questions that stir memories of the Vikings’ Super Bowl struggles. On a brighter note, I do predict you will be a candidate for “the life of the party” on Sunday if you share this quiz while watching the game with friends and family.
The following questions might not be as fun as those Super Bowl commercials, but for trivia (and useless knowledge) they will do just fine. Let me know if you answer 20 or more correctly. If you can’t answer any questions correctly, don’t bother with watching the Super Bowl on Sunday — tune into Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl” instead.
Here are Sports Headliners’ 22 quiz questions:
1. Name the teams and the score of the first Super Bowl.
2. Who did the Broncos and Seahawks defeat in the AFC and NFC title games to reach the 2014 Super Bowl?
3. Who is the Seahawks player who proclaims himself the NFL’s best cornerback?
4. How many Super Bowls have been played outdoors in northern cities?
5. What do David Shama and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning have in common? (Okay, so this is the most difficult question of them all. Get over it).
6. Eric Decker is a starting wide receiver for the Broncos but what sport besides football did he play at the University of Minnesota?
7. Decker is the only ex-Gopher playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl but Wisconsin has four alums in the game, more than any Big Ten school. Can you name all four?
8. The 1992 Super Bowl was played in Minneapolis. Name the teams and final score.
9. What future year has prominently been mentioned for a possible Super Bowl to be played in the new Vikings stadium?
10. Who was the Vikings starting quarterback in the 1970 Super Bowl?
11. What years did Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll serve as an assistant Vikings coach?
12. Who is the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl?
13. Who is the last Super Bowl game MVP who wasn’t a quarterback?
14. Name the ex-Vikings receiver who played in only one regular season game for the Seahawks this season but is expected to be available for the Super Bowl.
15. Name the singer whose breast caused a sensation during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.
16. Name the former Twins baseball broadcaster who provided TV play-by-play on CBS during some of the early Super Bowls.
17. In the 2010 NFC title game the Vikings almost won to advance to the Super Bowl, losing in overtime 31-28. Who was the team that defeated the Vikings?
18. Vikings wide receiver Sammy White took a jarring hit in the 1977 Super Bowl loss to the Raiders. Who was the Raider that made this memorable tackle?
19. The Seahawks starting fullback was a quarterback at Penn State. Who is he?
20. In what Super Bowl did the two teams score the fewest points in one half?
21. What’s the name of the annual trophy given to the Super Bowl winning team?
22. The Vikings aren’t the only franchise with four Super Bowl losses. What club is also 0-4?
And the Answers Are….
1. The Packers defeated the Chiefs, 35-17, in Super Bowl I in 1967.
2. The Broncos beat the Patriots and the Seahawks defeated the 49ers (this was a “layup” so hope you scored on this one).
3. Richard Sherman, “Mr. Humble,” who did lead the NFL in interceptions with eight during the regular season.
4. None, but that changes on Sunday when MetLife Stadium in New Jersey becomes the first Super Bowl in a northern climate to host the Super Bowl.
5. Manning and I both have March 24 birthdays. (Point of clarification: we were born in different years).
6. While at Minnesota, Decker was an outfielder for the Gophers baseball team.
7. For head scratching difficult, this might be the second hardest question on the quiz. The four Badgers alums are: Montee Ball, Chris Maragos, O’Brien Schofield and Russell Wilson.
8. Redskins 37, Bills 24 in Minneapolis’ only Super Bowl.
9. Minneapolis is trying to land the 2018 Super Bowl for the new Vikings stadium opening in 2016.
10. Joe Kapp, also known as “Hennepin Joe” for his fun loving ways, was the Vikings Super Bowl quarterback in 1970.
11. Pete Carroll was a Vikings assistant from 1985-89, working first for Bud Grant and then Jerry Burns.
12. John Elway was 38 in 1999 when he led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win over the Falcons.
13. The last non-quarterback MVP in the Super Bowl was wide receiver Santonio Holmes of the Steelers who won the award in 2009.
14. In his only regular season game of the year ex-Viking Percy Harvin played against his old team and caught one pass for 17 yards.
15. It was Janet Jackson who had that revealing moment while on stage with Justin Timberlake during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.
16. Ray Scott, who was the Twins radio and TV voice in the early 1960s, did play-by-play for CBS on the early Super Bowls.
17. The Saints were the team that defeated the Vikings, a game that is still a painful memory for Purple loyalists.
18. The Raider who made the memorable tackle was safety Jack Tatum, still known as one of the NFL’s hardest hitting players of all-time.
19. Michael Robinson made the unusual but successful transition from college QB to fullback.
20. The Steelers led the Vikings 2-0 at halftime of the 1975 Super Bowl, the fewest points ever scored in one half of the big game.
21. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is annually given to the winning Super Bowl team.
22. The Bills are also 0-4, losing four straight in the 1991-94 Super Bowls.