American Football: Gridiron Legends
Instructions: Touchdowns, Super Bowls, and legendary coaches — celebrate the rich history of America's most-watched sport with questions spanning the founding of the game to its greatest champions.
- 1.
Walter Camp is often called the 'Father of American Football.' During which two decades did he make his most important contributions to the sport's rules?
A1870s and 1880sB1830s and 1840sC1900s and 1910sD1850s and 1860s - 2.
The organization that eventually became the NFL was founded in 1920 under what original name?
ANational Football ConferenceBAmerican Professional Football AssociationCProfessional Gridiron LeagueDAmerican Football League - 3.
Super Bowl I, played on January 15, 1967, was a matchup between which two teams?
ADallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City ChiefsBGreen Bay Packers vs. Oakland RaidersCGreen Bay Packers vs. Kansas City ChiefsDBaltimore Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs - 4.
How many players from each team are on the field at the same time during a regulation NFL game?
A10B12C9D11 - 5.
Legendary coach Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowl championships while coaching which team?
AGreen Bay PackersBDallas CowboysCNew York GiantsDPittsburgh Steelers - 6.
Before Super Bowl III in January 1969, quarterback Joe Namath boldly guaranteed a victory. Which team did he lead to that famous upset win?
AKansas City ChiefsBNew York JetsCOakland RaidersDHouston Oilers - 7.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins completed the only perfect season in NFL history, finishing 17-0 including the Super Bowl. Who was their head coach?
AChuck NollBBill WalshCDon ShulaDTom Landry - 8.
The Heisman Trophy is awarded each year to the most outstanding player in which level of football?
AProfessional football (NFL)BArena footballCHigh school footballDCollege football - 9.
Running back Jim Brown set the NFL single-season rushing record of 1,863 yards in 1963 while playing for which team?
ACleveland BrownsBNew York GiantsCChicago BearsDPittsburgh Steelers - 10.
Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton was known by what beloved nickname?
AThe Galloping GhostBSweetnessCThe JuiceDBroadway Joe - 11.
Coach Tom Landry, recognized by his trademark fedora hat on the sidelines, spent his entire NFL head coaching career with which team?
AWashington RedskinsBSan Francisco 49ersCDallas CowboysDNew York Giants - 12.
Quarterback Joe Montana won four Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers. Which wide receiver was his most celebrated passing target during those championship years?
ALynn SwannBMichael IrvinCJames LoftonDJerry Rice - 13.
New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor, regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, played which position?
AOutside linebackerBDefensive endCCornerbackDFree safety - 14.
Who was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl I, the first championship game between the AFL and the NFL?
ABoyd DowlerBBart StarrCJim TaylorDLen Dawson - 15.
Before his celebrated NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy while attending which institution?
AWest Point (Army)BThe CitadelCAir Force AcademyDUnited States Naval Academy
Answer Key
Walter Camp played and coached at Yale, serving on rules committees during the 1870s and 1880s, where he established the line of scrimmage, the system of downs, and the 11-player team — earning the enduring title 'Father of American Football.'
The American Professional Football Association (APFA) was founded at a meeting in Canton, Ohio in August 1920; two years later, at its 1922 meeting, members voted to rename it the National Football League.
The first Super Bowl — officially called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game — was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967, with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
Each NFL team fields exactly 11 players at a time — 11 on offense and 11 on defense — for a total of 22 players on the field during each play, a rule established during the sport's earliest days.
Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl I (35-10 over Kansas City) and Super Bowl II (33-14 over Oakland); the Super Bowl trophy is named the Lombardi Trophy in his lasting honor.
Joe Namath's guarantee became legendary when his New York Jets upset the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 16-7 on January 12, 1969, handing the AFL its first-ever Super Bowl victory.
Don Shula guided the 1972 Dolphins to a 14-0 regular season and three playoff wins, capping it with a Super Bowl VII victory over the Washington Redskins — a 17-0 record that has never been equaled.
The Heisman Trophy has been awarded annually since 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club (now the Heisman Trophy Trust) to the most outstanding player in college football in the United States.
Jim Brown rushed for 1,863 yards in the 1963 season with the Cleveland Browns, setting a record that stood until O.J. Simpson surpassed 2,000 yards in 1973.
Walter Payton earned the nickname 'Sweetness' for his graceful running style and warm personality; he retired in 1987 as the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 career yards.
Tom Landry was the Dallas Cowboys' first and only head coach for 29 seasons (1960-1988), guiding the franchise to two Super Bowl titles and building the Cowboys into 'America's Team.'
Jerry Rice joined the 49ers in 1985 and became Joe Montana's premier target, winning three Super Bowls together in a partnership widely considered the greatest quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history.
Lawrence Taylor played outside linebacker for the New York Giants from 1981 to 1993, revolutionizing the position with his combination of speed and power and winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in Super Bowl I, earning the inaugural MVP honor in the game's very first year.
Roger Staubach won the 1963 Heisman Trophy as a junior at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, then fulfilled a four-year military commitment before beginning his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys.