College football trivia (and a story)

          Want to win a bet? Here are some college football trivia questions that you can used to stump your pals. Given the proper setting, you might even pay off a bar tab.

          The questions appear first, followed by a hysterical football story. Then come the trivia answers.

 

The questions

Name the first man to both coach and play in the Rose Bowl game.

 

Who was the first head coach to lead the University of Alabama to a victory over Notre Dame?

 

Before he became professional football’s first truly great wide receiver as a star for the Green Bay Packers, Don Hutson played his college football at Alabama. The other end for the Crimson Tide when Hutson was there never played pro football, but he later became famous anyway. Who was he?

 

How many BCS bowl games has Notre Dame won?

 

The funny story

          Several decades ago, around 1969 or 1970, a young woman sat in the stands as the Chicago Bears began a game. I do not remember now who the opponent was. The young woman in question turned to the man next to her and predicted the Bears’ first play from scrimmage. She was correct and the man was impressed.

          The young woman then predicted the next play and, good naturedly, the man disagreed, predicting a different play. The woman was right again.

          Now, the gentleman knew his football and he proposed a small wager with the young woman about the next play. The young woman, with an equal dose of good nature, agreed and, again, she was right.

          This went on for most of the first quarter with the gentleman losing on every play. Finally, the young woman extended her hand to the gentleman and introduced herself.

          She was the Bears’ quarterback’s wife and she helped him memorize the first 15 plays of the game plan every week. The way I heard the story, the young woman did not collect on the wagers.

 

The answers

Wallace Wade played in the Rose Bowl as a guard at Brown and coached Alabama in the game years later.

 

Ray Perkins led the Crimson Tide to a victory over Notre Dame in 1986, the first time Alabama ever beat the Fighting Irish. Bear Bryant never beat Notre Dame.

 

Bear Bryant was Hutson’s teammate, the other end, at Alabama.

 

The Fighting Irish have not won a BCS bowl game.

 

          Thanks for reading.