How about a little sports trivia as a break from the holiday rush? Some will be easy, some old, some local, some will be borrowed (from my pieces), but all will be true.
The answers will be found at the end of this.
1. First off, my favorite sports trivia question of all time:
Four universities/colleges have produced both a President of the United States and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
2. Who was a Stonington-born Major League hitter during what the late Roger Angell fondly called baseball’s “country days” who allegedly and infamously bullied his teammate, the irascible Ty Cobb, so much that the Detroit Tigers decided to settle a long-running feud by trading our hero to the Chicago White Sox?
3. Who was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the early 2000s with a short and unfortunately forgettable reign who came from Mystic and attended Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton?
4. Beth Quesnel, a retired Stonington High School math teacher and accomplished multi-sport athlete, played for which renowned women’s fast-pitch softball team?
5. The late Joe Comstock, who lived in North Stonington, was a star — in fact, an all-state selection as a receiver — under his middle name, Clinton, for the Barrington, R.I., high school football team in 1943. What almost unparalleled record did that team achieve?
6. Name the skilled woodworker who today restores vintage sailboats at the Mystic Seaport Museum who was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a Connecticut high school football player for two seasons, holds the Connecticut high school career records for passing yards and completions and who, as the University of Connecticut’s starting quarterback in 2014, bravely retired from football at the start of the season due to concerns about his multiple concussions.
7. Name the Western native and one of the legendary “Swish Kids” as a basketball player at Westerly High and later the University of Rhode Island, who is the author of “The Forgotten Organization: How an Organization Struggles to Remember Itself.”
8. In 2007, Clay Burkhalter, of Stonington, then 49, finished 12th out of 83 competitors in the Mini Transat, a 4,230-mile solo race in 21-foot sailboats from La Rochelle, France, to Salvador, Brazil, becoming the first American to place in the Top 20 in the then 30-year history of the event. He finished the race in 25 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes and 36 seconds.
Burkhalter was the son of another famous sailor, albeit of a different complexion.
9. George Crouse, of Old Mystic, the legendary Stonington High School girls tennis coach and winner of the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance’s prestigious Gold Key Awards earlier this year, tells the story of a tennis match he played more than 50 years ago at the annual Southern New England tennis tournament hosted by Steve Armstrong on the meticulously manicured (by Armstrong) clay courts in Norwich near Mohegan Park.
Crouse, now 80, who played college tennis at Central Connecticut State University, faced a guy five years his junior in a first-round singles match, but Armstrong also sent him to the opening rounds where the lower-ranked players were quickly eliminated. The amateur tournament attracted top players from neighboring states and other parts of New England.
Crouse remembers losing the match 6-3, 6-3, saying he just couldn’t handle all the cuts his clay-savvy opponent was making. The opponent, who was also adept at running around his backhand, was determined in his next match.
This match, perfectly and deservedly obscure, lives on in the memory of Crouse remaining cordial with his opponent for years, gently instructing him, still, on his form and flaws. Crouse went on to achieve local and state fame with his racket and teaching, and his opponent’s regional fame with his pen.
Who was Crous’ opponent that day?
1. University of Michigan. President Jerry Ford. Quarterback Tom Brady.
US Naval Academy. President Jimmy Carter. Quarterback Roger Staubach.
Stanford University. President Herbert Hoover. Quarterback John Elway or Jim Plunkett.
Miami from Ohio. President Benjamin Harrison. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
2. Matty McIntrye, born in Stonington in 1880.
3. Dave Campo, who led the Cowboys from 2000-02 with a 15-33 record.
4. Raybestos Brakettes, based in Stratford, Conn.
5. Undefeated, tied and scoreless, they go 8-0 and collect 160 points to their opponents’ 0 in winning the state championship.
8. Vice Admiral Edward A. Burkhalter Jr., who died in 2020 at age 91, was the chief of naval intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, and also director of the intelligence community staff for the Central Intelligence Agency.
For the record, in July 1958, then Lt. Burkhalter reported as navigator on the commissioning crew of the nuclear attack submarine Sea Dragon (SSN 584). In August 1960, Sea Dragon began a transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Northwest Passage, with a side trip to the North Pole, surfacing on 25 August 1960, becoming the third submarine to reach the pole and the second to surface.
Steven Slosberg lives in Stonington. He can be reached at maayan72@aol.com.
As a tribute, write about that person’s best qualities and achievements in life. Share how they changed your life or made you a better version of yourself. Invoke admiration for their life’s work and what it meant to them.
How do you make your best friend feel special quotes?
Short friendship quotes On the same subject : Video: What was your first video game?.
- Friendship is another word for love. – …
- Squad goals! – …
- It’s the friends you can call at 4 in the morning that matter. – …
- The only way to have a friend is to be one. – …
- A friend is what the heart always needs. – …
- The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I got it. –
How do I make my best friend feel special via text? To make their day “You are my hero and I am so happy to call you my best friend.” “I know other people claim to have the best friends, but you really are the best.” “I hope you have the best day ever, and if not, let’s take the margins later and pay off.” “I hope you have a really wonderful day today, because you deserve it.”
How do you write a long lost friend?
Hey how are you? I haven’t seen you in years! I haven’t seen/talked to you in such a long time! How long has it been since I last saw/spoke to you?
How to write a letter to a friend after a long time? You start the email by asking them short questions about how they are, what they’ve been doing, etc… In between asking questions, apologize for not contacting them for a long time. Read also : The fall of Israel’s high-tech prime minister. In this section, tell them about experiences and situations that happened to you or plans you have for the future.
What do you write on a letter if the person doesn’t live there?
Mark "in care of" simply means that you are sending a letter or package to a recipient who accepts correspondence for the intended recipient. This may interest you : Because I always visit local supermarkets when I travel. People often use the abbreviation "c/o" to send mail to someone for whom they do not have an address or to send mail to themselves in someone else’s residence.
What to write in the letter if the person does not live there? A “in care” label simply means that you are sending a letter or package to a recipient who accepts correspondence for the intended recipient. People often use the abbreviation “c/o” to send mail to someone for whom they do not have an address or to send mail to themselves at someone’s residence.
What do you write on an envelope for someone who doesn’t live here?
Someone who does not live at your address You can return mail by returning it to your mailbox or returning it to your postal operator. If it’s a letter, you can also find blue collection boxes around your town and drop them there. Make sure you write “Not at this address†on the shipment.
How do you address a letter to an unknown resident?
Unknown recipient: There are two traditionally acceptable salutations when writing a business letter to an unknown recipient. To Whom It May Concern or Dear Sir or Madam, show respect to whoever it is addressed to.
What do you write in a letter to a friend you miss?
“I look forward to spending time with you again. I know life has been busy and I may not always tell you, but I miss you. I appreciate the time we spent together and I hope you have as many good memories as I do.”
How to write a missing letter to your friend? “I look forward to spending time with you again. I know life has been busy and I may not always tell you, but I miss you. I appreciate the time we spent together and I hope you have as many good memories as I do.â
What do you say in a letter to a friend you haven’t seen in a long time?
(phrase) In an email to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, one of the easiest things to write about are experiences and situations you both know about or have worked in the past. A good way to introduce the topic is to ask them if they remember the situation.
