70 free 80s Sports trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This 80s sports trivia quiz runs year by year through the decade, from the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid in February 1980 to the earthquake that stopped the 1989 World Series. In between are the two Olympic boycotts, Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton in Los Angeles, Ben Johnson and Flo-Jo in Seoul, Eddie the Eagle in Calgary, and the Torvill and Dean Boléro. The American pro sports questions cover the 1985 Bears, The Catch, Buckner's error, Kirk Gibson's homer, the Gretzky trade, Showtime and the Bad Boys. There is plenty from outside the US too: Maradona's Hand of God, Boris Becker's Wimbledon at 17, Steffi Graf's Golden Slam, Europe's first Ryder Cup, Australia II ending a 132-year streak, and Greg LeMond's eight-second Tour de France. Every answer has been checked against a Wikipedia article on the event or athlete, and each explanation adds one detail worth remembering.
30 of 70 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01The 'Miracle on Ice' saw the US beat which country in ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics?
Soviet Union
The Americans still had to beat Finland two days later to clinch the gold; coach Herb Brooks sprinted to the locker room and cried after the upset.
Q 02Which broadcaster asked 'Do you believe in miracles?' as the 1980 US hockey upset ended?
Al Michaels
Michaels was calling the game for ABC; the final score was 4-3 after the Soviets had led 3-2 through two periods.
Q 03Which American speed skater won all five speed skating events at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics?
Eric Heiden
It remains a record for medals by one athlete at a single Winter Games; he later became an orthopedic surgeon.
Q 04Why did the United States boycott the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
President Carter even sent Muhammad Ali on a diplomatic tour of Africa to drum up support for the boycott.
Q 05Which British runner beat Sebastian Coe to win the 800 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics?
Steve Ovett
Ovett had written that he had a 90 percent chance in the 1,500 m; Coe turned the tables and won that one instead.
Q 06Rosie Ruiz was stripped of her 1980 Boston Marathon win eight days later for what reason?
She had not run the entire course
New York officials then discovered she had cheated in the 1979 NYC Marathon that qualified her for Boston in the first place.
Q 07Which rookie replaced the injured Kareem at center and scored 42 to clinch the 1980 NBA Finals?
Magic Johnson
The 20-year-old played all five positions that night in Philadelphia and was named Finals MVP.
Q 08What was the score of the fourth-set tiebreak in the 1980 Borg–McEnroe Wimbledon final?
18-16
It was Borg's fifth straight Wimbledon title; McEnroe got his revenge in the 1981 final.
Q 09Which pitcher's 1981 rookie season with the Dodgers sparked 'Fernandomania'?
Fernando Valenzuela
He is still the only player to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
Q 10Who caught 'The Catch', Joe Montana's winning pass in the January 1982 NFC Championship?
Dwight Clark
The 49ers beat Dallas 28-27 and went on to win their first Super Bowl two weeks later.
Q 11How many bases did Rickey Henderson steal in 1982 to set the single-season record?
130
He is the only American League player ever to steal 100 in a season, and he did it three times.
Q 12Which country won the 1982 FIFA World Cup, beating West Germany 3-1 in Madrid?
Italy
It was Italy's first title since 1938; Paolo Rossi's goals carried them after a slow start.
Q 13Which Georgia running back won the 1982 Heisman Trophy before jumping to the USFL's New Jersey Generals?
Herschel Walker
His 1989 trade from Dallas to Minnesota is credited with building the Cowboys' 1990s dynasty.
Q 21Which country led the boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics?
Soviet Union
Organizer Peter Ueberroth said the Soviets wanted to give America 'a taste of its own medicine' after 1980.
Q 22Who was taken first overall in the 1984 NBA draft, two picks ahead of Michael Jordan?
Hakeem Olajuwon
Portland took Sam Bowie second; it is the last draft in which two rookies made the All-Star Game.
Q 23Which team beat the Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII in January 1984?
Los Angeles Raiders
Marcus Allen was MVP, and Apple aired its famous '1984' Macintosh commercial during the broadcast.
Q 14Which team's 1983 NCAA title ended with Lorenzo Charles's buzzer-beating dunk and Jim Valvano running around the court?
NC State
The Wolfpack beat Houston's 'Phi Slama Jama' 54-52 on a dunk off Dereck Whittenburg's 30-foot airball.
Q 15Australia II ended the New York Yacht Club's 132-year hold on which trophy in 1983?
The America's Cup
Skipper John Bertrand came back from 3-1 down to beat Dennis Conner's Liberty, ending the longest winning streak in sport.
Q 16Where were the 1984 Winter Olympics held?
Sarajevo
The city's Olympic venues were heavily damaged in the war that broke out in 1992.
Q 17Which British ice dancers earned across-the-board perfect artistic scores at the 1984 Winter Olympics?
Torvill and Dean
Their free dance to Ravel's Boléro is still the only performance to sweep the 6.0s for artistic impression.
Q 18Carl Lewis won four gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, matching whose 1936 feat?
Jesse Owens
He was even drafted that year by the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Cowboys despite never playing college basketball or football.
Q 19Who became the first American woman to win the Olympic gymnastics all-around title in 1984?
Mary Lou Retton
She had knee surgery just five weeks before the Games and beat Romania's Ecaterina Szabo by 0.05 points.
Q 20Which event made its Olympic debut in 1984 and was won by Joan Benoit?
The women's marathon
The 1984 Games also turned a profit of $232.5 million thanks to private funding and existing venues.
Q 24Doug Flutie's 'Hail Mary' pass in November 1984 beat which team?
Miami
Gerard Phelan caught the walk-off touchdown for Boston College against Bernie Kosar's Hurricanes.
Q 25Which eighth-seeded team upset Georgetown 66-64 in the 1985 NCAA final?
Villanova
Coached by Rollie Massimino, they remain the lowest-seeded champion in tournament history.
Q 26How long did the 1985 Hagler–Hearns middleweight fight, known as 'The War', last?
Three rounds
The Ring called it 'the most electrifying eight minutes ever' and named it fight of the year.
Q 27Who became the youngest ever men's Wimbledon singles champion in 1985 at age 17?
Boris Becker
He was unseeded, and won again in 1986 and 1989.
Q 28Pete Rose broke whose all-time hits record in September 1985?
Ty Cobb
Hit number 4,192 was a single off Eric Show at Riverfront Stadium; four years later Rose was banned for gambling.
Q 29Team Europe won the Ryder Cup for the first time in 1985 at which English course?
The Belfry
Two years later at Muirfield Village they became the first visiting side to win on American soil.
Q 30Which umpire's blown Game 6 call in the 1985 World Series do Cardinals fans still blame?
Don Denkinger
The Royals came back to win the game and then took Game 7 to beat the heavily favored Cardinals.