Dot Green wins first-ever Troy Citizen Trivia Contest!

Mrs. Green aced the test (but so did another trivia whiz). Here are the answers & some Bonus Trivia + my back stories on why I picked these 26 questions. Also, CHMS cheerleaders and Troy makes ESPN.

There was a tie and so my daughter Maggie drew the winner out of a bowl and Dot Green was the lucky winner of dinner for two. Congratulations are also in order for Amie Moses Psadarkis who also answered all 26 questions correctly.

Congratulations to my 8th grade math teacher Dot Green, who is the winner of the First Annual Troy Citizen Trivia Contest!

Mrs. Green answered all 25 questions correctly plus the “Bonus Question.”

The victory comes with an asterisk as fellow Citizen subscriber Amie Moses Psardakis also answered all 26 questions correctly.

Per the rules of the contest … in the event of a tie, my daughter, Maggie Rice, would draw the winning name out of a hat (which was actually a bowl) and Maggie (with two witnesses) pulled the name of Mrs. Green.

Response was trivial …

Probably because I had a typo in my email address (later corrected), the contest had only two people who submitted answers.

Since the response was not exactly overwhelming, the first annual Troy Citizen Trivia Contest might become “the first and last Troy Citizen Trivia Contest.”

On the bright side, per Substack metrics, my original article was read by almost 800 people and produced one paid subscriber and three free subscribers.

As the winner, Mrs. Green will get “dinner for two” (up to $55) at her favorite local restaurant.

Since she and Ms. Psadrakis aced the quiz, both will also receive a gift certificate worth one Momma’s Love sandwich at Momma Goldberg’s deli on the Square in beautiful downtown Troy (where my first stand-up comedy routine may or may not take place.)

The trivia questions - with answers - are repeated below. For fun, I added bonus trivia material and/or explained why I included some of my trivia questions.

More chances to win!

I also added Seven New Trivia Questions. Any Citizen reader who answers all seven of these questions will receive a large order of McDonald’s French Fries (if they are a paid subscriber to The Citizen).

Note: I came up with this prize because I happen to be eating a large order of McDonald’s French fries as I’m typing up this story.

1. What animal is perched on top of the old Rosenberg’s building in downtown Troy (now Sanbuck Insurance)? An owl.

Comment: This owl is supposed to work like a scarecrow and scare away pigeons, who have enjoyed frolicking in high points of downtown Troy since there was a downtown Troy.

My late grandfather “Hickey” Chapman once participated in a Great Pigeon Shoot designed to thin Troy’s population of nuisance (and disease-carrying) pigeons.

As has been told to me, all of Troy’s dead-eye bird shooters were invited to take their best shots at pigeons one Sunday afternoon when downtown was closed off to traffic. This “solution,” which I somehow doubt will be used again, probably worked better than Rosenberg’s owl.

2. The former CEO of Golden Flake Potato chips who once lived on College Street was? Sloan Bashinksy, whose family built the signature house on College Street.

Bonus Trivia: Our family always bought Golden Flake potato chips because the company was one of the two sponsors of “The Coach Bryant Show” which came on every autumn Sunday at 4 p.m.

Sloan Bashinksy and Coach Bryant’s wife (Mary Harmon Black Bryant) were both born in Troy. The Bryants were great friends of the Bashinksy family and vice versa.

3. Troy State University holds the all-time record for most points scored in a basketball game. How many points did Troy score? 258.

Bonus trivia: Troy broke its own all-time scoring record in the game. The previous record was 187 points, which Troy scored against DeVry the previous season. Coach Maestri scheduled the game so Troy would have a chance to make history and score 200 points.

Bonus/Bonus trivia: I just learned a Division III team scored 201 points in a game in 2006. So Troy’s record - which has stood for almost 32 years - is safe … by 57 points!

4. How long was PLAS grad Scott Taylor Renfroe’s career-long field goal against Southern Miss? 50 yards.

5. What was the name of the landscape architectural firm which designed the Main Quad at Troy University? The Olmsted Brothers … whose father had previously designed Manhattan’s Central Park. The original plans were lost and not utilized for approximately 75 years.

6. According to Bill Rice, Jr, the two “most famous former Trojans” are …DeMarcus Ware and/or Sister Schubert Barnes.

7. Who gave Chan Gailey his first paid assistant coaching job? Former Troy State coach Charlie Bradshaw.

   Note: Coach Gailey had been a back-up quarterback at Florida in the early 1970s.

Bonus Trivia Question 1: Coach Gailey is from Americus, GA, which is also the home town of a former Troy State All-American golfer and well-known stockbroker. Name this other famous native of Americus, Ga?

8. What was the first name painted on the water tower next to CHHS (in 1977)? MOE ’77.

Note: MOE was a fictional character created by Dan Smith when he was a member of The Trojan Myths newspaper staff … Legal disclaimer: Smith was never considered a “person of interest” by local law enforcement officials at the time.

9. Who taught Raymond Ledford how to cut hair (a one word-nickname will suffice)? Raymond’s friend “Pale,” who previously cut the hair of children at The Alabama Baptist Children’s Home before taking a full-time job at Junior Byrd’s Barber Shop.

Bonus trivia: Raymond’s cosmetology training occurred over the span of five hours at three consecutive Saturday morning cutting sessions, which Raymond (Pale’s apprentice) observed. Pale charged no tuition for this training.

10. Former CHHS student Mark Hamm (Class of ’84) once looked like what famous actor, according to Bill Rice, Jr.? Tom Cruise.

Bonus Trivia: My story on Trojans who once looked like celebrities still holds the record for most “page views” of a Troy Citizen article (1,990).

11. What famous rock star did Danny Lee and Emily Green Ellis once talk to at a Troy record store in 1983? John Cougar Mellencamp (“John Cougar” would have also been accepted).

12. What famous singer had her sound equipment stolen after she performed a concert at Sartain Hall? Helen Ready.

Note: The truck with the sound equipment was stolen at the Holiday Inn.

13. Only 40 international students attended Troy State when Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr became president in 1989. One of these international students is a long-time senior administrator for the college. Name this Trojan. Sohail Agboatwala.

14. What city did Coach Whitey Whitman grow up in? Phenix City.

Note: Coach Whitman once told me he had to talk some high school teammates into letting him drive to Troy with them in the mid-1950s when several players wanted to tryout for the Troy State football team.

I’ve long been fascinated by the quirks of history and thought about how our town would have been different if these friends had not let Coach Whitman tag along on that trip. Not only would CHMS not have had the “best PE program in the country,” the Whitman children (Candi, Tammy and Tony) would not have been born.

15. According to Bill Rice, Sr., the most important event in Troy history was …? The railroad coming to town.

As I learned from my late father, the man who brought the railroad to Troy, Urban Jones, went broke doing it.

Bonus Trivia Bragging: The late Mr. Jones was my great, great, great, great grandfather (on the Chapman side of the family).

Bonus trivia question 2: My mother’s first cousin was Ann Chapman (Brother Chapman’s sister and Corley Chapman’s daughter). Ann Chapman later became the aunt to what world-famous TV and movie actress?

*** (Thanks for Sharing the Trivia Spirit!) ***

16. Former Troy Superintendent Hank Jones became a student at Troy State in 1969, but had previously planned to go to college at what Alabama university? Florence State or North Alabama.

Note: A friend who was attending Troy State talked Mr. Jones into stopping for a visit while he was driving from Fort Myers, Florida to Florence. Hank never made it to Florence.

Bonus trivia: Hank’s son, Rhon Jones, is now a partner with our state’s most famous trial lawyer firm, Beasley Allen of Montgomery. As I wrote when I was editor of The Montgomery Independent, Rhon was the lead lawyer in the firm’s cases in the BP Oil Spill - cases which took many years to settle.

17. In 1962, A Prattville chiropractor tried to rob a bank in Ozark and killed three people before being killed in a shoot-out in a cemetery near Needmore. What was this crazed murderer’s last name? Gault.

Bonus trivia: On New Year’s Eve, Gault had successfully robbed a bank in Auburn, Alabama.

18. Long-time kinesiology professor and former Troy Citizen columnist Nick Costes competed in the 1956 Olympics in what sport? The marathon.

More Trivia: Coach Costes was also once the track coach at Troy State - and coached Whitey Whitman, who threw the discuss and shot putt (in addition to mastering gymnastics and trampoline acrobatics … and being a starting offensive lineman on the football team).

19. Troy’s town square was once known by what name? Deer Stand Hill.

Deer Stand Hill was well-named. I see deer every day in my backyard - about a mile as the pigeon flies - from Deer Stand Hill.

20. Dr. Ralph Adams was once college roommates and long-time close friend of what former Alabama governor? Gov. George C. Wallace.

Bonus trivia: Dr. Adams can be seen in the background of the “School House Door” scene in the movie “Forrest Gump.”

Bonus Trivia Question 3: The speechwriter who wrote Wallace’s famous/infamous “Segregation today” speech later wrote a novel that became the movie “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Name this former segregationist speech writer.

21. Larry Blakeney was an assistant coach for what team before he was hired as head coach at Troy? Auburn.

Bonus Trivia Question 4: What positions (plural) did Coach Blakeney play on the AU football team?

22. Troy Citizen sports columnist Chris Amos recently wrote that Troy should renew its football rivalry with what school? Jacksonville State.

23. A local restaurant chain had two floats in the recent Christmas Parade. What breakfast item is this restaurant famous for? Waffle House is known for its pancakes - just kidding.

Back-to-back Waffle Floats - a Parade Record. (Photo/Joey Meredith).

24. Who caught the winning TD pass in the 1980 CHHS-Hartselle state championship game? Kent Anderson.

More trivia: The play was called “Frog 93” and occurred on a second-and-goal play from the 8 or 9, according to quarterback Barry Tucker, who threw the pass.

Bonus Question 5: Frog was the nickname for what CHHS Trojan team member?

25. What Exchange Club member is pictured with Bill Rice, Jr.? Jerry Beckett.

Bonus Trivia Question 6: Jerry and Cathy Beckett are originally from what state?

***

Bonus Question from original contest: What Troy State player hit the 3-point shot that put Troy over 200 points in the game against DeVry? Steve Hunt.

Note: Hunt calmly swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 7:53 left in the game. Troy went on to score another 58 points in less than eight minutes!

Bonus Trivia Question No. 7: According to the Sartain Hall scoreboard, the final score of the game was?

How to participate: Email answers to: wjricejunior@gmail.com. Respondents must answer all seven questions correctly and be a paid subscriber to win the French fries. Deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m.

*** (Thank you to all subscribers - free or paid. Please consider giving a Christmas present subscription to friends and family members who might not know about the re-boot of The Troy Citizen.) ***

Also …

One-time Ko-Fi donations greatly appreciated!

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CHMS cheerleaders enjoy Christmas Party

Members of the CHMS cheerleading squad recently had a Christmas party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Prendergast. (Adam is the Sports Information Director for Troy University).

The squad is coached by Jennifer Sikes.

CHMS cheerleaders have competed at several UCA events, plus cheered at football and basketball games and school pep rallies.

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Coach Parker quote highlighted in ESPN article …

ESPN just ran a story on the “Best Quotes of College Football in 2024” and the quote in the headline - “We’re stopping at Buc-ee’s” - is from Troy football coach Gerad Parker.

Here’s the sub-headline and full text from the excellent feature story:

Treat yourself

"Thank you very much. We're stopping at Buc-ee's."
--Troy head coach Gerad Parker, ending his ESPN+ postgame interview after the Trojans, who started 1-7, won their first road game of the season 28-20 over Georgia Southern. Parker said he was "coached up at the fudge station" to get some peanut butter fudge.

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Today’s Editorial Cartoon …