Are You a Gold-Medal Gator?

Earn a spot on the UF podium by landing these 25 questions.

by David Finnerty

Follow Gator athletics even a little and you soon realize there are stars in all the sports. What you might not know is that many of those student-athletes and their coaches have gone on to Olympic glory.

To celebrate the summer Games in Tokyo, here’s a quiz to test your Gator-Olympic knowledge. (Hint: Be careful not to base guesses on graduation years alone; some Olympians returned to UF to earn degrees when their athletic careers ended.)

In true Olympic spirit, here’s what you need to earn a medal:

Gold: 21 or more correct answers
Silver: 16 to 20
Bronze: 11 to 15
Try again in four years: 10 or fewer.

The Olympics, as we know them today, has been bringing nations together since 1896. How many Gators have participated during those 125 years?
1. Fewer than 50
2. Between 50 and 150
3. More than 150
Athletes from all corners of the globe compete in events ranging from Nordic skiing and curling to synchronized swimming and softball. In how many sports have Gators won medals?
1. Six
2. Nine
3. Twelve
4. All of them
Most of us know the Olympics are usually held every four years. But in which Games since Munich in 1972 did Gators win the most medals?
1. Seoul in 1988
2. Beijing in 2008
3. London in 2012
4. Los Angeles in 1984
Of all Olympians with ties to UF, who was the first to win an Olympic medal?
1. Catie Ball (BAE ’73), swimming
2. Ronnie Jourdan (BSPE ’73), track and field
3. Neal Walk (’66-’69), basketball
Ryan Lochte at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in the men’s 400m individual medley. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY

Gators in various stages of their athletic careers have been in the Olympics. Who was the first to win a medal while an undergraduate?
1. Christina McDonald (BSHSE ’93), gymnastics
2. Mark Everett (BSESS ’92), track and field
3. Tim McKee (’72-’74), swimming
Frank Shorter (JD ’74) is one of UF’s greatest Olympians. In what sport did he win a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Games?
1. Boxing
2. Weightlifting
3. Marathon
Baseball was only an official sport for Olympic Games from 1992 to 2008 (although it will be reintroduced in 2021). During that short span two Gator greats competed. Who are they?
1. David Eckstein (BA ’12) and Herbert Perry (BSA ’91)
2. Matt LaPorta (BSR ’09) and Brad Wilkerson (’95-’98)
3. Josh Fogg (’95-’98) and Darren O’Day (BSA ’06)
Celebrated swimmer Ryan Lochte (BSR ’11) competed in four Olympic Games. How many gold medals did he win?
1. Two
2. Six
3. Ten
Another Gator swimmer, Dara Torres (BSTEL ’90), was 41 years old when she became the oldest person ever to earn an Olympic U.S.A. roster spot. How many Games did she compete in? Hint: First one was 1984.
1. Three
2. Four
3. Five
Dara Torres at the 2012 Olympic trials.

The UF basketball court has been home to a long list of college — and, later, professional — stars. Which of these two Gators played hoops for Olympic teams?
1. Tammy Jackson (BSR ’07) and DeLisha Milton-Jones (’93-’97)
2. Dwayne Schintzius (’87-’90) and Udonis Haslem (’98-’02)
3. Al Horford (’04-’07) and Vernon Maxwell (’84-’88)
Beach volleyball and UF go together like sand and toes, so it’s no surprise that Gator alumna Gudula Staub was in the 2000 Sydney Games, where she represented Germany. But it might shock people that three alumni have competed in this winter sport:
1. Bobsleigh
2. Alpine skiing
3. Snowboarding
In which Games did Gators Jeanne Golay (BSBA ’87) and Andrew Weaver (BDES ’82) race on America’s cycling teams?
1. 1984 Los Angeles
2. 1992 Barcelona
3. 1996 Atlanta
4. All the above
Five Gators have been in the Olympics for diving, but only two of them on Team U.S.A. What are the other three nations they represented?
1. Mexico, Brazil and Kenya
2. Canada, Belgium and United Kingdom
3. France, Italy and Germany
Abby Wambach, one of UF’s best-known athletes, at the quarterfinal match during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY

Gator teammates Marissa King (BA ’14, BSTEL ’14) and Bridget Sloan (BSTEL ’16) competed against each other in gymnastics during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Which countries did they represent?
1. U.S.A and Great Britain
2. U.S.A and the Philippines
3. Great Britain and the Philippines
Harry Winkler (BSPE ’68, MPH ’70) is a two-time Olympian in what sport?
1. Fencing
2. Ping-pong
3. Handball
Like Winkler, Colleen Rosensteel (BSESS ’90, MESS ’94) represented the Gator Nation and U.S.A. in an unlikely sport in three Olympic Games. What’s her sport?
1. Judo
2. Water polo
3. Shooting
Four-time All-American Abby Wambach (’98-’01) is arguably UF’s best-known soccer star. She competed with or against two other Gators during her two gold-medal appearances in the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Games. Who are those other Gators?
1. Andi Sellers (BSESS ’01, MESS ’03) and Danielle Fotopoulos (BSR ’99)
2. Melanie Booth (BSAPK ’08) and Heather Mitts (BSADV ’01)
3. Sarah Yohe (BSESS ’99) and Dena Floyd (BA ’04)
UF has produced almost 100 Olympic swimmers, representing more than a dozen nations. Which of these HAS NOT been represented by a Gator?
1. South Korea
2. Iceland
3. Libya
Lisa Raymond at the London 2012 Olympic Games, during the women’s doubles semifinals. Bob Donnan USA TODAY

Gator tennis players Jill Craybas (BSTEL ’96), Jill Hetherington (’84-’87), Mark Merklein (’91-’94) and Lisa Raymond (’91-’93) all competed for medals, but how many actually had one hung around her or his neck?
1. Lisa Raymond, 2012 in London
2. Jill Craybas, 2008 in Beijing
3. Jill Hetherington, 1988 in Seoul
4. Mark Merklein, 2000 in Sydney
5. All four won medals
In a testament to his athletic prowess, 20 years after his first Olympic Games Horace Tuitt (BS ’77) returned a second time to compete in track and field. In which Olympics did he compete?
1. 1972 Munich and 1992 Barcelona
2. 1976 Montreal and 1996 Atlanta
3. 1980 Moscow and 2000 Sydney
Gator sensation Kelly Murphy (BAE ’17), a four-time All-American in college, was a bronze medalist in volleyball in which Olympic Games?
1. 2012 London
2. 2016 Rio
3. 2000 Sydney
Ron “Stix” Ballatore spent decades coaching collegiate swimmers, including Gators in the late 1990s. How many countries did he coach in his five Olympic Games?
1. Two
2. Three
3. Four
Christian Taylor takes home a gold in the men’s triple jump qualifying rounds at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY

Gators know that UF Athletics is all about creating leaders in sports AND in life. Which of these UF Olympians went on to become an advocate for fellow track and field athletes around the world?
1. Hazel Clark (BA ’01)
2. Christian Taylor (BSSPM ’19)
3. Novlene Williams-Mills (BSR ’04)
There’s just one Gator Nation, but UF athletes have represented nations across the globe in the Olympics. How many countries?
1. 13
2. 29
3. 41
Although the U.S.A. boycotted the 1980 Games in Moscow, David Zubero (BSA ’83) won a bronze for swimming the 100-meter butterfly. What country did he represent?
1. Spain
2. New Zealand
3. Bosnia

BONUS: One Gator has competed in both the winter and summer Olympic Games. Who is that Gator?

1. Liston Bochette (BFA ’80)
2. Hilda Luthersdottir (BSPR ’15)
3. Anthony Nesty (BA ’94)

BONUS 2: Which Gator Olympian had his likeness placed on a stamp after winning a gold medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul?

1. Mark Everett (BSESS ’92)
2. Jill Hetherington (’84-’87)
3. Anthony Nesty (BA ’94)

Answers

1. (C) 180 Gators have participated since the 1972 Munich Games, winning 126 total medals.

2. (B) Gators have won medals in baseball, basketball, bobsleigh, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and indoor volleyball.

3. (D) UF athletes brought home 21 medals in 1984 — 14 gold, five silver and two bronze.

4. (A) Ball was a 16-year-old high school junior when she won gold at the 1968 Games in Mexico City; she later received a UF scholarship.

5. (C) McKee, a freshman at the time, won two silvers in the 1972 Munich Games; four years later he won another silver in Montreal.

6. (C) Shorter is the only American with two Olympic marathon medals — a gold in Munich and a silver in Montreal in 1976.

7. (B) LaPorta won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Games; Wilkerson won a gold in the 2000 Sydney Games.

8. (B) Lochte was in the 2004 Games in Athens, 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, and 2016 in Rio, and won 12 medals: six gold, three silver and three bronze.

9. (C) Along with Los Angeles in 1984, Torres competed in Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008

10. (A) Jackson was a bronze medalist in the 1992 Barcelona Games; Milton-Jones won gold in Sydney in 2000 and in Beijing in 2008.

11. (A) John Amabile (AA ’83) and Liston Bochette (BFA ’80) were on the Puerto Rican team at the 1992 Albertville Games, 1994 in Lillehammer and 1998 in Nagano; Steve Mesler (BSESS ’00) raced for the U.S.A. in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 games in Salt Lake City, Turin and Vancouver.

12. (D) Golay cycled in Barcelona and Atlanta Games; Weaver won a bronze in L.A.

13. (B) Debbie Fuller (BSADV ’90) was on Canada’s team in the 1984 L.A. Games and 1988’s Seoul Olympics; Tom LeMaire (BSPE ’83) dove for Belgium in 1984; Chris Snode (BAART ’81) competed for Britain in 1976’s Montreal Games, 1980 in Moscow and 1984 in L.A.

14. (A) Sloan won a silver medal for Team U.S.A.; King was on the British team.

15. (C) Winkler was on America’s team in the 1972 Munich Games and the 1976 Montreal Games.

16. (A) Rosensteel was in the 1992 Barcelona Games, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000.

17. (B) Booth won a bronze with Canada in the 2012 London Olympics; Mitts joined Wambach in both 2004’s Athens Games and in 2012 — she also competed in Beijing in 2008.

18. (A) Sarah Bateman (BS ’13) swam for Iceland in the 2008 Beijing Games and again in London in 2012; Mercedes Farhat (’09) was a member of Libya’s team in 2008.

19. (A) Raymond won a bronze in 2012.

20. (B) Tuitt was a Trinidad and Tobago team member in the 1976 and 1996 Games.

21. (B) Murphy was one of 30 Gator athletes in those Games, in which Gators won 13 medals combined.

22. (C) Ballatore was Peru’s coach in 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Ecuador’s in 1972’s Munich Games, Israel’s for the 1976 Games in Montreal, and the U.S.A.’s in 1984 and 1998’s L.A. and Seoul Games.

23. Taylor, one of the all-time great triple jump champions, is president of the global The Athletics Association, which advocates for athletes’ rights.

24. (C) As of the 2016 Games, Gators have been on teams for Australia (5), Bahamas (2), Barbados (2), Belgium (1), Bermuda (1), Bosnia (1), Brazil (2), Canada (21), Cayman Islands (1), Colombia (2), Croatia (1), Curacao (1), Estonia (1), France (1), Georgia (1), Germany (3), Great Britain (11), Guam (1), Haiti (2), Hungary (3), Iceland (2), Italy (1), Jamaica (7), Mexico (1), New Zealand (1), Peru (1), Philippines (1), Poland (4), Portugal (1), Puerto Rico (6), Saint Kitts/Nevis (1), South Africa (2), South Korea (1), Spain (8), Suriname (3), Trinidad (2), Trinidad & Tobago (1), Tunisia (1), United States (66), Venezuela (4), Virgin Islands (2)

25. (A) Zubero captured the lone Gator medal in those Games.

Bonus: (A.) Bochette competed in track and field in the 1984 summer Games in L.A. and in bobsled in the 1992, 1994 and 1998 winter Games in Albertville, Lillehammer and Nagano.

Bonus 2: (C) Nesty, the first Black swimmer to win an Olympic medal, swam for Suriname. His home country used Nesty’s likeness on a stamp, gold and silver coins, and a bank note to honor his accomplishment.

Sources: floridagators.com and Wikipedia

Published

July 6, 2021