Obscurity, Rather Than Trivia

Yesterday, Carol and I went to the Rutgers-Syracuse football game with our friends, Karen and Bill. Bill and I first met in high school in 1962 so our friendship has lasted over 45 years, our marriages and four children between us.

On the way to the game we were listening to the pre-game tail gate show where they typically ask some Rutgers trivia questions with various prizes for the winner. When we pulled into the parking lot, the host was asking a trivia question and Bill and I realized three things:

1. We knew the answer to the question.

2. The prize was two tickets to the Army game which Bill wanted for two of his daughters.

3. The host was complaining that there weren't enough people trying to answer the question.

So we parked and walked quickly (as quickly as 60+ year olds walk) to where the show was being broadcast from. We had to wait for them to come back from commercial and while someone else answered the question - incorrectly it turned out. While we were waiting I saw Dick Lloyd (upper left hand corner in the picture) who was waiting to be interviewed on the radio show. Dick was a basketball coach when I was a basketball manager (lower right hand corner of the picture), now he is the color analyst for the radio broadcasts of Rutgers' men's basketball.

Dick's wife, Marion was also there. When she heard what Bill and I are were doing, she said there should be a question about me as the 1968 men's basketball manager. The radio show came back from commercial, Bill answered the question correctly and got the two tickets. Then Dick went on the interview and said to the host that he had a trivia question for them. Who was the 1968 Rutgers' men's basketball manager and then kindly said my name and pointed me out in the vast crowd of 6-8 people.

In response I waived my hand and said - "That's not trivia, that's obscurity." All the same it was nice to be recognized in that way. Given how the day had started, we shouldn't have been worried when Syracuse got off to a 14-0 lead and, in fact, all ended well - Rutgers 35 - Syracuse 17.