NAME THAT NINER!

For those who may be new to the Board, or those just now finding this thread, the purpose of it is to showcase players on the All-time 49er roster who are in some way unheard of, long forgotten about, never known, or otherwise not very much thought about. However, in some cases, the player being showcased is quite well-known and famous.

The particular player is showcased in the form of a Trivia Question that was formulated around his name, his last name, or something distinctively unique about him.

This is primarily intended to be fun, and intellectually stimulating and rewarding.

The questions were constructed to be very difficult and tricky. It is expected that a particular question may come very easy for some individuals or an individual. Alternately, it would be no surprise should no one come up with the right answer. Our minds just don't always think the same.
But most of it is all about uncovering and decoding the question's mystery, or its real meaning.

Below are the questions that have been presented so far. Listing them here on the first page was at the suggestion of two regular participants of this thread.

Beneath them is my original post which explains this thread.
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QUESTION 1

Of noble properties, of prospects,

in days present, in days of old,

he's the only 49er, ever,

whose last name's forged from gold.

NAME THAT NINER!

Dan Audick, OT – 1981-1982, Hawaii

Answered correctly by the_dynasty

In 1981, Audick was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Though he was considered to be "undersized" for the left tackle position, he was tasked with the responsibility of protecting Joe Montana's "blindside." Under the guidance of Coach Bill Walsh, Audick was a key contributor on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play that has been immortalized as "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Playoffs versus the Dallas Cowboys. Audick subsequently started in Super Bowl XVI wearing number 61 for the 49ers' 26-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

[Source: Wikipedia]
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QUESTION 2

Of all the 49er players picked No. 1,

he's the only one that played defense.

NAME THAT NINER!

Jimmie Ward – DB – 2014-2022, Northern Illinois

Answered correctly by SmokeyJoe

These are the 49ers who wore jersey No. 1
Gary Anderson
Jose Cortez
Deebo Samuel
Noland Smith
Troy Smith
Jimmie Ward
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QUESTION 3

This 49er name – [its soundalike] – became famous only after teaming up with another player whose 5-letter last name starts with the letter "O" and ends with the letter "S."

NAME THAT NINER!

Darryl Hall – DB – 1995, Washington

Answered correctly by SmokeyJoe.

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QUESTION 4

Rice Owens Stokes

Their coverages often got smoked.

But no one would dare try to receive,

this thrower's clockwise-spinning heaves.

NAME THAT NINER!

Lawrence Okoye – DE – 2013 [did not play football in college]

KeepRabbitsOut got this one right.

Okoye is the British record holder in the discus event. Okoye became the first ever British athlete to win a medal in Discus at a European Championships during Munich 2022. He was a discus finalist in the most recent 2012 London Summer Olympic Games.
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QUESTION 5

NAME THAT NINER!

Amp Lee – RB – 1992 – 1993 – Florida State

No one correctly guessed the name for Question 5.

SmokeyJoe was the first to discover the Morse code images around the question.

49erKing tried to decode the code, but didn't quite get there.

Lee was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft. A 5'11", 200-lb. running back from Florida State University, Lee played in nine NFL seasons from 1992 to 2000. His best year as a professional came during the 1995 season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings when he caught 71 receptions. In 1997, Lee was named team MVP for the St. Louis Rams. He was a part of the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV winning team.

Lee caught Joe Montana's final touchdown pass for the 49ers in 1992.

[Source: Wikipedia]
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QUESTION 6

The 49ers' most accomplished Young.

He was part of four 49er Super Bowl wins.

NAME THAT NINER!

Ronnie Lott – DB – 1981-1990, Southern California

(Finished 2nd in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, to Lawrence Taylor)

Answered correctly by krizay

In my Webster's New World Dictionary, definition No. 4 for the word "young" is "inexperienced".

For this 49er trivia Question 6, young = inexperienced = rookie.

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QUESTION 7

The great Bryan Adams sang:

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She says her love for me could never die
But that'd change if she ever found out about you and I

I know her love is true
But it's so damn easy makin' love to you

I got my mind made up
I need to feel your touch

I'm gonna run to you
Yeah, I'm gonna run to you
'Cause when the feeling's right I'm gonna stay all night
I'm gonna run to you
Yeah, I'm gonna run to you

In the song's accompanying music video, the true object of affection in the song's story is revealed.

A former 49er shares that same kind of love.
He was also on the roster of the Redskins, Chiefs, Ravens, Colts, Bears, Chargers, Browns, and Giants.

During his two years with the 49ers, he was a 49ers Webzone Niner Talk feature subject, years ago.
There is video of him out there, on the internet, with his object of affection.

NAME THAT NINER!

Shaun Draughn – RB – 2015-2016 – North Carolina

49erAllTheTime correctly answered this one.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 2, 2015, Draughn signed with the San Francisco 49ers due to an injury to starter, Carlos Hyde. Draughn was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2015.

Draughn was re-signed to a one-year deal on March 2, 2016. In Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, he stiff armed his way into the end zone. On October 23, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he scored a long touchdown catch. On November 20, 2016, he scored a receiving touchdown against the New England Patriots. In the 2016 season, Draughn had 196 rushing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 263 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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QUESTION 8

There are 94 players listed on the All-Time 49ers roster who have the same last name as that of an American President.
One of them, and only one, has something glaringly and obviously in common with a very well-known, very high-scoring L.A. Laker.

NAME THAT NINER!

Anthony Davis – OT – 2010-2014, 16 – Rutgers

Anthony Nathaniel Davis is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Answered correctly by ChaunceyGardner

QUESTION 9

He quarterbacked in college and twice was his team's Most Valuable Player.

His team won the Super Bowl, in his first Year No 2.

His team won the Super Bowl, in his second Year No. 5.

NAME THAT NINER!

Tony Dungy – DB – 1979 – Minnesota

Question 9 was posted on Christmas Eve. Folks just had plenty other more exciting things to do.
A very good guess was offered on Dec. 26. But the question was not correctly answered.

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QUESTION 10

The SAT grades must have been very high, seeing he graduated from the Harvard Business School and all.

NAME THAT NINER!

.The answer to Question 10 was

Spencer Allen Tillman

No one came up with the answer.

Note: The time period for guessing was cut way short. About 30 minutes. Keeping it short and sweet like this, to me, just felt right. We will probably continue on this trek the rest of the way. Until further notice.

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QUESTION 11

A draft pick of the Chicago Bears, he left that city and brought his heart to San Francisco.
He went to Atlanta after that.
To Carolina after that.
Then St. Louis, Buffalo, and Washington.

NAME THAT NINER!

Chris Draft – LB – 1999, Stanford

Christopher Michael Draft (born February 26, 1976) is a former American football linebacker. He previously played for the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams, and Buffalo Bills. Draft played college football at Stanford University.

San Francisco 49ers

On 29 September 1999 Draft was signed to practice squad by the 49ers, where he spent six contests before being signed to the active roster on 20 November 1999. He saw action in seven games, mainly on special teams, for the San Francisco 49ers and notched seven special teams stops.

[Source: Wikipedia]

QUESTION 11 was correctly answered by SmokeyJoe
(his third correct answer)

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QUESTION 12

He lived as a devil,
eh?

[Hint: Only 1 player in 49ers history has this distinction.]

NAME THAT NINER!

Bill Stits – DB/RB – 1957-1958 – UCLA

William David Stits (July 26, 1931 – December 5, 2011) was an American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants. He played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1954 NFL draft.

[Source: Wikipedia]

SmokeyJoe got this one right. At this point, Smokey has answered 4 of the 12 questions presented.

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QUESTION 13

Let's say this game was a kind of souped up, roundabout, Wheel of Fortune, subset: NFL Rosters.
In this segment, we'll start off by giving you the letter "R."
Then, to find this 49er name, you would need to buy ALL the vowels.

The spelling of this 49er name consists, in part, of all of the vowels and the letter R.
His name [last name only] is the only 49er name in the team's history that fits this specific criteria.

NAME THAT NINER!

[Hint: Who's the player most talked about on the Board right now? – But CAUTION! This hint could bring you closer to the answer, OR it could lead you a thousand miles away astray.]

Pierson Prioleau – DB – 1999-2000 – Virginia Tech
Answered correctly by krizay.

QUESTION 14

He was an NCAA Triple Jump Champion. Fittingly, he landed on the roster of three NFL teams. The 49ers, the Rams, and the Eagles, in that order.
But remember: these questions are s'posed to be … like … really hard.
So, last thing: He was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

NAME THAT NINER!

[Hint: Some of you have attached a nickname to a certain despised, but well-respected, NFL foe.]

Kermit Alexander – DB – 1963 – 1969 – UCLA

SmokeyJoe correctly answered this one. His fourth correct answer to date.
krizay, who has correctly answered two, figured it out minutes after SmokeyJoe did.

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QUESTION 15

This historical 49er player/name is a relative unknown. [I found only minimal statistical information on him.] His professional football career also includes the Detroit Lions. He was 90 when he died, which was 18 years ago.

The focus on him as a 49er Trivia Question is his last name.
It is the same name as a school that at one time was "the premier all-Black college or university in the United States" [Source: Wikipedia].
(There is no connection or affiliation between him and the school.)

NAME THAT NINER!

Bill Fisk – OD/DE – 1946-1947 – Southern California

Question 15 was correctly answered by SmokeyJoe. His fifth correct answer thus far.
The school or university in question is Fisk University, in Nashville, TN.

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QUESTION 16

In 49er roster history, there are thirteen (13) 4-player groups in which each of the 4 has the same last name. For example, there are 4 Bryant(s). 4 Harrison(s). 4 Allen(s), etc.

Again, there are 13 such groups.

In one of the groups, all four men played on Defense.
In two of the groups, all four men played on Offense.

The 10 remaining groups are combinations. Some played Offense. Some played Defense.

Out of all the 13 groups — remember that each group contains 4 players — one, only one, has the combination of 3 players on Offense, and 2 players on Defense.

NAME THAT NINER! who made this possible.

ANSWER: EDDIE CARR

SmokeyJoe garnered his SIXTH correct answer. He posted it at right about the same time as when I was posting the answer.
Additionally, krizay was credited with coming up with the correct answer. krizay now has 3 correct answers.
The Question contained an ERROR. There are actually 14 groups of 4 players who each have the same last name. My Original list has been updated and I failed to access the updated list. The 14th group is the White(s). Bob White saw action on both Offense and Defense, and that means there are 3 players on Offense and 2 players on Defense for the White(s).
I could find no Wiki information on Bob White, but krizay included some links to info on him in his post on the pages that cover Question 16. (page 36)
MUCH credit to krizay for discovering this!

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QUESTION 17

Four names on the All-Time Roster end with the city's last syllable.
Ye lawyers daydream, to wit: your time spent on this, be billable.
But one name was the 52nd 49er year draftee.
His story, like KRO once said: "Wonderful … history."

NAME THAT NINER!

Answer: Valentino [Tino] Sabuco – C – 1949 – San Francisco

Answered correctly by SmokeyJoe. This is his 7th correct answer.
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QUESTION 18

When ordered strictly alphabetically (and vertical) by Last Name,
his name sits atop the list of the most common surname on the All-Time 49ers football player roster.

NAME THAT NINER!

Ken Willard – RB – [1965 – 1973] – North Carolina

No one correctly answered Question 18.

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ORIGINAL POST

Greetings San Francisco football fans!
I am former sportswriter and photojournalist. This is a new forum venture that I title,

NAME THAT NINER!

It is a 49ers trivia question. The answer for each question is a single name out of all the names listed in San Francisco 49ers football history.
Each question was formulated, or constructed, around the player's first name, last name, or both, or otherwise something specific about that player, or his name.
The compilation of player names is from this single Wikipedia source. [I was not allowed to post the link. Here is it, broken in three parts]: (I hope I got it right.)

htpps://www.footballdb .com/teams/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/ alltime-roster?letter=B

49ers All Time Roster (as of 2024 beginning of season)

The questions were designed to be difficult and not easy at all. Some are very tricky. Words, phrases, or grammar related things may be inserted, or omitted, in order to mislead you or misdirect you.
Each question has but one answer, no matter how much another player name may "appear" to also be the answer.

Please note: This is primarily for those few of you who like or enjoy this type of thing. Things like Jeopardy questions, solving puzzles, math problems, mysteries, and doing research. It is not meant or expected to capture the attention of most members on this forum.

It is just for FUN. If it proves to be a hit, it could become more fun than you may imagine (details about that later).
There will be 4 editions (including this initial one). The four questions will be spaced out over the remaining weeks in the season. It's possible I will add a fifth question. We will see.

Thank you for reading. Without further day, here's my first NAME THAT NINER! trivia question:

Of noble properties, of prospects,
in days present, in days of old,

he's the only 49er, ever,

whose last name's forged from gold.

NAME THAT NINER!

[ Edited by Isosceles on Mar 29, 2025 at 2:43 PM ]