Obscure sports trivia

Thought I'd nailed it, with your Alabama connection.

 

Obscure is why we're here, right? But it is not Tuffy Leemans. Nor is it Baugh.
It's also not a Bear.
The guy we're looking for is in the Hall of Fame, though.

 

Since we've had a fair number of guesses and it's getting late, the answer is Ray Flaherty.
Flaherty played end and defensive end for the New York Yankees and then the Giants from 1927-35. His No. 1 was retired when he also retired at the end of the 1935 season.
Flaherty is supposedly the one who suggested the Giants wear sneakers during the 1934 NFL championship game against the Bears. He became the head coach of the Redskins the following year and won two NFL championships with them in 1937 and 1942. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach in 1976.

 

Along those lines: Four NBA players have had their numbers retired by teams they never played for. Who are they and who are the teams?

 

If I had gone Giants instead of Bears, Flaherty and Ken Strong would have been my top two guesses.

BTW, I looked up the Bears’ retired numbers and Nagurski (3), Grange (77) and Bill Hewitt (56) were their first. They had their numbers retired together in 1949.

The Bears have retired 14 numbers, most in the league.

 

Is Len Bias and the Celtics one of them?
Maybe Jerry Sloan in Utah?

 

MJ with the Heat (Dan Marino too).

 

Can't remember which teams did it, but I know a couple of random ones retired Kobe's No. 24.
Did a couple of others do the same for Jordan?

 

Nope and nope.

 

Yes, Miami did it with Jordan and Dallas did it with Kobe.

Two more to go. One should be pretty easy.

 

Nets and Dr. J?

 

Nope. Doc DID play for the Nets franchise.