Welp @Panthers pic.twitter.com/FCjDwSZGje
— Billy Howell (@CoachBilly1) May 17, 2016
A college football national championship, Heisman Trophy and NFL MVP award apparently aren’t enough to make someone a household name among celebrity journalists.
On a recent episode of Jeopardy, three news anchors were given the answer “The Carolina Panther who was the first NFL rookie to pass for over 4,000 yards.” All three contestants – CNN’s Anderson Cooper, CBS’ Lara Logan and MSNBC’s Michael Steele – all stood silent.
“That’s sports. We don’t do sports,” Logan said, while being echoed by Anderson.
“Then I will help you,” host Alex Trebek said. “It’s Cam Newton.”
The contestants then played the “oh of course!” and “we knew that” cards.
For almost anyone in Alabama, that would have been an easy $600 question.
Newton led the Auburn Tigers to their first national championship in 53 years in a season that included an incredible comeback against the Alabama Crimson Tide. He also became Auburn’s third Heisman Trophy winner that year.
After leaving Auburn, Newton was drafted as the number 1 pick by the Carolina Panthers. In addition to passing for over 4,000 yards his first season, Newton also won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He’s played in the Pro Bowl three out of his first five seasons in the NFL, received the league’s MVP award in 2015, and made his first Super Bowl appearance earlier this year. Oh, and he has his own Nickelodeon show premiering this summer.
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