49ers vs. Chiefs

As the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face off in Super Bowl LIV, here's having fun with the matchup: Seven goos who, being 49ers or Chiefs, already have a team to root for in the big game.

Robert Johnson

publication date: Saturday, February 1, 2020

category: Music

clue: His deal with the devil, made at a famous intersection along a road immortalized in a Howlin' Wolf song, set the course of blues and rock & roll forever after.

explanation: The most famous story of Johnson's life was that he supposedly met the devil at the crossroads of Highways 49 and 61 in Mississippi and sold his soul to become successful in music. Howlin' Wolf later released the song "Highway 49" about the same road. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Alfred Anderson

publication date: Friday, January 31, 2020

category: Aviation

clue: He trained America's first black air force and proved to the first lady that people of color could fly.

explanation: Anderson, nicknamed Chief, was the chief flight instructor of the Tuskegee Airmen. He famously took Eleanor Roosevelt for a private flight at her insistence. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Aaron Douglas

publication date: Thursday, January 30, 2020

category: Television

clue: Shuttle maintenance was his character's responsibility in a notable sci-fi re-imagining.

explanation: Douglas played The Chief, real name Galen Tyrol, in the "re-imagining" of Battlestar Galactica on what was then called the Sci-Fi Channel. more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, and Chris Lemler

Thomas Pynchon

publication date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020

category: Literature

clue: This postmodern novelist's best known book is about a particular auction lot.

explanation: Pynchon wrote The Crying of Lot 49. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Jidenna

publication date: Tuesday, January 28, 2020

category: Music

clue: Here's hoping that this Nigerian-American performer lives long enough to outrun whatever was pursuing him on his debut album.

explanation: Jidenna's first album The Chief contained the songs "Long Live the Chief" and "Chief Don't Run." more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Steve Downes

publication date: Monday, January 27, 2020

category: Games

clue: Despite decades as a radio DJ in Los Angeles and Chicago, he's best known for a masterful performance as an iconic faceless video game hero.

explanation: Downes is the voice of Master Chief in the Halo video games. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, and Chris Lemler