BWF QUIZ: How Well Do You Know Ben Johnson (from Ted Kaczynski)?

 We all know and love Ben Johnson, and a big part of that love is about playfully ignoring the clear and obvious signs that it's being spent on a psycho who would gladly strangle the light from Matt Lafleur's eyes if it could be done without accruing penalty yardage. Being a fan of Ben is a lot like being a single cat owner - you can't help but pour love into a creature whose response is silently waiting for your death. Naysayers are already pointing out that this isn't a perfect analogy - after all, your cat's response to your death is a muted blink before blissfully consuming your corpse. Ben Johnson is different in that he doesn't blink.

But how well do you know Ben Johnson the brilliant, infamous psycho from just your normal brilliant, infamous psycho? Find out, in this exclusive* BWF Quiz:

Ben Johnson, Or the Unabomber?

*(I think this is exclusive. I mean I haven't done an exhaustive search here but I think we're one of the few sites that would run this article - the unabomber isn't a #trending term)

 

1. This famous Chicago figure went to college in the Boston area, using his widely-recognized mathematical gifts to earn multiple degrees, including a degree in Mathematics.

Answer: c) Both. Ted Kaczynski was born and raised in Chicago. He skipped multiple grades and was accepted into Harvard at age 15, where he got a bachelor’s in Mathematics before earning a master’s and PhD. Ben Johnson, also regarded by his teachers and peers as being gifted in math, went to Boston College, earning degrees in both Computer Science and Mathematics. I agree it's a wild number of commonalities, but it's important to remember that Ted Kaczynski confessed to 16 bombings. Ben Johnson hasn't confessed to any.

2. While attending college, this person was recognized for their gifts not only in Mathematics and attention to detail, but also in leadership, being awarded a position as a graduate assistant.

Answer: c) Both. After graduating from Harvard, Ted Kaczynski became a graduate assistant in Math. Ben Johnson graduated with a math degree from Boston College, though his graduate assistant position was for the football program. Totally different. It's honestly not weird at all.

3. As a child in kindergarten, this person would spend his time every day after school filling up a new notebook by writing down every number between 1 and 10,000 in sequential order.

Answer: a) Ben Johnson. Per Courtney Cronin's ESPN profile "Why Bears Coach Ben Johnson Seemed Destined for this Moment: "Math came easy and piqued Johnson's interest from a young age. When he was in kindergarten, his parents bought him a spiral notebook to allow his mind and organizational skills to go to work. Each day after school, the 6-year-old wrote out numbers from 1 to 10,000 -- for fun. When one page filled up, he'd be on to the next, until the notebook was filled with every number in sequential order in neat columns."

4. This man was known to stay up all night alone drawing diagrams for his plan of attack.

Answer: c) Both. Kaczynski wrote in his autobiography that he forced himself to stay up studying and working past 2 or 3 A.M. Meanwhile, colleagues noted that Johnson would routinely work late into the night perfecting detailed picture books and play diagrams until morning.

5. This person would read to his followers passages from the Green Beret book “Objective Secure” on warrior mindset.

Answer: a) Ben Johnson. Before practice on Aug. 20, Johnson spent nine minutes reading to over 150 players, coaches, and staff from Nick Lavery's Objective Secure to instill a warrior mindset.

6. Reporters note that this person’s home was filled with thousands of hand-written notes.

Answer: b) Ted Kaczynski. The FBI's search of Kaczynski's rustic Montana cabin recovered thousands of pages of handwritten notes, including detailed journals and confessions.

7. After becoming famous, this person was found to have diagrams of their plans of attack drawn out going back as early as middle school in crayon.

Answer: a) Ben Johnson. Courtney Cronin reported that around middle school, Ben began demonstrating his creative football mind by diagramming offensive formations and scoring concepts to bring to his father for feedback.