Mr. Know It All Answers about Ickey Woods aren’t icky

Q. There is a GEICO commercial with a husky man dancing in the aisle alongside of a display case in the deli department. The announcer mentions his name, but I can’t understand him. Who is this elated gentleman?

V.H.L., Elmira, N.Y.

A. His name is Elbert L. Woods, better known to millions of football fans from 1988 to 1991 as “Ickey.”

He played his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his rookie year, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

He is best remembered for his lumbering “Ickey Shuffle,” an end zone dance after he scored a touchdown; in his career he did the shuffle 27 times.

In 1989, Woods played in Super Bowl XXIII against the San Francisco 49ers, though the Bengals lost 20 to 16.

In the second game of the 1989 season, Woods went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and he missed 13 months. In 1991, Woods injured his right knee during the preseason. He returned at midseason, but he was no longer the great fullback he had been. His career ended that year.

Woods is currently the coach of the Cincinnati Sizzle, a team in the Women’s Football Alliance, and he runs the Ickey Woods Youth Foundation.

For those of us who were Ickey Woods fans, it’s great to see the end zone shuffle again, even if it’s in a deli aisle.

Q. I’ve seen a few TV episodes of “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.”

There was one episode in which Fred Clark played the role of Harry Morton, the next-door neighbor of George and Gracie and husband to Blanche. In another episode, Larry Keating played the role of Harry. In yet another episode, there was an unknown actor in the role.

How many different actors played the role?

G.N., Santa Barbara, Calif.

A. Harry Morton was first portrayed by Hal March from October through December 1950. John Brown took over from January to June 1951. After that, Fred Clark had the role until 1953. Larry Keating had the role the longest, from 1953 through 1958. The show aired from 1950-1958.

Q. Why is a shrewd lawyer often referred to as a Philadelphia lawyer?

J.J.N., Pensacola, Fla.

A. The jury is out on this. According to some sources, the term was inspired by Andrew Hamilton (1676-1741), who in 1735 successfully defended New York printer and newspaper journalist John Peter Zenger from charges of libel by using truth as a defense, which affirmed the freedom of the press in America.

Andrew Hamilton was a Philadelphia lawyer, hence the term.

Q. What is the name of the bucking horse on the Wyoming license plate? Who is the cowboy?

R.K., Waco, Texas

A. Officially, the horse does not have a name. However, details such as that don’t stop versions of an answer being created.

In this case there are several popular versions.

Version 1: During World War I, Wyoming soldier George Ostrom designed the bucking horse and rider logo using his horse, Red Wing, as the model. Version 2: In 1935, Secretary of State Lester Hunt commissioned artist Allen True to design the bucking horse and rider logo for the license plates with no specific horse as the model. There are others who believe the rodeo horse Steamboat was the model.

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.