Howie Schwab, one of the world’s foremost sports trivia minds.

Howie Schwab, star of ESPN’s popular “Stump the Schwab” program and the network’s coordinating producer and statistician, will be Floor Covering News’ special guest at Surfaces in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and Thursday, Feb. 8.

Schwab, the “Sultan of Sports Trivia” who will be appearing courtesy of ESPN at FCNews’ booth #7146 on the main level in Hall G, will be meeting and talking sports with floor covering retailers who cast their ballot for FCNews’ Award of Excellence contest (see page 12). Retailers will also have the opportunity to stump Schwab with trivia questions spanning the last 20 years of sporting events. Those who do will win cash prizes.

That’s just for starters. Retailers can also enter for a chance to play actual games of Stump the Schwab throughout Surfaces with Schwab as host. (Then, on the afternoon of Feb. 8, the winners will square off against Schwab himself for a chance to win $1,000. But if Schwab prevails, the money will be donated to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation and Make a Wish Foundation.)

Schwab joined ESPN in 1987 and has held various positions. ESPN officials said they felt so confident with his sports knowledge that they decided in 2002 to develop a quiz show around his talent. He is also a regular contributor to ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” as the Couch Potato, informing sports fans what events to watch on TV on weekends. In addition, Schwab serves as a member of both the Dick Butkus Award Committee and The Jim Thorpe Award Committee.

Stump the Schwab appears on ESPN Classic weekday afternoons at 1 p.m. and evenings at 7 p.m.