Perhaps nobody in the greater Philadelphia area has done more to promote the camaraderie of people through basketball than “Coach” Dave Dabrow. He was a teacher and basketball coach in the Philadelphia Public League for over 40 years, a member of the Philadelphia Sphas basketball team, president of the Jewish Basketball League and president and… Read more »
Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Eddie Gottlieb was known as the “Mogul” of basketball. He was one of the pioneers of the sport, helping to develop it to national prominence. A founder of the National Basketball Association, he was the first promoter to use the doubleheader as part of the program in basketball. He… Read more »
Judy Auritt, a graduate of West Philadelphia High School, was an AAU Junior National and Middle Atlantic States Swimming Champion and an NCAA record holder for Penn State University and the University Of Pennsylvania in the 1940s. She held Middle Atlantic Championships and resident and championship records in 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle and… Read more »
An avid sportsman and renowned in Philadelphia and Israel as a humanitarian and philanthropist, Harold Landesberg graduated from West Philadelphia High School where he was a second team All Public basketball player. He went on to Duke University where he played soccer tennis and basketball. Following his graduation from Duke he played professional soccer with… Read more »
Dr. William P. (Pete) Leaness grew up in West Philadelphia and is regarded as the Dean of American Collegiate Soccer Coaches. He compiled a record of 245 victories, 97 losses and 36 ties during his 41 year tenure as Temple University’s head soccer coach, which began in 1930 following his graduation from the Temple School… Read more »
A native of South Philadelphia Harry Litwack is an institution in American college basketball. He was the head basketball coach at Temple University for 21 years, from 1952-1973, where he coached the Owls to 14 consecutive winning seasons. He is credited with the creation of the “zone defense”, which changed the game of basketball and… Read more »
All-American fencer Dave Micahnik grew up in Wilkes Barre, never touching a fencing sword until he entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. He has been the fencing coach at the University of Pennsylvania since 1974. As an undergraduate at Penn, he was All-Ivy in epee in 1959. He was a member of three United… Read more »
Over a half century ago, South Philadelphia gymnast Pearl Perkins was recognized as the Mary Lou Retton of her time. She has been called perhaps the most talented South Philadelphia athlete of all, and probably the least well known. By the age of 12 she had become a Delaware Valley track and field star and… Read more »
At one time the most dominant team in professional basketball, the Philadelphia SPHAS was organized as an amateur team in 1918 by Eddie Gottlieb, Harry Passon and Hughie Black shortly after their graduation from South Philadelphia High School. Those three young men had one overpowering objective in life following their graduation…to study basketball. Their first… Read more »
David Pincus is a graduate of Central High School and Penn State University, where he was a member of the track and field team. He held the Penn State discus record for many years and while at the university competed in the 1948 Olympic track and field trials in the discus. In 1993 he was… Read more »
