In the world of inter-collegiate and international fencing, being chosen as a member of an Olympic team is the absolute pinnacle of the sport. Cliff Bayer, of the University of Pennsylvania has been so honored twice. The Wharton MBA and fencing superstar competed for the US in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. In addition,… Read more »
Simply put, Larry Brown is one of the most successful basketball coaches, college or pro, of all-time. He is the only head coach to lead teams to an NBA title (Detroit 2004) and an NCAA Championship (Kansas 1988). He is also the only coach in history to lead eight different NBA teams to the playoffs…. Read more »
The first Jew to be a member of the United States Olympic Team in Sailing and first one to win an Olympic medal, Don Cohan picked up sailing in 1967 at age 37. Within three years, Cohan was competing in top Soling and Dragon-class regattas from Sweden to Tasmania; within five, he was reveling in… Read more »
Steve Cohen was an all-star gymnast who joined the ranks of the elite in World Gymnastics in Maccabiah, World and Olympic competition. A native of Wynnefield, in his senior year at West Philadelphia High School he placed first in all around for thirty-two straight individual meets capturing the city championship as he had for the… Read more »
Ken Dreyfuss has had a distinguished rowing career as both competitor and coach at the collegiate, national and international levels. As an athlete, he captained and coxed the University of Pennsylvania’s Heavyweight crew that broke Harvard’s six year undefeated streak in 1969 and took three consecutive team championships at the Intercollegiate National Championships (IRAs). Internationally,… Read more »
Born in a small town in the Ukraine on November 30, 1895, Sam emigrated to America in 1906, by himself, to live with sponsoring cousins. He worked to support himself before and after school. Joining the wrestling team at South Philadelphia High enabled him to receive a partial sports scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania… Read more »
It was 1952 when Arie Gluck walked into Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium representing the four year old country of Israel for which he had fought as a teenager. He already held Israeli track and field records in the 400 meters and 800 meters. Born in Kosice, Czechoslovakia in the 1930’s, at the age of three he… Read more »
Born in Philadelphia, Samuel Hyman Goldstein became a paraplegic at the age of 14. His disability did nothing to prevent him from participating in athletics and, in fact, served as the motivation to become a top-class athlete in a multitude of sports on a variety of international stages. His pursuit of athletic achievement began in… Read more »
Mike Koplove, a right-handed sidearm relief pitcher for two major league baseball teams, was born in Philadelphia during the bi-centennial year of 1976. He grew up playing little league and American Legion baseball in South Philly and attended Chestnut Hill Academy where he was named a first team All City selection by the Philadelphia Daily… Read more »
After tripping over a hurdle in eighth grade, Sam Mattis was told he would be a thrower. From that day forward, he became a track and field athlete competing in the discus throw. Setting the New Jersey state record from 2010-2012, he won the NJ Meet of Champions and the New Balance Nationals in 2011… Read more »
