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Sports
Football hero
A new statue at Franklin Field will honor Penn alum and NFL Hall-of-Famer Chuck Bednarik. Known as “Concrete Charlie,” Bednarik played for the Quakers from 1945 to 1948, and then for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 to 1962.
Historic Palestra floor makes a rebound
Known as the “Cathedral of Basketball,” the Palestra opened in 1927 and has grown into one of the most historic collegiate arenas in the nation. The celebrated gymnasium has hosted more games and visiting teams and NCAA tournament games than any other college facility in the country.
Putting the Palestra on film
Mikaelyn Austin remembers visiting the Palestra as a high school senior, during her Penn recruiting trip, and seeing a photo of former Penn basketball star Michael Jordan sitting atop one of the arena’s hoops, swinging the recently cut net over his head after a momentus win.
Law prof gets handed a labor football
This past January, while half the country was huddled around the TV watching the Super Bowl and scarfing down Buffalo wings, David Berger Professor of Law Stephen Burbank was in sunny San Diego, taking it all in live.
Rich Bonfiglio named new men’s tennis coach
Bonfiglio began his coaching career at Trinity in 2011 and coached at Ithaca, Amherst, the University of San Diego, Columbia, and USC before coming to Penn.
Penn Athletics’ CPR training program launches
A Penn tennis player spearheads a program to certify all student athletes in CPR. It’s the first of its kind at any college or university in the country.
In the News
Penn unveils statue of Bert Bell, the first owner of the Philadelphia Eagles
Penn alumnus and Philadelphia Eagles founder Bert Bell was honored with a statue and ceremony at Franklin Field.
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Penn baseball inspired by Yankees’ Jake Cousins, who will be the first Quaker since 1912 to play in a World Series
Alumnus Jake Cousins is pitching in the World Series for the New York Yankees, featuring remarks from Penn baseball coach John Yurkow and other Penn players.
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Coach Ray Priore reaches 50-win milestone as Penn outlasts Bucknell
The Penn football team defeated Bucknell on Saturday to mark Ray Priore’s 50th victory as the program’s coach.
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For Nia Akins, U.S. 800-meter Olympian, music was the path to confidence in track
Recent Penn grad and 2024 Paris Olympian Nia Akins is profiled for drawing connections between musical performance and running track and field.
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Penn grad Nia Akins is about to release her first album. But first: Compete in the 800 meters at the Olympics
Penn graduate Nia Akins is running the 800 meters at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, with remarks from Penn coach Steve Dolan.
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