In 1979, Penn enjoyed its one and only Final Four appearance, of course making an improbable run before falling at the hands of Magic Johnson and Michigan State in the national semifinal.
But that wasn’t the end.
Until 1981, the NCAA Tournament featured a third-place game for the two teams that lost in the Final Four. So despite a crushing 34-point defeat against the Spartans, the Quakers had to stick around in Salt Lake City to face DePaul.
Penn men's basketball will hold its annual alumni game tomorrow from 4-5 p.m., before the Quakers take on Cornell at 7. More than 65 alums are slated to appear for the alumni event as a whole, and they'll also be honored throughout the game Saturday night. Recent stars such as Rob Belcore (W' 12) and Mark Zoller (C' 07) will be attendance in addition to older standouts like Keven McDonald (C' 78) and Tony Price (C' 79).
The Quakers comeback take down an undefeated No. 15 Temple squad, 79-74
January 10, 1979
In front of a sold out Palestra crowd numbering 9,208, Penn improved to 2-0 in Big 5 play, including a win over La Salle.
The season continued to be a special one for the Quakers, ending in Penn’s first and only Final Four appearance.
Jack Scheuer over at Philahoops is choosing the five best players from each of the City 6 schools over the past 50 years as part of an ongoing feature, and now he's gotten to Penn. Here's what he came up with:
1. Corky Calhoun
2. Ron Haigler
3. Keven McDonald
4. Jerome Allen
5. Zack Rosen
Interesting to see Matt Maloney left off, and Quaker fans who only remember the last 20 years or so will also have a soft spot for Ugonna Onyekwe, Matt Langel and Mark Zoller. Those who can remember a little further back may consider Tony Price or even Stan Pawlak as well, not to mention Mr. Bilsky himself. Who are your top five Quakers of the past 50 years?
Tony Price celebrates with fans after defeating St. John's in the 1979 NCAA tournament. The win sent Penn to the final four, where they lost to Michigan State.
Penn's Tony Price, Ivy Player of the Year, catches his breath in a Big 5 matchup with Temple during the 1979 season.
(Photo by David Rosenbaum)
