Who's Who at the University of Pennsylvania

Steve Bilsky, Athletic Director Bilsky first made a name for himself at Penn as an undergraduate from 1968 to 1971, when he was a star guard on the basketball team. In his senior year, the Quakers romped through the regular season undefeated and advanced all the way to the Eastern Regional final before losing to Villanova. Two years earlier, as a sophomore, Bilsky first stepped into the spotlight agaisnt the very same Wildcats. On January 5, 1969, Penn and nationally-ranked Villanova were tied at 30. As the final seconds ticked away, the ball ended up in Bilsky's hands for the final shot. Coming off a screen, Bilsky drained the shot, knocking off the Wildcats. As an administrator, Bilsky has tried to make sure that there will always be a Big 5. Much has changed in the City Series since Bilsky was a player. The round-robin tournament has been done away with. Games are now played in the CoreStates Spectrum, McGonigle Hall or the duPont Center, instead of at the Palestra. And Villanova doesn't even play the full Big 5 schedule anymore. But the very fact that the Big 5 still exists is at least somewhat attributable to Bilsky. Working with the four other schools and former Big 5 Executive Secretary Dan Baker, Bilsky helped hammer out a new agreement which ensures the continuation of cross-city competition.