Once upon a time in Philadelphia, there were five schools that each boasted uniquely storied basketball traditions.
They were winners of national championships, some of the best teams in the land, and virtual factories for the professional leagues. And best of all, they toiled in a city that appreciated them.
All five played their games on the same stretch of road in West Philadelphia. Penn shared the Palestra with Villanova for doubleheaders, while Temple, Saint Joseph's and La Salle played two-for-ones down the street at Convention Hall.
As a result, world-class teams often played simultaneously down the street from one another.
Ardent hoops fans could be torn between seeing Villanova's jump-shooting Paul Arizin or Temple's famed Owl Without a Vowel, Bill Mlkvy, or between Penn's record-smashing Ernie Beck, or the fantastic Tom Gola of La Salle.
But one day, a sports information director from Penn named Bob Paul had the idea to bring together the five local programs for twin bills at the Palestra. The schools could share expenses and split the gate, while the fans would enjoy the matchups they had previously been denied.
It was simple enough an idea, and it went off without a hitch. Word grew of the great basketball games being played on Penn's campus, and people came.
The fathers brought their sons in the early sixties to see Villanova's Hubie White torch Pennsylvania for 38 points, a Big 5 record that endured for 17 seasons. It was said White who nabbed Big 5 MVP honors in 1962, scored from all corners of the Palestra cedar that night. The sons remembered what they saw, and it was passed on.
Time passed and the traditions burgeoned. Coaches established the famous unwritten practice of not sharing game films or scouting reports on their neighborhood rivals with out-of-town schools. Fans established the infamous, since-banned practice of hurling streamers onto the floor when their school notched its first field goal.
The fathers brought their sons to see St. Joe's and Villanova pit their annual Holy War, the most heated of the city series rivalries. They saw Steve Donches, the little-known SJU reserve, sink a 29-foot prayer that sunk their Augustinian archrivals, 71-69, in their historic 1966 battle. They saw the Wildcats crumple to the ground, beaten. They saw living seas of Crimson and Grey engulf the court. The sons remembered what they saw, and it was passed on.
These were games that captured the imagination, featuring unlikely heroes, final reel comebacks and crackerjack coaching -- from Jack Kraft's vintage ball defense to John Chaney's vaunted matchup zone.
Over the years, the fiery competition for city bragging rights has never wavered. It's no wonder longtime St. Joseph's coach Dr. Jack Ramsay said that winning the Big 5 championship was more important to him than winning the national championship.
The fathers brought their sons in the seventies to see Ollie Johnson, a South Philadelphia High School graduate who didn't play organized ball until the age of 19 -- when he walked on at Philadelphia Community College. After transferring to Temple to play under the great Harry Litwack, Johnson led the Owls in scoring for two seasons and played on the team that snapped Penn's unprecedented 48-game regular season winning streak. The sons remembered what they saw, and it was passed on.
Boys grew up fantasizing about sinking jumpers on the Palestra floor before their friends and family. The antiquated, high-ceilinged building on 33rd and Spruce -- more church than basketball venue -- became a unifying icon.
The fathers brought their sons to see Speedy Morris and his cool-as-ice La Salle teams during the late '80s. They saw Tim Legler, Randy Owens, Doug Overton and Lionel Simmons -- a National Player of the Year -- push the game to a grueling pace. In 1989, they swept the city series en route to a 30-2 season. The sons remembered what they saw, and it was passed on.
Night after night, decade after decade, passion has been spilt on the Palestra hardwood. And generations of fans have happily lapped it up. It's a place where children learned the rules of the game. It's a place where young adults had their first dates.
The fathers brought their sons to see the great Penn teams of the '90s, to see plucky Michael Jordan pour in 22 points to carry the Quakers past a No. 5-ranked Temple team, 73-70, in an overtime barnburner. They saw the pandemonium that ensued; they saw the moment, crystallized. The sons remembered what they saw, and it was passed on.
On Saturday, these five schools with upwards of 7,000 wins among them will all meet again. All roads -- be it City Line, Olney, North Broad or Lancaster -- will lead to the Palestra, and the tripleheader that will tip off another frenetic winter of college basketball in Philadelphia.
Another chapter will be added to the story this weekend, another name may be added to the lengthy roll of Big 5 legends -- the automatic bid to immortality in this city.
