2 Minutes with Ed Rendell

At the Butler game last week, I caught up with Penn alum, former PA governor, and avid sports fan Ed Rendell for an interview on Penn sports, the all-time Quaker greats, and what you should do when you've moved to Philly, and still have to root for a terrible home team. We published an abbreviated version of the interview in the paper. Here is the full transcript:

How many years have you been a fan of Penn athletics?
Well, since my freshman year in the fall of '61. I remember on December 22 - I think it was - I was supposed to go home for Christmas to New York and we were playing St. Joe's on a Friday night. It went to a triple overtime and I missed my train. And we won in triple overtime.

Do you have a list of your top five Quaker athletes?

Oh gosh. I think they'd be all basketball. And it would be that great '71 team - Dave Wohl, Steve Bilsky, Corky Calhoun and Bob Morse, and maybe I'd throw in Keven McDonald or Ron Haigler. The later years.

Where does Zack Rosen rank in there?

I'd say Zack is one of the top five guards to ever play for Penn. But Butler's doing a great job tonight. A great job.

You're a native New Yorker, right?

Yes.

How long did it take you to start rooting for Philadelphia teams?

Well, it depends on the sport. I lasted longer on the football Giants. Didn't become an Eagles fan until the early seventies.

For a long suffering Redskins fans or Mets or Wizards fans, what do you say?

Some day it will turn around. [laughing] For the Redskins, hopefully not too soon.