Your 1920 national champion Penn Quakers
Next Monday, the NCAA tournament will end, “One Shining Moment” will be sung, and one team will be left standing as national champions of the college basketball world.
Exactly 90 years ago today, there was no such hoopla when the University of Pennsylvania played the University of Chicago in the final college basketball game of the season.
But in the last game of a three-game “Intersectional Series” held at Princeton University, the Quakers defeated Chicago, 23-21, in what one newspaper called “one of the most spectacular ever played on the Princeton floor.”
Penn, which finished with a 22-1 record, beating such powers as Ursinus, Washington & Jefferson and Swarthmore, also won the Eastern Intercollegiate League title that season, being led by All-American captain H. Raymond “Dutch” Peck throughout the year. The Quakers were coached by former player Lon Jourdet.
Although there were no official national tournaments at the time, a group called the Helms Foundation later named national champions for every year starting in 1901 with Penn being chosen in 1920 (and then again the following season).
So, yeah, at one point Penn was two-time national champs! Kind of.
There was something more significant that took place on this day in 1968–Palestra history!!!!