Ivy Football Association Sixth Ivy Football Association Dinner
About the Event About Ivy Football Association Register for the Dinner
BROWN COLUMBIA CORNELL DARTMOUTH HARVARD PENNSYLVANIA PRINCETON YALE
PENNSYLVANIA
Photo: Charles Philip
2011 Honoree
Charles Philip "Chuck" Bednarik 1949
Born of immigrant parents in 1925, Chuck Bednarik attended SS. Cyril & Methodius, a Slovak parochial school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and later graduated from Bethlehem's Liberty High School, where he played football. After high school, Chuck joined the US Army Air Forces and served as a B-24 waist-gunner; he flew 30 combat missions over Germany. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where he began his stellar college football career. Chuck excelled as both center and linebacker, as well as occasional punter. A three-time All-American, he was third in Heisman Trophy voting in 1948, won the Maxwell Award that year, and was later elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Upon earning his undergraduate degree, Chuck became the first player drafted in the 1949 NFL Draft, by the Philadelphia Eagles. He starred on both offense as a center and defense as a linebacker, and was a member of the Eagles' NFL Championship teams in 1949 and 1960. He was known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last two-way player in the NFL. He may best be remembered for a tackle on Frank Gifford of the New York Giants, then a star running back, that knocked Gifford out of professional football for a year and a half and shortened Gifford's playing career.
Chuck proved durable, missing just three games in his 14-year pro football career. He was named All-Pro eight times, and was the last of the NFL's 60-minute men. His nickname, Concrete Charlie," originated from his off-season career as a concrete salesman for the Warner Company, not from his reputation as a ferocious tackler. Nonetheless, sportswriter Hugh Brown of The Bulletin in Philadelphia, credited with bestowing the nickname, remarked that Chuck "is as hard as the concrete he sells."
In 1999, Chuck was ranked number 54 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players—which made him the highest-ranking player to have spent his entire career with the Eagles, the highest-ranking offensive center, and the eighth-ranked linebacker in all of professional football. His former Eagles number, 60, has been retired by the Eagles in honor of his achievements, one of only seven numbers retired in the history of the franchise. Chuck was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility. The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States.
Chuck and Emma, his wife of 59 years, currently reside in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley. They have five daughters and ten grandchildren. Chuck's great-nephew, Adam Bednarik, was a third-string quarterback at West Virginia University.
2009 Honoree
Robert A. Fox
At Penn, Bob earned a BS in Economics and lettered in football as a right guard. Following graduation, he co-founded and/or built a number of companies, including Fox Bilt Homes, the Warner Company, Waste Resources, and (in 1979) R.A.F. Industries, a unique private equity firm for which he has served as Chairman and CEO. Throughout his career, Bob has been involved in many philanthropic activities. He joined Penn's Board of Trustees in 1985 and served as a board member, executive committee member, and chairman of the Finance Committee until he became director emeritus in 1999. He served as President of The Wistar Institute, an independent nonprofit biomedical research institute. Bob serves on the Penn Medicine Board of Trustees and the Athletics Board of Overseers, and in 1999 received the Alumni Award of Merit.
2007 Honoree
Patrick T. Harker, Ph.D.
Pat is currently the 26th President of the University of Delaware, having earlier served as Dean of the Wharton School.  He received his B.S.E., M.S.E., M.A., and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania.  He was named a Presidential Young Investigator in 1986 by the National Science Foundation, affirming his reputation as a "leading scholar in the areas of service operations, technology management, and operations research." In 1991, President Bush named Pat one of 16 White House Fellows.  He has served as a trustee or board member for a number of prestigious organizations, and during his career has published five books and more than 80 articles.
2005 Honoree
William D. Novelli
Honored at the 2005 dinner, Bill Novelli, Chief Executive Officer of AARP, played three seasons for Penn as a right halfback and a wingback, and lettered in 1961.  Beginning his business career at Unilever, he eventually formed a partnership with fellow Penn alum Jack Porter to create the public relations agency Porter Novelli.  Bill subsequently also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for CARE, the world's largest private relief and development organization, before ultimately joining AARP in 2000. 
2003 Honoree
David S. Pottruck
Known as one of the wizards of Wall Street, Dave was a two-year starter playing linebacker his sophomore year, and then middle guard as a senior. He also had a highly distinguished career at Penn as a heavyweight wrestler. In recognition of his athletic abilities, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Football Club Award. Dave served with Charles Schwab & Company from 1984 until 2005, lastly as Chief Executive Officer, and has successfully formed his own investment firm.
2001 Honoree
James S. Riepe
Vice Chairman of T. Rowe Price since 1997, Jim has recently retired and over the years has given a great deal of his time to the University of Pennsylvania as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.  He previously served as a member of the General Alumni Society Board and as the first Chairman of the Alumni Council on Admissions.  Jim served as Captain of the 1964 Penn football team, and earned three varsity letters as a guard and linebacker.