*MIKE DORIZAS, Pennsylvania ‘16 was a 3-time EIWA heavyweight champion and legend as Penn’s strongman in football, track and wrestling.  One newspaper billed the 225 lb Dorizas with a 29” thigh, 19” neck and 44” chest. He smashed Penn’s strength records and was dubbed (with no way to confirm) the nation’s strongest collegian. Mike used his great strength to go 20-0 with 19 pins in average time of under one minute. His longest bout lasted 3:50.

      Mike was born to Greek parents in Constantinople and was educated in Turkey. He attended Roberts College in Constantinople before enrolling at Penn for grad school only. At Roberts, Mike was on the Greek Olympic team and won the world championship stone throw in 1906. He placed second in the javelin in the 1908 Olympics. “The Big Greek” also exceled at the pentathlon (wrestling, broad jump, discus, javelin, 220)

      Dorizas was a two-time Olympian, also competing in 1912.  In 1914 he entered Penn to study geography and set an NCAA javelin record to become an All-American. In football, he played 2-way tackle.  He earned a Penn M.A. in 1916 and PhD in 1924`. He became assistant professor, geography at The Wharton School, until his death in 1957, often elected most popular professor on campus.