History and Background

In 1987, Barbara Boyle Sullivan '58 flew in from California to attend Alumni Weekend at Drexel University. When she only saw three other classmates that she knew, she quickly began writing up a list of others she would like to see at the next reunion when traveling on her plane ride back home. She recruited the help of classmate Norm Benn '57 and together they began writing and calling all of their classmates and inviting them to the next Alumni Weekend. They asked those that they called to reach out and invite all of their friends as well. The group met for the first time at Alumni Weekend 1988 and all who attended suggested that the reunion become a biennial event.

Since 1988, this special group of Drexel sports fans from the '50s era has met every two years during Alumni Weekend, held the first weekend of May. Each time they meet, the experience is more fun and memorable than ever before. The group continues to expand the '50s dynamos and welcomes ALL alumni athletes, fans, family and friends of Drexel who share a common interest and passion for Drexel athletics!

The Significance of the Name

The group is called Sports Fans of the '50s because of a movie in 1988 called "The Great Santini" starring Robert Duvall. In the movie, Duvall’s character called the people he liked "Sports Fans." Only about half of the Sports Fans of the '50s group participated in a varsity sport during their Drexel days. All other members either participated in intramural sports, were cheerleaders, student leaders, active in fraternity and sorority life, members of The Triangle, Lexerd, or other campus organizations. The one thing that all members have in common is a passion for Drexel sports teams.