ALUMNI PROFILE

Always an athlete

Sixty years removed from his athletic career at Marquette, Orlando “Pancho” Palesse, Bus Ad ’46, is still going strong — a testament to robust heredity and a lifelong love of competitive sports

By John Basil

Palesse says, “My mother lived to be 102, so I have the genes.” A member of three Wisconsin sports halls of fame, he exercises every day and has participated in sports for as long as he can remember.

Palesse came to Marquette in 1942 on a football scholarship and played offensive and defensive end. While two-way football players were commonplace then, two-sport athletes were unusual, making his presence as
a prominent member of Marquette's basketball squad particularly noteworthy.

Two and a half years spent flying planes for the Air Force during World War II interrupted everything. But when the war ended, he returned to Marquette to captain both the 1945 football team and 1945-46 basketball squad to winning records. Since 1991, Palesse has been player-manager of the Milwaukee Seniors 65-and-older and 70-and-older softball teams. Both compete in the Senior Olympics and in tournaments in Wisconsin and nationwide.

“I love being so physically and mentally active,” says Palesse. “This and my family are keeping me alive.”