City 6

City 6 Logo

The City 6 is an informal association of college athletic programs in the Philadelphia area. It is an intra-city intramural competition, but it is also used as a colloquial term to describe all the NCAA Division I schools in the Philadelphia area.

The colleges in the City 6 are all of the traditional Philadelphia Big 5 schools—La Salle University, Saint Joseph's University (SJU), Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Villanova University—along with Drexel University, which was formally added to the Big 5 rivalry after the 2022–23 basketball season.

The City 6 Extramural Classic features the best intramural teams from each school competing against one another. The classic was founded in 1986 by representatives from Saint Joseph's and Temple. Games between the intramural programs are held at such locations as SJU's Hagan Arena, Penn's Franklin Field, and Villanova Stadium. ^[1]

The sports are flag football, volleyball, basketball, and softball. Each sport includes competition for men, women, and co-ed. ^[2]

Over 13,000 intramural participants competed in City 6 events between 1986 and 2006. ^[3]

Varsity basketball

Each spring, the basketball coaches of the six schools sit together and are speakers at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tourney Tip-Off Breakfast, to raise money for the American Cancer Society. ^[4]

Institutions

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Year Joined	Nickname	Conference
Drexel University	West Philadelphia	1891	Private	25,500	1986	Dragons	Coastal Athletic Association
La Salle University	Upper North Philadelphia extending into Northwest Philadelphia	1863	Private/Catholic	7,554	1995	Explorers	Atlantic 10
Saint Joseph's University	West Philadelphia/Lower Merion Township	1851	Private/Catholic	8,800	1986	Hawks	Atlantic 10
Temple University	North Philadelphia	1884	Public	38,648	1986	Owls	American Athletic Conference
University of Pennsylvania	West Philadelphia	1740	Private	21,329	1986	Quakers	Ivy League
Villanova University	Villanova, PA	1842	Private/Catholic	10,482	1986	Wildcats	Big East

References

1. City 6 History Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
2. City 6 Champions
3. City 6 20th Anniversary Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
4. Parrillo, Ray (March 15, 2011). "Philly coaches go out on the line in NCAA picks". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 2011-03-19– via philly.com. According to the American Cancer Society, the Philadelphia chapter of the Coaches vs. Cancer movement has raised about $6.5 million since 1996, more than any other chapter of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.