I met Mark Cuban at Pi Lambda Phi

For most people, a college’s campus is what sells them to attend that school. They fall in love with something, whether it be the architecture, the people, the scenery, or the location’s vibes.

For me, I fell in love with a single night’s experience, and for a great reason: I went to a party at my close friend Joe Isaacson’s fraternity, Pi Lambda Phi, and an old alum/brother attended.

When I first encountered the man, I totally didn’t even know who he was. I was the first person of our small group to enter the house and I walked in to see about 20 of the brothers surrounding a middle-aged man, and they all fell silent when I danced into the room (as I am a typically loud, jittery person). I wasn’t paying attention to who the man was because I was so embarrassed… so all I did was say “hi.” They proceeded to laugh, probably figuring that I was shocked at the presence of a celebrity, but I naturally thought my entrance was more embarrassing than I thought.

Moments later, the rest of the group joined me and Joe started saying hello to his fellow brothers. I saw him and the group we had come with go up to the middle-aged man, who by then I assumed was a brother’s father. Joe and his friends was a little nervous and reserved so I was very confused. Then, I started to recognize this man. I had seen him somewhere… but where?

Before it had even hit me, Joe came up to me and said “THAT’S MARK CUBAN!” There it was. The legend, the billionaire, the shark was standing there right in front of me. I had no idea how to react.

Courtesy of Joe Isaacson

When I finally got the courage to speak to him, he was super chill and glad that we all liked his show, Shark Tank. He was kind enough to take selfies with us and a group photo. It was a fantastic night. He partied with us a little bit before heading out. Needless to say, I was sold. Clearly, amazing things happen at Pitt.

For those of you who don’t know, Mark Cuban attended Pitt and was in the fraternity Pi Lambda Phi for his first year of college. In fact, he was born in Pittsburgh. Rather than attending high school for his senior year, he enrolled as a full-time student here at Pitt where he joined my friend’s fraternity.

While at Pitt, he held a various jobs including a bartender, disco dancing instructor, and a party promoter (hehe). After one year here, he transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington (BOOOOO). Either way, I’m glad he graced us with his presence and gave me a night to remember.

Hail to Pitt!