Eastern Connecticut State University

A rugged midfielder with a no-nonsense approach, Orest Bishko was a four-year soccer starter in the most accomplished era in program history. Born in Mostyska, Ukraine, Bishko was raised in Broadalbin, N.Y. and came to Eastern in the fall of 1967 as a decorated 24-year-old Vietnam veteran with three medals of commendation to his credit, including a Bronze Star. As a collegian, he was a respected leader on teams which won consecutive NAIA District 32 New England championships in 1968 and 1969, posting undefeated regular seasons in those seasons. At Eastern, Bishko was a stabilizing influence on teams which lost only ten of 62 games, and which won all but one regular-season match at Knight Field. Defensively, Bishko marked tightly; offensively, he was content to fuel the program’s hard-charging offense by delivering the ball to his high-scoring teammates. His shining moment offensively against Babson College in the 1969 New England Regional semifinals, when he scored the only goal in a match which was played in a driving rain. The club easily won the regional title the next day to earn a second straight trip to the national tournament. Bishko was twice named to the NESCAC all-conference teams. As a senior, he served as the team’s sole captain and led a young team to a fourth straight regional tournament berth. Bishko was also a four-year member of the golf team. The college’s senior recipient of the Eastern Scholar-Athlete Award, Bishko was three times listed on the Outstanding College Athletes of America annual honor roll.