The 1964 Indiana State College football squad is being inducted in the team category, for what its members accomplished on the field and what they achieved following graduation.
The Indians, as they were then known, finished 8-2 under first-year coach Chuck Klausing, the winningest season to that point in program history. IUP qualified for the PSAC state championship game for the first time—East Stroudsburg won the title, 27-14—after sweeping its six-game PSAC West slate.
But the Indians weren’t just winners on Saturday afternoons. They were winners later in life, too. Many distinguished themselves in a variety of fields after hanging up their pads for the last time.
Nineteen went on to become educators, providing 553 years of service to school districts throughout the United States. Three became principals, one was a superintendent and another was an assistant superintendent.
One received a doctorate and 24 earned master’s degrees. Four became college professors and one received the University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes excellence by a member of the faculty.
Eleven became executives for Fortune 500 companies, privately owned businesses and the NFL.
Seventeen went into the military, totaling 157 years of service, and won numerous medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Meritorious Service medals. Several were awarded purple hearts.
And 15 became coaches, combining for 236 years’ experience. Five worked at the collegiate level, at IUP, West Point, Utah and Harvard.
Klausing led the Indians to a 46-11 record in his six seasons at the helm, including a 25-3 record over the last three years. His teams won two PSAC West titles and nearly upset powerhouse Delaware in the 1968 Boardwalk Bowl.
He holds the IUP record for highest winning percentage (.807) by a coach. Klausing was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
