Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

How many times do you hear about a full –season earned run of 0.53 (yes, that's a zero). Well, that's just what Denny Miscik did while pitching as a senior at IUP in 1976, and it led the nation in NAIA final statistics. He gave up only three earned runs all year, en route to a 6-2 record.

That capped a four-year collegiate career, played for coach Arch Moore, that started with him posting a 5-2 record and striking out 51 to help the Indians win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship his freshman campaign. Elbow surgery caused him to miss much of his sophomore season.

Never losing more than two games in a season while winning 15, Miscik remains IUP's third top all-time strikeout artist with 161 K's, including 66 his senior year. 

Before doing all of the above, Miscik had been an all-state player in both baseball and football at Mount Pleasant High, then had his choice of accepting a draft offer from the Cincinnati Reds to play first base or a football scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh to play quarterback.

After graduating from IUP in health and physical education, he did go into pro baseball. Drafted by the Houston Astros in 1976, he was named to their all-rookie team.

Miscik pitched Class AAA ball for four years, for Houston until 1980, the Philadelphia Phillies in '80 and '81, then the Pittsburgh Pirates in '82, and was invited to spring training camps by both the Astros and the Pirates. He also played three seasons of winter ball in Puerto Rico.

Since 1984, Miscik has coached the diamond sport at his high school alma mater to a record of 240-75. Ten of his 16 seasons have resulted in WPIAL section championships; five have finished as section runner-up.

A health and physical education teacher and (for 10 years) an assistant football coach as well, Miscik takes pride in at least 87 of his players going on to college baseball, 19 with Division I teams, 35 in Division II.

Son of Mary and the late Andrew Miscik of the village of Calumet, Miscik married the former Karen Smith in 1981.  Their sons Ryan and Adam, a senior shortstop and junior third baseman respectively at Mount Pleasant area, are scholastic standouts.

Dennis is a brother to Tom, Joe and Bob, the latter a 1998 IUP Hall of Fame inductee.