Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Nearly 25 years ago (in 1972 and again in 1973), Don Slusser became IUP's first All-American marathon runner. And he's still running.  His first national honors came at NAIA meets in Billings, Montana, and in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in competing for coaches Lou Sutton and Ed Fry.

The first IUP competitor to earn All-American status in both cross country and track, Slusser led the Indians' 1972 cross country team to eighth place at the NAIA national meet in Liberty, Missouri, and to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and NAIA District 18 championships.

While still at IUP, he entered two Boston Marathons, finishing 51st as a college sophomore and 27th as a senior (with a time of 2:31.25). Also in 1973, he was runner-up in a marathon in Athens, Greece (2:27.14).

Since then, the name of Slusser has become a household word  in marathon  running.  And  that's   because  of accomplishments by both Don and Mrs. Slusser, the former Tammy Donnelly, who graduated from IUP in 1987 and has claimed numerous top-five finishes, including her share of firsts, in marathons worldwide.

As for Don, whose 67 marathons are among a total of more than 1,000 races, his crowning achievement was a ninth place in the Bicentennial-year 1976 Boston Marathon as he posted a time of 2:26.38 despite temperatures from 90 to 96 degrees. He won three Glass City (Toledo, Ohio) Marathons, in 1975, '76 and '80.

Regional race fans recall Don's 1988 1Oth place in the Pittsburgh Marathon.  More recently, the 44-year-old has competed in the master's division and last spring ranked fourth a mong such runners in the Pittsburgh  Marathon. He has entered 19 Pittsburgh Great Races, 11 city marathons and 16 Monroeville Classics.

Covering  more than  125,000  lifetime  miles  ( in competitions and daily practice runs), Slusser since January, 1972, when he was an IUP junior, has averaged 97 miles per week.

Aside from his running prowess, Slusser is also known as an organizer, chairing the master's track segment of Three Rivers USA Track and Field. Since 1981, he has been co­director of the far-reaching Monroeville 10K Road  Race.

Professionally,  he is in his 23rd year as a health and physical education teacher in the Woodland Hills School District in Pittsburgh's east suburbs. He is now teaching elementary physical  education  at the Rankin Intermediate School.