Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

When Ron Milanovich signed to play golf at IUP for coach Ed Sloniger in the spring of 1972 (after having won the PIAA individual championship as a high school senior the year before), the Indians had already become the only IUP team to cop a national NCAA or NAIA crown four years prior.
In his four seasons, however, he certainly had a lot to do with IUP enhancing its national power reputation by writing a resume ranking him among the nation’s all-time elite.
As a freshman, Milanovich proved to be the Indians' top individual in the NCAA Division II national tournament in Massachusetts in a year that also saw IUP invited to fly to Scotland to compete at the fabled Saint Andrew's country club.
He repeated his leadership role at the 1973 NCAA national tourney in California, where he annexed his first of four All-American honors.  Earlier, Milanovich had led IUP to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crown while also winning medalist laurels at the IUP Invitational.
1974 truly moved Milanovich to the forefront among college golfers as he tied for individual runner-up rank at the NCAA tournament in Florida, where IUP tied for eighth place as a team.
1975, his senior year, proved even better. Both an NCAA and NAIA first-team All-American, he tied for third place and ranked fifth in their respective nationals as his team finished sixth and seventh.  At the NCAA event, in Kentucky, Milanovich won the long drive contest with a three-try average of 301 yards, the longest 317.
Medalist at the PSAC championships and once again in the IUP Invitational, he won the latter with a three-under-par 68, the invite record.  Milanovich completed a perfect four-year record in 63 dual meets (the team record was 58-4-1) with a personal average of 70.
Two years after wrapping up his IUP career, Milanovich was admitted to the annual PGA and European tours, continued as a PGA touring pro in '78, took time out in 1979 to make the Asian tour (after winning that year's Pennsylvania Open), resumed his PGA rank in 1980 and returned to the Asian tour in '81.
In 1982, when he won the West Penn Open, Milanovich became head pro at the Saint Jude Golf Club at Parker (next door to hometown Rimersburg), which is the oldest continuously operating course in the United States and one that compares with or surpasses many of the world's outstanding venues. Holding that post for now 20 years, he was the 1986 Tri-State PGA champion.
Married to Amy Beth in 1977, Milanovich is the father of Sarah Beth, 19, and Adam Ray, 16. His brother is IUP 1968 grad Gary, who, after starting three years as an all-state football pass receiver, served as longtime athletic director at Butler High School before recently retiring.