Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

An important component of the funding for the men's basketball program comes from the endowments that have been established. An endowed scholarship is a fund that exists in perpetuity to benefit the basketball program and will provide a lasting legacy to you, a friend, or a loved one. The principal remains intact while the earnings are awarded to student-athletes on the basketball team in the form of scholarships.

The minimum amount to establish an endowment is a commitment of $25,000 and can be fulfilled through a variety and combination of ways as determined by you and the Foundation for IUP, including a multi-year pledge (for example $5,000 per year for five years), estate plans, stock transfers, life insurance, real estate, or other mutually practical plans. In recognition of the endowment donors, the names of the endowments are displayed on a Lucite recognition plaque in a prominent location in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

For information on establishing an endowment or contributing to an endowment, please contact Wally Stapleton at walter.stapleton@iup.edu or 724-357-2592.

Endowments that have been created to benefit the men's basketball program are listed below.

Regis Peck McKnight
The Regis “Peck” McKnight Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the legendary IUP basketball coach. McKnight coached the sport for 17 years, compiling a record of 201-122. His best season was 1957-58 when his Indians were 25-3, won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and ad­vanced to the NAIA national tour­na­ment in Kansas City. McKnight also coached the football team for two years. As a student-athlete, he earned 14 varsity letters while playing four sports at IUP. The McKnight Scholarship is awarded to a member of the men’s basketball team. 

Thomas Zaucha
Thomas W. Zaucha has spent over 40 years in the health care profession. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he was the director of physical therapy at Indiana Hospital from 1969-75 while also serving as an athletic trainer at IUP. In 1979, Zaucha founded Keystone Rehabilitation Systeams. He grew KRS to over 100 outpatient centers in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and today KRS is a subsidiary of Physiotherapy Associates Inc., the nation’s second-largest provider of outpatientphysical therapy services. In addition to his primary business of commercial real estate development, Zaucha is a consultant to Physiotherapy Associates.  Zaucha was honored as the Heathcare Entrepreneur of the Year in western Pennsylvania in 1992, Civic Leader of the Year in Indiana County in 1996 and received the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame honorary award in 2002. He served as president of the Foundation for IUP in 1997, and during the same time he co-chaired an IUP capital campaign that raised $25 million Zaucha and his wife, Alice, reside in Indiana. They have four children: Tom, Jonathan, Stephanie and Jennifer. Jennifer and her husband, Brant Bodner, have four children: John, Hanna, Hailey and Abby. 

Lynn and Nancy Doverspike
Lynn and Nancy Doverspike es­tab­lished their endowment in the spring of 1992 which now supports the IUP men’s basketball team. Lynn is the president of the Victory Development Company. Nancy is a 1977 IUP graduate and served as a member of the Foundation for IUP Board of Directors. 

Herm Sledzik
James Sledzik and Robert Sledzik joined with the IUP Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to establish the Herman L. Sledzik Scholarship for Men’s Basketball in honor of their father and the many athletes, coaches and staff members who were an integral part of his life throughout his tenure at IUP. A native of Indiana County, Herm excelled in athletics during his days in the Elders Ridge School District. Upon his graduation, he was the first student-athlete to receive a full scholarship in men’s basketball at Penn State. After serving as team captain during his senior year at Penn State, he was a draft pick of the Baltimore Bullets in the 1953 National Basketball Association draft. In addition, he was drafted by the United States Army. Herm began his career at IUP in 1963 as head coach of the men’s basketball team. He achieved a record of 103 wins and 53 losses in six seasons. His 1968-69 team won 21 consecutive games, losing the 22nd in overtime, and led the nation with a winning margin of 24.1 points per game. Herm was named District 18 and Area 8 Coach of the Year in 1967-68 and 1968-69.  During his tenure at IUP, Herm served as a coach as well as director and assistant director of intercollegiate athletics.  He also served as acting dean of the College of Health Services for a year. He remains actively involved as an unofficial advisor to his colleagues in athletics at IUP. Herm served as president of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, president of the NAIA District 18 and served on the ECAC Council and numerous NCAA committees. He is a member of the board of directors of the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame and was inducted as a member during its inaugural year in 1996. 

Jules Filcik
Shirley Ullom Filcik, a 1953 graduate of Indiana State Teachers College, established the Jules Filcik Memorial Scholarship for Men’s Basketball to honor the legacy of her late husband. Jules, also a 1953 graduate of Indiana, joined the team as a walk-on and enjoyed playing during his undergraduate years. Upon graduation, Jules continued his education and worked as corporate counsel for Procter & Gamble prior to his passing in 1992. Continuing the strong ties of the Filcik family with IUP and honoring the family’s values of quality education and athletics, Mrs. Filcik established this scholarship to support academic excellence among student-athletes on the men’s basketball men. Mrs. Filcik resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Jack Crossan
The Jack Crossan Memorial Scholarship, established by good friends Gene Abplanalp, Bill Dawson, Bill Eckert, George Glarner, and George Wise, honors the third leading scorer in IUP men’s basketball history, scoring 1,564 points. He played for coach Peck McKnight from 1952 to 1956. He passed away in 1974. 
T.W. Phillips Gas & Oil Company, now named Peoples, TWP, headquartered in Butler, established a scholarship endowment in recognition of the importance of academic excellence and the positive aspects associated with participation in intercollegiate athletics on students’ educational success. The scholarship benefits student-athletes from the company’s service area in western Pennsylvania.