Two children of a long-time Indiana University of Pennsylvania retired administrator and coach have established a scholarship in their father’s honor and recognition of his time as coach for the IUP Boardwalk Bowl game.
Edward Receski, of Lexington, KY, and Andrea Fako, of Fox Chapel, have made a gift to establish the Coach Ed Receski Boardwalk Bowl Scholarship in honor of their father, C. Edward Receski.
C. Edward Receski of Indiana worked at IUP for 45 years, retiring in 2005 from his position as vice president for Administration and Finance. He earned his master’s degree from IUP in business education in 1966.
In addition to his work in Administration and Finance, C. Edward Receski was a coach for the IUP football team and for the 1968 IUP Boardwalk Bowl team. He was honored by IUP in 1999 with induction into the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame with the Honorary Bell Ringer Award, which recognizes individuals for their contributions to IUP athletics.
The Boardwalk Bowl was the nation's first NCAA football championship game played indoors and the first IUP football game to be broadcast live on television.
The 1968 team was the first IUP football team in school history to finish the regular season undefeated and untied at 9-0. The Boardwalk Bowl, which debuted in 1968, determined the college division champion of the NCAA's Atlantic Coast Region, which included 121 schools.
“We made the $25,000 commitment because (the late) IUP Coach (Frank) Cignetti wanted to build the endowment for the football program,” Ed Receski said. “The Boardwalk Bowl is important to my father, and we wanted to give back to the university and honor our father,” he said. “This also is a way to make our father part of the legacy of the Boardwalk Bowl.”
“Our dad enjoyed the time he worked at IUP, but he the experience of the Boardwalk Bowl and the team was very special to him and was very unique to the football program,” Ed Receski said.
The siblings agree that this gift is a great way to “give back” to the university.
“If anybody has a connection to IUP—if they are alumni, or if they grew up in Indiana—and they can do it, it’s a great way to give back and positively impact the university and the economy,” Edward Receski said.
The Boardwalk Bowl scholarship is open to qualified student-athletes in the IUP football program.
The 1968 Boardwalk Bowl team is the first IUP football team to establish a team endowment at IUP. The Boardwalk Bowl family of endowments was established in 2020 to perpetuate the Boardwalk Bowl Annual Scholarship, which was established in 2012.
IUP concluded its Imagine Unlimited Campaign in February 2021, shattering the $75-million goal by raising more than $81.4 million six months early. IUP continues to see incredible generosity and unwavering support for the university’s student-centered success initiatives—including increasing IUP’s affordability and value—and the university’s commitment to making a significant, positive impact on health and wellness, especially in Pennsylvania’s rural communities.