Two children of a long-time Â鶹ÊÓƵ retired administrator and coach have established a scholarship in their father’s honor and recognition of his time as coach for the Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ for 45 years, retiring in 2005 from his position as vice president for Administration and Finance. He earned his master’s degree from Â鶹ÊÓƵ in business education in 1966.
In addition to his work in Administration and Finance, C. Edward Receski was a coach for the team and for the 1968 Â鶹ÊÓƵ Boardwalk Bowl team. He was honored by Â鶹ÊÓƵ in 1999 with induction into the with the Honorary Bell Ringer Award, which recognizes individuals for their contributions to Â鶹ÊÓƵ athletics.
The Boardwalk Bowl was the nation's first NCAA football championship game played indoors and the .
The 1968 team was the first Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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) Â鶹ÊÓƵ 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ, 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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ—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 Â鶹ÊÓƵ football program.
The 1968 Boardwalk Bowl team is the first Â鶹ÊÓƵ football team to establish a team endowment at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. The Boardwalk Bowl family of endowments was established in 2020 to perpetuate the Boardwalk Bowl Annual Scholarship, which was established in 2012.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ concluded its Imagine Unlimited Campaign in February 2021, shattering the $75-million goal by raising more than $81.4 million six months early. Â鶹ÊÓƵ continues to see incredible generosity and unwavering support for the university’s student-centered success initiatives—including increasing Â鶹ÊÓƵ’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.