WAYNESBURG, Pa. (April 18) – Waynesburg University Athletics is proud to announce the creation of the "Rudy Marisa Memorial Endowed Fund" to support the Waynesburg University men's basketball team in honor of the late legendary coach Rudy Marisa.

"You cannot write the story of Waynesburg University and you cannot write the story of Western Pennsylvania athletics without Rudy Marisa," said Waynesburg University Director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach Tim Fusina. "What he gave to this university over the decades he called Waynesburg home can never be forgotten. His success on the court pales in comparison to the man he was to not only his family and friends, but to the players he mentored over his 34 years as head basketball coach at Waynesburg University."

A group of men's basketball alumni established the endowment fund in honor of Marisa, who passed away in May 2023. 

"His former players are spearheading this amazing campaign and we cannot express our gratitude to them for ensuring the legacy of Coach Marisa lives on through this endowment," said Fusina. "This is going to set us apart from a lot of Division III programs in our region and will ensure that our program competes at a high level well into the future."

The endowment will directly support the men's basketball program in the areas of staffing, travel and facility upgrades.

"This endowment is going to be used in a multitude of ways to ensure our long-term success," said Fusina. "First off, it is going to provide a first-class student-athlete experience for our kids by providing them opportunities to travel yearly to either destination Division III tournaments around the country and will allow us to possibly travel internationally for the NCAA permitted, once every four years, foreign tour. Second, we will also plan on using some of this endowment to provide the best technology and amenities for our student-athletes in the men's basketball program. Lastly, this endowment means that we can expand our coaching staff so we can continue to recruit the best possible student-athlete to our program and also provide another staff member to help our athletes grow athletically, academically and socially during their time at Waynesburg."

Alumni, friends of the program and anyone who had a relationship with coach Marisa are invited to the endowment's kick-off events on Saturday, May 4. The day includes an optional round of golf at the Greene County Country Club at noon and dinner at the Carriage House in Waynesburg at 6:30 p.m. Click HERE to register online.

"This event is going to be very special," said Fusina. "Coach Marisa's family, friends and former players are going to be in attendance speaking about how coach helped shape their lives and the impact he made on not only our university, but on our region."

Marisa spent 34 seasons as the head men's basketball coach at Waynesburg. He coached the Yellow Jackets to 565 victories across five decades and turned Waynesburg into a perennial contender in the NAIA in the 1980s. The Jackets won seven NAIA District 18 titles in the decade, including six-straight from 1983 to 1989. In 1987-88, Waynesburg won 32-straight games to reach the NAIA Final Four in Kansas City. 

Marisa became the namesake for Waynesburg's home gymnasium in 2000 and retired in 2003 as the 10th-winningest coach in NCAA Division III history. He is a four-time Hall of Fame inductee and coached tens of thousands of campers at his Tri-State Camps for over 40 years.

"We are looking forward to hosting everyone on May 4," said Fusina. "We expect a large turnout to celebrate the life and legacy of Coach Marisa while also ensuring that his legacy will live on forever through this endowment for Waynesburg Basketball."