Sam Jankovich was known as Mr. Outside during his Youngstown College playing days. But he is most remembered for his role in one of the biggest wins in school history.
Jankoivch, was a 6-2 forward at Youngstown from 1949-50 through 1951-52 and scored 663 points during his three-year varsity career.
A forward, he played in 67 games and was the key figure in one of the biggest victories in school history.
On Feb. 5, 1952, Jankovich scored a team-high 22 points in a 68-57 victory over 19th-ranked LaSalle at South Field House. The Explorers went on to win the National Invitational Tournament later that season. To this day, that is the only time the men’s basketball program has ever recorded a win over a ranked Division I team.
During his senior campaign in 1951-52, he scored 265 points making 109 field goals and 47 free throws playing in 22 games. He averaged 12.1 points per game serving as a team captain. Besides his 22 points against LaSalle, he had 22 against Akron during the campaign. For the year he scored in double figures on 14 occasions. The team finished with a 16-7 mark.
As a junior in 1950-51 he was the second-highest scorer on the team finishing with 260 points. In 23 games, he made 114 field goals and 32 free throws. He averaged 11.3 points per contest. He scored 22 points against Geneva and had 21 at Slippery Rock. He scored in double figures on 15 occasions.
During the year the Penguins set a school record for points scored in a game (92 on Jan. 26 versus Geneva) and beat Dayton, which played in the NIT title game. Youngstown finished the season with a 16-7 record.
His sophomore campaign saw him score 138 points making 63 field goals and 32 free throws. He played in 22 games, scoring in double figures six times, including a season-high 20 in a 75-74 win over Kent State on Dec. 28, 1949.
As a freshman in 1948-49 he started the year on the varsity, but during the middle of the season freshman were ruled ineligible. He spent the remainder of the team on the junior varsity.
Jankovich, a native of Farrell, Pa., also was a member of Coach Dom Rosselli’s baseball ,squad in 1949 and 1950. He graduated from Youngstown in 1952 with an Education degree.
He was then drafted and assigned to the Special Services Unit at Murphy Army Hospital in Waltham, Mass. While serving he coached and played sports. He later earned his Master’s Degree in education from Springfield (Mass.) College in 1956.
A graduate of Farrell High School, he returned to his hometown to teach and coach basketball. For 33 years he taught Social Studies in Farrell High. He coached basketball at Farrell for 16 years where the school won four state Class AAA titles -- 1959, 1960, 1969 and 1972. He was the junior high coach and served as an assistant to Head Coach Eddie McCluskey during his tenure.
An avid golfer, Sam is currently retired and enjoys spending time with his wife Rose. The two were married in 1960.
