TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Former Indiana State University football players Tunch Ilkin and Ron Carpenter, both of whom have neurodegenerative diseases, have been honored by teammates, family and friends with an endowment to benefit ISU Football.
The Carpenter/Ilkin Football Endowment has raised more than $40,000 from more than 50 donors. Ilkin, who played 14 seasons in the NFL, announced his retirement in June 2021 as an NFL television and radio analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last October, he announced that he has ALS, known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Carpenter, a former co-captain for the Sycamores football team, served as president of the ISU Board of Trustees and the ISU Alumni Association Board.