CHICAGO – The Saint Xavier University athletic department is saddened by the loss of longtime assistant football coach Mike Slovick who served as Special Teams coordinator and Linebackers coach from 2005-2016. Slovick, who passed away earlier this week unexpectedly, was named the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and was instrumental in helping the Cougars win or share five MSFA Conference Championships and make nine trips to the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) which included five semifinal appearances (2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014) and the 2011 NAIA National Championship winning team.

Before coaching at SXU, Slovick helped to establish the football program at then-College of St. Francis, now University of St. Francis (Ill.), in 1986. He was the first Defensive Coordinator for the Fighting Saints before taking over as head coach from 1994-2004. Slovick was the Defensive Coordinator at Joliet Catholic Academy from 1978-1985, coaching with local legend high school and college head coach, Gordie Gillespie, helping the Hilltoppers win a state title in 1981.

Slovick was a graduate of Lewis College (Ill.), now Lewis University, and earned a spot in the Flyers Hall of Fame in 1995 as a multi-sport athlete in baseball and basketball.
He joined a Saint Xavier coaching staff that featured a pair of St. Francis alumni that Slovick coached, offensive coordinator Mark Yanule, and head coach Mike Feminis. Under Slovick's coaching, Feminis was a four-time NAIA All-District 20 selection, a NAIA First Team All-American and the USA Today NAIA National Defensive Player of the Year in 1989.

From Feminis: "Mike was my mentor; I owe everything to him. Playing for him and Coach Gillespie on the very first football team at St. Francis in 1986 and then coaching with them for as long as I did (1990-98)—it was like getting a doctorate from an Ivy League school in the profession of coaching. Mike's knowledge of the game and particularly defensive football back then was unparalleled—I'd put his brain up against any Division I or NFL coach in America. Learning the inside and outs of the legendary Chicago Bears 46 Defense in addition to his 8-man front defensive system that he brought from Joliet Catholic was unbelievable. He was so meticulous and never left a stone unturned when it came to film study and game preparation. 

To then have Mike coach Special Teams and Linebackers for us at SXU for a dozen years was an absolute gift to our program and he played a huge role in all the success we've had which obviously includes the 2011 National Championship team. But the impact he made from a personal standpoint on so many of his former players—those at SXU and back in the day at USF and Joliet Catholic is immeasurable. For our SXU alums, Mike was called the "Commish" and the Intramural Basketball League he started with our team when he arrived in 2005 became legendary itself and to this day is famously called "The Slovy League" in honor of him. We love you coach, rest in peace."

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 18 from 2 until 8 pm at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home (3200 Black Road in Joliet, Ill.). A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday, February 19, at 10 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church (416 North Chicago Street in Joliet, Ill.) followed by internment at Resurrection Cemetery (7201 Archer Road in Justice, Ill.).