Hall of Fame
Ralph H. Yahn ’64 – Class of 2002
The Dean of the Defense…
Tom Niland, “father” of Le Moyne College athletics, believed that the path to basketball success was on the defensive end of the court. He devised a scheme of hard work, hustle and smart play to overcome Dolphin opponents.
A key ingredient in that scheme would be a strong, powerful and court savvy leader to call out assignments and match up with opponents’ best scorers. He found that in a 6-foot 4-inch youth from Aquinas Institute in Rochester named Ralph Yahn.
Yahn worked hard, he played hard, and he hated to give up points. When the defense missed an assignment, he would delay the inbounds pass, holding the ball on his hip and trudging back and forth along the end line, glaring at his teammates, reminding them that Le Moyne does not give up easy buckets.
The “match-up zone” Niland developed was widely imitated, but it was never executed better than in Yahn’s senior year. The Dolphins secured an NCAA bid with a clutch win over the University of Buffalo, shattering the Bull’s 45-game home winning streak. That ’64 team advanced to the NCAA Midwestern Regional Finals by defeating Youngstown State, the third-ranked team in the country.
Certainly the success of the ’64 team could be attributed to hard work and discipline, but there was another element of their success – they had fun. And in this, the “Dean of the Defense” was a leader as well. From linen charge dispensations, to Fr. Carmody’s close brush with a cherry bomb, to snowballs hurled from the roof of Buffalo’s gymnasium before the big game, Yahn was at the center of an endless array of memories that bring smiles to this day. Hard work, discipline and a twist of puckish twinkle made the man both respected and loved. People trusted Ralph Yahn instinctively and he never betrayed that trust.
His Le Moyne days foreshadowed a future in which he would have the courage to start a business and become a sought-after accountant and financial advisor. While he was in such demand, he would find time to prepare gratis tax returns or elderly clients and even make “house calls” to brighten their days.
A committed husband and father, Yahn participated in countless activities. Whether it was acting as President of the Minoa-Kirkville Athletic Association, coaching high-school basketball, pursuing his interest in standard-bred horses, or serving his alma mater, Yahn was a dedicated member of his community.
A co-captain, leading rebounder and “Defensive Dean” of one of Le Moyne’s greatest basketball teams and a alumnus who reminds us that hard work and discipline need not come at the expense of a good time,
Ralph H. Yahn ’64 is posthumously inducted into the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
February 2, 2002
