Dick Yoder Passes Away

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Former West Chester University alum, professor, coach, administrator and athletic director, Dick Yoder, passed away May 3 at Chester County Hospital in West Chester. He was 79 years old.
 
Visitation will be Wednesday, May 11 from 6-9 p.m. at St. Agnes Church, 233 W. Gay Street, West Chester, PA, and again 9-10:30 a.m. before mass. A funeral mass will be held Thursday, May 12 at St. Agnes Church at 11 a.m.
 
Often referred to as "The Mayor" or "Mr. West Chester", Yoder was born and raised in the borough of West Chester and spent the majority of his life in his hometown. He graduated from West Chester High School ('55) and West Chester State Teachers' College (today known as West Chester University) ('59) where he starred on the football field for both institutions. Upon graduation, he spent time in the Marine Corps from 1959-65. He also received his master's degree in Administration from Villanova University ('62).
 
During a 40-year teaching career, Yoder spent time at his high school alma mater, before moving over to West Chester University in 1962 to become Assistant Professor of Physical Education. It was during this stint at his college alma mater that Yoder served as an assistant football coach and track & field coach for the Golden Rams' athletic department for 17 years. He developed, taught and coordinated the graduate program of Sport and Athletic Administration and also served as chair of the Physical Education Department, acting Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences and coordinator of Safety Education.
 
In 1979, he was named the athletics director at West Chester University, a position he held until 1988. While the athletics director at WCU, Yoder served on 11 different NCAA committees and was elected to the prestigious NCAA Council and NCAA Football Committee. He was also elected president of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and served on 13 other ECAC committees. He was also responsible for relocating the Philadelphia Eagles' summer training camp to West Chester University in 1979.
 
He retired from WCU in 2000. Following his career in education, Yoder served two stints as the mayor of the Borough of West Chester (2002-2010). Most recently he served as color commentary on West Chester University's football broadcasts on WCHE 1520 AM radio for the past two seasons.
 
His accomplishments, awards and recognitions are too numerous to mention in their entirety, but they include: West Chester University Killinger Foundation Hall of Fame, Russell Sturzebecker Hall of Fame (2001), West Chester University Distinguished Alumni Award (2009), Lifetime Achievement Award (2009), Chester County Sports Hall of Fame (2009), Citizen of the Year (2015) and most recently the ECAC Hall of Fame (2016).