Inductee Details

Ron Yingling

Graduation Year: 1957
Induction Class of 1992
Sports: Basketball
Ron Yingling

Yingling earned letters in men’s basketball (1953-57), track (1955-58), and tennis (1956).

On the basketball court, Yingling helped the Braves to a four year record of 43-40 playing for head coaches Don Meek and Bill Frear. He was part of the 1954-55 KCAC Championship team and led the Braves to the Kansas NAIA Playoffs. Yingling finished his career with 1,123 points, which is ranked 19th all-time in career scoring. He is ranked 10th in career shooting percentage (.514), second in career free throw percentage (.822), and first in single season free throw percentage (.936).

As a member of the OU track and field team, he helped the Braves to four straight KCAC Championships. Yingling earned All-KCAC honors in 1957 in the pole vault.

On the tennis court, Yingling had a singles record of 4-1 and a doubles record of 2-2.

After graduating from Ottawa University, Yingling was the head basketball coach and assistant football and track coach at Atchison County Community High School for eight years. Yingling returned to OU where he was director of financial aid for several decades. He served as Director of Athletics from 1978 to 1980.

Yingling coordinated many OU milestone athletic events: 100 years of OU Football (1991); 25 years of OU Volleyball (1998); and 100 years of OU Basketball (1999-2000). He gathered memorabilia and collected statistics of all men and women players, compiled a history of former cheerleaders and yell leaders, and displayed the championship banners in Wilson Field House. Yingling served on the OU Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1997-2000, and for 10 years he was a member of the OU Administrative Council. He is a charter member of Kansas Financial Aid Association. He was on the original committee for Kansas State Scholarships and served on both federal and state committees.