Jeff Yoder

• Post by: mcalibrary
• January 11, 2024
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INDUCTEE

“One of the best distance men I have ever coached”. That quote coming from legendary track coach Jerry Breslin in talking about Mount Carmel Area’s Jeff Yoder. Jeff burst on to the athletic scene in 169 as a cross country runner for Coach Breslin and would become a three-time place winner at the District IV Cross Country meet. After a 10th place finish in ‘69, Jeff would earn two silver medals at Districts in 1970 and ‘71, and become a three-time state qualifier. In 1971, Yoder placed 46th at the state championships as MCA placed 19th as a team.

As a track athlete, Jeff would help the Tornadoes to their 27th, 28th and 29th perfect seasons (going undefeated in dual meets). He would earn a second place finish at the District IV meet in the 2 mile as a sophomore and was part of the first of three consecutive District IV team Championships. He would establish a new stadium record in the two mile with a 9:51.6, and would add a 2:00.5 in the 880 and 4:27.7 in the mile – all regional seasonal bests. He would proceed to win District IV gold in the 880 (1:59.7) and mile (4:26.4) – both District IV records. Yoder earned a 5th place medal at the state championship meet at Penn State by establishing a new school record in the mile with a 4:21.8. He would later win the mile run at the Track Meet of Champions at Lehigh University in 1972.

Jeff would continue his outstanding performance as a 4-year letter winner in both XC and track and field at Susquehanna University. He would establish SU records in the mile with a time of 4:20.4 and XC with a time of 24:39 for the 4.9 mile course. He was a three-time medalist in the mile at the MAC Championships, placing 3rd in 1973 and 5th in 1974 and 1976. He would eventually be inducted into the SU Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 1973, Yoder was part of a 100-mile relay team that made the Guinness Book of Sports Records and was part of a marathon relay from NYC to Fairfield, CT, carrying a torch through the Bronx. He continues to compete in races from 5k through half marathons.

Jeff and his wife have published humor books on parenting, politics, and personal computing. They created the first nationally distributed desktop publishing magazine in 1989 – The Quayle Quarterly. The magazine satire secured them national TV appearances on Phil Donahue, Dick Cavett, CBS Morning and many others. Jeff now lives in Trumbull, CT with his wife Deborah and two children. His daughter, 16, is a dancer, actress and violinist; his son, 14, has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and now studies Hapkido.