John was a 4 year varsity letter winner and 3 year starter at halfback (offensive and defensive) for SU. He also played special teams and was on the field for all 60 minutes of every game. He was a true team leader. Teammates learned from his examples of leadership and character, both on and off the field.
As a senior In 1959, John lead SU to its first winning season in several years. He was very talented but always remained humble. In the 1959 season he scored 59 points, including 3 touchdowns in his final game game against Haverford. John received Little-All-American honors that year. His career total of 118 points ranked 10th best all-time at SU when he was inducted into the SU Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
John was a Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brother when he met Ann Hewes, an Alpha Delta Pi sorority sister. Before graduating, John gave his fraternity pin to Ann, the 1960 Homecoming Queen, on the front steps of Seibert Hall. They married in Oct. 1961. When Seibert Hall was renovated, Ann saved a piece of the wooden steps as a memento of that moment, their love for each other and for SU.
John graduated from SU in May 1960, served in the U.S.Army, and earned a Master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University during a 20 year career at U.S. Gypsum. John and colleagues then formed their own company, which was a great success. The sale of that company, now known as the Strober Organization, provided a strong financial foundation for John, Ann, their family and their goals.
In appreciation for all that his professors and coaches at SU had done to shape him and his success, John always made extra effort to give back to his alma mater from his time, talents and resources. As alumni, John and Ann served and advocated for students, coaches and the SU community in many ways. A few examples show John’s impact as a player at SU was met or even exceeded by his impact as an alumnus.
John co-chaired the committee for the Bob Pittello Tribute in 1998, which renamed the locker room in his honor. Coach Pitello called that evening, “the greatest night of my life.” John also took on a leadership role in the significant contributions, by himself and by others, needed to build the Jim Garrett Sports Complex. Since its completion in 2001, it has benefited all SU students and community members, and will continue to serve everyone for many years to come. Such facilities would not exist without the efforts, dedication and generosity of alumni like John and Ann Yanuklis, and many others as well.
John and Ann were so grateful for the opportunities they received at SU that they also established two legacy funds: one for SU student-athletes and another for female students in need, to help them achieve their dreams: The John ‘60 and Ann Hewes ‘61 Yanuklis Endowment for Athletics and The John ’60 and Ann Hewes ‘61 Yanuklis Scholarship Fund. The creation of the endowment and fund by John and Ann assured that long after John’s passing in 2011, and Ann’s passing in 2019, there will always be support for the causes they cared about most at SU, and opportunities for current and future SU students.
