DENVER - Inaugaral 1996 University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame honoree Dick Yates passed away last weekend at a hospice in Wheat Ridge from complications of bone cancer. Yates was 84.

Yates was a standout three-sport athlete at DU from 1944-48. He earned an astounding eight letters in football, basketball and baseball for the Pioneers. Yates earned the nickname "Little Monster" because he played guard on offense and linebacker on defense when he weighed just 165 pounds.  

Following his Pioneer playing days, Yates went into academics, teaching and coaching at several Denver area high schools. Yates built a baseball dynasty while coaching at Denver South. The Rebels won three consecutive Class AA state championships, the last in 1960. As a head coach in baseball and football, Yates' teams won 18 city championships, eight state championships and two regional championships. He officially retired in 1985 after 35 years.

Because of his accomplishments as an athlete and a person, Yates was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Yates is survived by his five children: sons Steve, Scott and Shanon and daughters Sandy and Sharron. Scott Yates is the longtime football coach at Kent Denver High; Shanon played football at the Air Force Academy. Although he had retired, Dick Yates helped out his son with coaching at Kent Denver, where his grandson played through last season.