John Yarno

John Richard Yarno, Jr. (born December 17, 1954) is a former professional football player, an offensive lineman with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Seahawks, the 87th overall pick, and played for six seasons, from 1977-82.

High school
Yarno was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, and attended Gonzaga Prep through his junior year. He transferred to Ferris High School for his senior year and graduated in 1973. He was an honorable mention all-city selection at center in the fall of 1972, when the Saxons won their third consecutive city league championship. As a senior, Yarno was 6ft 4in but under 200 lb.

College football
Left-handed and underweight for a center, Yarno was not highly recruited out of high school. He did not receive any offers from Pac-8 schools, only from Idaho and Boise State of the Big Sky conference. Idaho was a better fit for Yarno as it was closer to Spokane, a Division I program, and its offensive coordinator and line coach (Don Matthews) was a former head coach at Ferris and a UI alumnus. He also had familiarity with the college town of Moscow, the longtime residence of his maternal grandfather (Yarno's mother died when he was eight). Yarno selected Idaho, then under fourth-year head coach Don Robbins, who had led Idaho to its then-best record of 8-3 in 1971.

In his freshman season of 1973, the Vandals went 4-7 for the second consecutive year and the coaching staff was dismissed, except for Ed Troxel, who was promoted to head coach. Yarno became a three-year starter in his sophomore season of 1974 under Troxel and offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson. In his senior season of 1976, Idaho was 7-4 for their first winning season in five years. He was a unanimous selection as the conference player of the year on offense, the first for an interior lineman. Yarno was the first (and only) Vandal to be named to the Division I first-team All-American (AP), which included a prime-time television appearance on the Bob Hope Christmas Special on NBC. The All-America team was headlined by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh. Yarno was also selected to play in the East–West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. The University of Idaho retired his number 56 in 1977.

During his senior season at Idaho, Yarno was listed at 6ft 5in and 246 lb. His younger brother George was the nose tackle with Washington State, and the two matched up often in the Battle of the Palouse in 1975 and 1976, both handily won by WSU.

Pro football
A fourth round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft, Yarno played six seasons with the Seahawks, the last five as the starting center, and endured three knee surgeries while a pro. He signed a three-year contract in April 1983, but was waived by the team in late August after the acquisition of Blair Bush from Cincinnati.

Not picked up by another NFL team in 1983, Yarno and his brother George signed three-year contracts with the Denver Gold of the USFL for the 1984 spring season. After limited playing time at center and tight end in the USFL and no interest from NFL teams in 1984, Yarno decided to retire from pro football at age 29 in November.