University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Jim Yeates 1970 - Hockey
A 1998 UVM Hall of Fame inductee and a solid all-around hockey forward, Jim Yeates was one of the leaders of Vermont's first ECAC Division II championship team. Always a player that coach Jim Cross and his teammates could count on, Yeates rarely missed a shift while never missing a game in his career with the Cats.
Coming to UVM as a 16-year old freshman, Yeates was the first Catamount hockey player from Quebec. His success in the classroom paved the way for others from north of the border.
"Jim broke ground for nearby Quebec as a fertile recruiting area for UVM hockey and because of Jim's success academically, our admissions department began to take a few more 'risks' with kids from Canada," Cross said.
Winning the Wasson Athletic Prize as the UVM athlete who maintained the highest standard of academic scholarship and athletic achievement also cemented the 'risk' that his coach made in recruiting Quebec ice hockey players. Yeates' success on the ice did not go unnoticed in the eyes of his coach.
"He was a terrific penalty killer and a top-notch defensive forward. He hit his peak in his final game at UVM, the 1970 title game at Bowdoin which put the program on the map. He was the championship game MVP that night," Cross noted. "He was the epitome of what a college athlete should be. He played hard and clean and took his school work seriously and there are very few more deserving of this honor."
When he left the program, Yeates held two UVM hockey scoring records including most assists in one season, 27 in 1969-70, and most goals in one period, three vs. Middlebury in 1968. At the time he finished his three-year career, he ranked fifth in career-scoring at 34-39-73 in 72 games.
Jim was the first of three Yeates' brothers to skate for the Cats. Hall-of-Fame defenseman Ted '72 played along side Jim for a year and Ken '76 was a UVM standout for four years.
Keeping his hand in athletics, Yeates has been involved in youth ski racing in Canada since the late 1980s. Previously the president of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, he is also the founder and chairman of the Air Canada Whistler Cup. He also has served as chairman of Alpine Canada, the governing board of Canadian alpine skiing.
