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Hiram honors Yazbek, Collins
By Greg Gulas
HIRAM
The 2016 Hiram College Hall of Fame class had a huge Mahoning Valley presence when former Chaney baseball standout Dom Yazbek and Ursuline football player Thomas Collins were among the seven inductees honored during its Sept. 17 ceremonies.
The 53rd ceremony now includes 324 former athletes, coaches and contributors who have been honored since the charter class was unveiled in 1964.
Collins, the lone football inductee, is a 1981 Ursuline High School and 1985 Hiram College graduate while Yazbek, a 1996 Chaney Cowboys alum. is a 2004 Terriers graduate.
Yazbek was a Division II all-state selection as a senior for the Cowboys, batting .484 with a 27-game hitting streak.
Yazbek survived an auto accident prior to his high school graduation as he returned home from a Class B game. The crash was the night before his commencement. He was playing for the league’s Sports Cage entry at the time of his accident, suffering a broken hip, ribs and punctured lung.
After attending Youngstown State and receiving a medical redshirt as a freshman, he transferred to Indiana Tech.
If it weren’t for bad luck, he probably would not have had any those first few collegiate years as he proceeded to blow his arm out at IT and required Tommy John surgery.
“I came back home and wasn’t going to play anymore, going through two solid years of rehab. I still feel it today,” he said. “I was recruited by Hiram coach Howard Jenter out of high school, so I decided to go to Hiram and had a very enjoyable three years.”
As a pitcher, first baseman, third baseman and designated hitter for the Terriers, he went on to earn three letters, was a two-time honorable mention All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honoree and served as team captain in 2003.
He batted .414 as a sophomore, followed that up with a .327 mark his junior season, batted .357 as a senior and ended his career with a .357 career batting average.
Recipient of the Donald M. Campbell Award (Outstanding Male Student-Athlete) in 2003, he remains the program’s all-time home run leader, having clouted 18 during his career.
“It was definitely a great honor,” Yazbek said of his induction. “To have my entire family and so many friends share in that day was just so very nice.”
Yazbek currently serves as finance manager for Haus Auto Group in Canfield.
For Collins, the toughest assignment for the athletic department was tracking him down in order to deliver the good news.
“The news of my selection was a humbling moment for me. It was kind of weird in that they had a hard time tracking me down and when I received my letter, it was the same week that my grandson was born. Needless to say it was a great week,” Collins said. “The ceremonies were held 32 years to the day that my father had passed away after battling ALS. He saw me play the first game of my senior season against Mount Union and passed away the very next day. With about 60 friends and family members in attendance at the ceremonies, it’s easy to understand why it was a happy, yet emotional day.”
Collins grew up on the city’s West Side, attended St. Christine’s School and later played scholastically for the Fighting Irish under former head coaches Jim Maughn and Dick Angle.
A four-year letterwinner for the Terriers, he was recruited by former Hiram head coach and YSU athletic director Joe Malmisur.
“Joe Malmisur was an excellent recruiter and did a great job of recruiting players from the Mahoning Valley,” Collins said. “He was the most feared coach that I ever played for. You did what he told you to do.”
A four-year letterman, he played his final two seasons under Don Charlton, his presenter, and was team MVP during both his junior and senior seasons, serving as team captain in 1984.
The 1982 team remains the only squad in school history to win a PAC title.
“It didn’t seem special at the time, but it sure is now. I can tell you without hesitation, Joe Malmisur willed us to that title,” he said.
As a senior, Collins led the PAC (President’s Athletic Conference) in receptions with 67, good enough to earn a spot on the Pizza Hut All-American team. Those 67 catches remained a single season standard until 2009 while his 120 career receptions (1,233 yards, seven touchdowns) still rank fourth in program history.
After earning his BA in management degree, he spent 25 years with Wells Fargo and currently serves as a district manager with Huntington Bank.
He currently serves as an assistant football coach at Mathews High School.
“Beyond his extensive knowledge of the game, Tom has a unique ability to relate to kids and that is what makes him a successful coach. He is a natural teacher and the players really respond to that,” first-year Mustangs head coach John Protopapa said.