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Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) will induct eight individuals and one team into the NEO Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Saturday, September 15, 2018. Included among the honorees is Mr. William “Bill” Yocum.
After graduation from Bartlesville High School, Yocum attended NEO from 1969-1970, where he played football for Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Bowman. Yocum was a member of the 1969 National Championship Football Team and was the captain of the 1970 team. He was named NJCAA and Gridwire All-American and was selected as one of the Outstanding College Athletes in America in 1970. After NEO, Yocum lettered at Texas A&M University. Yocum returned to NEO as Head Wrestling and Assistant Football Coach from 1977-80, where his 1978 Wrestling Team had a Top 10 finish at the NJCAA National Tournament and the 1980 Football Team won the NJCAA National Championship with a perfect record of 10-0. He is one of only two NEO athletes to play and coach on a National Championship Football Team, and his NEO record as a player and coach is 51-7-1. Yocum is retired and resides in Lewisville, Texas.
The induction ceremony for Yocum and the other honorees will take place in the Calcagno Family Ballroom in the Bruce G. Carter Student Union before the evening’s football game. Following the ceremony, the NEO Golden Norsemen football team will play against rivals Trinity Valley. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. Tickets for the event are on sale now. “The Hall of Fame is a legacy that we are very proud of at NEO and to have it in conjunction with the NEO vs. Trinity Valley game will make for a great day of NEO Athletics,” said Joe Renfro, interim athletic director. “We hope everyone will come out and support the event and the Norsemen.” For more information about the NEO Athletic Hall of Fame, contact Nancy Roberts at nancy.roberts@neo.edu or call (918) 540-6327.