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 but under . 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 and . 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 .