RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan University Athletics Department mourns the loss of Ron Petro '63, who passed away on Friday, December 5 at the age of 84.
Petro '63 was part of the Jaspers' Men's Basketball team for three seasons, where he finished his career seventh on the All-Time Leading Scorer's List with 1,031 points as a member of the Green and White, eventually leading to a 1999 induction to the Jaspers' Hall of Fame.
As a student-athlete, Petro '63 led his team with career high averages of 21.5 points-per-game, while corralling 8.5 rebounds-per-game as a junior.
The following season, he served as Team Captain in his senior year, while posting an average of 17.7 points-per-game. That year, he notched a career high 38 points in the Battle of the Bronx against Fordham.
"Ron Petro was the ultimate Jasper- a distinguished hall of famer and a great teammate," described Jaspers Men's Basketball Head Coach
John Gallagher. "
"Manhattan's basketball program and this institution were made better because of Ron's influence. Even more importantly, Ron impacted thousands of young people as a gifted coach and administrator."
After his time in Riverdale, Petro went on to become the Athletics Director for Marist University, where he served as the Red Foxes' Director of Athletics for a seven-year stretch, where the Poughkeepsie based institution leapt into Division I. He also was the Red Foxes' Men's Basketball Head Coach for nearly two decades, where his 228 wins ranks second in program history.
Petro then went on to serve as the Director of Athletics at Alaska-Anchorage from 1984-1992. Followed by a stint as Director of Athletics for the University of Rhode Island, where he held the role for over a decade.
He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Manhattan in 1963. Then, added a pair of master's degrees from Penn State in Education in 1964, and administration and supervision from Southern Connecticut State in 1975.
