ITHACA, N.Y. -- Robert "Rip" J. Haley, a two-sport standout for Cornell football and baseball in the late 1940s and a member of the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame, passed away on July 28, 2026, at Bridges Cornell in Ithaca. He was 97.
A 1951 Cornell graduate, Haley was a two-way threat on the gridiron, starting at halfback and playing regularly on defense from 1948-50 after quarterbacking and manning safety for the freshman squad in 1947. As a junior, he led the Big Red with five interceptions for 110 yards, including two returned for touchdowns — a mark that remains a Cornell single-season and career record. His 11 career interceptions still rank fourth in program history.
Haley was equally accomplished on the diamond. A third baseman, he topped all Eastern Intercollegiate League hitters with a .375 batting average in 1949 and ranked fifth in the league the following year. He capped his career by serving as team captain his senior season.
"Rip was one of the finest Cornellians I had the privilege to know," said Dr. Nicki Moore, the Meakem & Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education. "His loyalty to Cornell was unwavering, and his enthusiasm for Big Red Athletics was contagious. He reminded all of us what it means to truly love and believe in this place."
Following his Cornell career, Haley earned a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh's business school in 1957 and went on to a distinguished career in fundraising and alumni relations, including a return to Cornell in 1963. He later served as Vice President of Alumni Relations and Development at Clarkson University and at Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, retiring in 1994 after 16 years at Johns Hopkins. He and his wife of 71 years, Patricia, then returned to Ithaca, where he worked as a fundraising consultant for five years.
In retirement, Haley became a fixture at Cornell athletic events across every season — football Saturdays, hockey nights at Lynah, lacrosse games in the spring and wrestling matches throughout the winter — remaining a beloved presence within the Big Red athletics family.
Haley is survived by his son, Christopher Haley, and his wife Megann Holland; his daughter, Kathryn "Tiki" Somogyi, and her husband Dave; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and extended family.
Friends may call at Bangs Funeral Home on Monday, August 3, from 4-6 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be held Tuesday, August 4, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Cornell University General Athletics Fund.
