Ralph Coleman

Ralph O. Coleman (November 30, 1895[1] – July 8, 1990 ) was a college baseball coach at Oregon State University for 35 years.

For the football player, see Ralph Coleman (American football). For the American painter and illustrator, see Ralph Pallen Coleman.
Ralph Coleman
Ralph Coleman in 1938
Biographical details
Born(1895-11-30)November 30, 1895
Canby, Oregon, U.S.
DiedJuly 8, 1990(1990-07-08) (aged 94)
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
Playing career
1918Oregon State
Position(s)Pitcher
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1923–1928Oregon State
1930–1931Oregon State
1938–1966Oregon State
Head coaching record
Overall561–316–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
conference titles in 1925, 1927, 1938, 1940, 1943, 1951, 1952, 1958, 1962, 1963

Early life

Coleman was born in Canby, Oregon in 1895 and graduated from Canby High School.[2] He attended Oregon Agricultural College (later renamed Oregon State University), where he lettered in track for three years before trying baseball in his senior year of 1918.[3] After serving in World War I, he pitched for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League and was offered a tryout with the Detroit Tigers, but opted instead for the head baseball coaching job at his alma mater.[4] His younger brother Ed also played for the Beavers and went on to the major leagues.[4]

Coaching career

Nicknamed The Silver Fox,[5] Coleman remained the Beavers' head coach for 35 seasons: from 1923 to 1928, from 1930 to 1931, and from 1938 to 1966. His tenure was broken several times by other campus duties.[5] Under Coleman's tenure, the Beavers had an overall record of 561–316–1 and finished first in the Northern Division 10 times. Coleman coached the Beavers to its first appearance in the College World Series in 1952, but the team lost its games to Duke and Texas.[6]

Legacy

In 1968, he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.[7] He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, the same year that Oregon State's baseball stadium was renamed Coleman Field in his honor.[5] (It was later renamed Goss Stadium at Coleman Field when it was upgraded in 1999 with major donations from the Goss family.) He died in 1990, and was inducted into the OSU Sports Hall of Fame later that same year.[8]

References
  1. Birthdate obtained from Social Security Death Index.
  2. "Oregon State Baseball". Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. "OSC Teams from 1947 to 1954". Oregon State Library. Archived from the original on 2006-11-23. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  4. "Oregon State Baseball from A to Z". Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  5. "Coleman, former OSU baseball coach, dies". The Oregonian. July 10, 1990.
  6. "2007 Oregon State Beavers Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). osubeavers.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  7. "ABCA Hall of Famers" (PDF). American Baseball Coaches Association. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  8. "Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame". Oregon State Sports Information. Archived from the original on 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
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