Truman State University Athletics

While at Wood River (Ill.) High School, Ralph Pink was captain of an outstanding basketball team that compiled a record-breaking 32-3 mark in his senior year. Also on that team were Earl "Smiley" Dodd, a 1987 Hall of Fame inductee, Bob Lewis, and Harry Gallatin, a 1984 Hall of Fame inductee. Ralph played basketball in military service in World War II. It was during this period that he met his future collegiate coach, Boyd King, who persuaded him to enroll at the university after the war. The Bulldog teams on which Ralph played compiled a 59-4 record between 1946-48, won two MIAA championships and competed twice in the NAIA national tournament. Mr. Pink earned All-MIAA honorable mention and second team accolades in those two seasons. After graduation in 1948, he had an opportunity to sign a professional basketball contract with the New York Knicks but he had just gotten married and decided to go ahead and attend graduate school. Mr. Pink received a M.Ed. degree in 1949 from the University of Missouri. The following year he started his coaching career at Lebanon, Mo. and guided the basketball team to the 1950 state high school tournament. He then coached at Central College in Fayette directing the Eagles to a couple of MCAU championships and a trip to the NAIA national tournament. His 1959-51 Central College team was undefeated in conference play. In 1952 he was appointed basketball and tennis coach at Southeast Missouri State where he had only one losing basketball campaign and directed the tennis team to an MIAA title. He joined the Truman faculty in 1958 as an instructor in physical education, men's tennis coach and first full-time director of intramurals. In the ten years that he coached tennis the Bulldogs compiled a dual record of 79-20, captured five MIAA championships and finished fourth and ninth in the NCAA College Division tournament. Dr. Pink was also a long-time sponsor of the university Varsity Club. He holds a doctorate degree from the University of Utah.