19 Facts About Ralph Ellsworth

Ralph Ellsworth was an All-Conference back for the Texas Longhorns in 1943 and helped Texas to their first repeat conference championship and its first-ever bowl game in 1944.

Ralph Ellsworth transferred to the Naval Academy in 1944, but returned to Texas for the 1945 and 1946 seasons.

Ralph Ellsworth was drafted by the New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns, but never played professional football.

Ralph Ellsworth was a standout on the track who won a National Championship at Navy in 1945 and at Texas won conference championships in two individual events, three relays, and as part of two teams.

Ralph Ellsworth accepted the invitation to live with Mr and Mrs Earnest Gross and their son, and he became a part of their family.

Ralph Ellsworth won the 1942 Texas state championship in the 440-yard dash and was part of the state championship mile relay team the same year.

In 1943, his first season of college football, Ralph Ellsworth was an unlikely football star who started out as wingback before moving to the critical tailback position.

Ralph Ellsworth came to Austin in 1942 as part of the Naval ROTC Training program and skipped his freshman season to focus on track.

Ralph Ellsworth played that position for the first three games of the season.

When starting tailback Ralph Hall was injured against Arkansas, Coach Dana X Bible, then dealing with injuries to other backs such as Billy Main and Bob Rados, pulled Ellsworth up to lead the offense.

In 1944, Ralph Ellsworth got less playing time at Navy since he was only a plebe on a team loaded with talent, but he still managed to average about a half of play per game.

In October 1945, Ralph Ellsworth resigned from the Academy and returned to Texas, not because of a lack of playing time he said, but because of changes at the school and out of a desire to marry his fiance.

Ralph Ellsworth finished the 1945 season with two memorable plays.

Ralph Ellsworth had a good game himself as he was the Longhorns' leading rusher that day with 82 yards.

Ralph Ellsworth was injured early in the season, and missed several games, but still managed to be named third team all-conference.

In 1947, Ralph Ellsworth had already played four years of football and had sought a waiver to play a fifth, since one season was at Navy.

Ralph Ellsworth participated in spring drills, was talked about in the media as a returning player and made the school's roster.

Ralph Ellsworth received a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering in 1948 and a master's degree in geology in 1949, both from Texas, and went into the oil business in Houston.

Ralph Ellsworth was inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor in 1989.