19 Facts About Ralph Miller

Ralph H Miller was an American college basketball coach, a head coach for 38 years at three universities: Wichita, Iowa, and Oregon State.

Ralph Miller was an all-state basketball player for three years and set the state record in the low hurdles in 1937.

Ralph Miller was all-state three consecutive years in football and basketball.

In college at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Ralph Miller won three letters as a football quarterback and three in basketball.

Ralph Miller earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1942.

Ralph Miller drafted in the 18th round of the 1942 NFL draft by the Brooklyn Dodgers, but declined playing in the NFL and instead took a personnel department job with the Aero Parts Manufacturing Company.

The "flashy passer" Ralph Miller saw his 1942 season come to an abrupt end at the hands of the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL, who played an exhibition game against the Aero Commandos in Wichita's Lawrence Stadium on November 15, during what would otherwise have been a bye week.

Midway through the first half Ralph Miller suffered an unspecified injury that forced his removal and ended his year.

Ralph Miller's first coaching position was at Mount Oread High School in Lawrence, and the team consisted primarily of professors' sons.

Ralph Miller later joined the Army Air Forces for three years, leaving as a first lieutenant.

Ralph Miller didn't have to go overseas during World War II because of knee problems that began at KU.

Ralph Miller enlisted in the Air Force and held desk jobs in Florida, Texas, and California.

Ralph Miller was fascinated by the full-court press zone defense that had been developed at Kansas in 1930, but he wondered why it was only used after a basket was made.

Ralph Miller's idea was to assign each player a man to guard, and when an errant shot went up, they were immediately to pick up their man.

In three years at East High, Ralph Miller's teams finished second, third and first in the state using his system of execution and pressure basketball.

Ralph Miller spent 13 years at Wichita, winning 220 games, earning three NIT berths and a spot in the NCAA tournament in 1964.

Ralph Miller had only two losing seasons in 19 years at OSU, and retired as the second winningest head coach in Oregon State history with 359 victories, behind Slats Gill.

Ralph Miller retired at age 70 in 1989, his final regular season win was a comfortable one, over rival Oregon at a sold-out Gill Coliseum on Sunday, The Beavers lost to top-ranked Arizona in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tourney, then fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Evansville.

Ralph Miller had an unequaled addiction to cigarettes, and chain-smoked More brand cigarettes during practices, on team buses, and in.