Ralph Miller

:"For other uses, see: Ralph Miller (disambiguation)".College coach infobox
Name = Ralph Miller
Sport = Basketball


ImageWidth =
Caption =
DateOfBirth = birth date|1919|3|9
Birthplace = flagicon|United States Chanute, Kansas
DateOfDeath = death date and age|2001|5|15|1919|3|9
Deathplace = flagicon|United States Bend, Oregon
College = Oregon State University
Title = Head coach
Awards = National Coach of the Year -- 1981 & 1982
Pac-10 Coach of the Year -- 1981 & 1989
9 teams in NCAA Tournament
6 teams in National Invitation Tournament
4 Pac-10 Championships -- 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984

Championships =
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 657-382 (.632)
Player = *
Years = 1937-41
Team = Kansas
Coach = *
CoachYears = 1951-1964
1964-1970
1970-1989

CoachTeams = University of Wichita
University of Iowa
Oregon State University
Position =
CollegeHOFID =
BBallHOF = 1988

Ralph H. Miller (March 9, 1919 – May 15, 2001) was a college men's basketball coach. The Chanute, Kansas native coached at the University of Wichita (1951-1964), the University of Iowa (1964-1970) and Oregon State University (1970-1989), compiling a 657-382 (.632) overall record in 38 seasons combined. He was enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach on May 3, 1988. His teams had losing records only three times.

Early life

Miller was a standout athlete in high school and college. At Chanute High School in Chanute, Kansas, he won letters in football, track, basketball, golf and tennis. He was an all-state basketball player for three years.

In college at the University of Kansas, he won three letters as a football quarterback and three in basketball. He set the state record in the low hurdles in 1937. He was all-state three consecutive years in football and basketball. By 1940, he was beating the 1932 gold medalist in the decathlon Jim Baush in seven of 10 events.

As an undergraduate, he was coached by the legendary Phog Allen. In one of Miller's classes, a guest lecturer was Dr. James Naismith, who invented basketball.

After he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1942, he spent three years in the Army Air Forces, leaving as a First Lieutenant.

Miller's first coaching position was at Mount Oread High School in Lawrence, Kansas. The team consisted primarily of professors' sons. The season did not go well and left a sour taste in his mouth towards coaching basketball.

Miller didn't have to go overseas during World War II because of knee problems that began at KU. He enlisted in the Air Force and held desk jobs in Florida, Texas and California. After the war, he became an assistant director of recreation and oversaw a swimming pool and playground in Redlands, California. Soon, he joined a friend in the business of hauling fruit.

In 1949, eight years after his ill-fated first attempt at coaching, a friend from Wichita, Kansas named Fritz Snodgrass sent Miller a telegram asking if he might be interested in returning to guide his son's team at East High School. At East, Miller became a student of the game. He 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. Nobody could give Miller a solid answer, and so he began tinkering with ways to press after missed shots, too. His 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. His ideas were very successful. In three years at East High, Miller's teams finished second, third and first in the state using his system of execution and pressure basketball.

College coaching

University of Wichita

In 1951, the president of the University of Wichita (now Wichita State University) offered him a job. Miller spent 13 years at Wichita, winning 220 games, earning three National Invitation Tournament berths and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 1964.

University of Iowa

In the spring of 1964, Miller left for the University of Iowa, where he built one of the greatest offensive juggernauts in NCAA history. The Hawkeyes averaged more than 100 points a game in 1970 and went undefeated in the Big Ten Conference en route to an NCAA Tournament berth.

Oregon State University

In 1970, Miller was offered the job at Oregon State after Paul Valenti stepped down. Miller had only two losing seasons in 19 years at OSU. He retired as the second all-time winningest coach in Oregon State history with 359 victories.

Retirement

When he retired at age 70 in 1989, his record was 657-382. The 657 victories were the most by an active coach and ranked him seventh among major-college coaches, trailing only Adolph Rupp (876), Henry Iba (767), Ed Diddle (759), Phog Allen (746), Ray Meyer (724) and John Wooden (664).ref|nyt Miller's teams actually won 674 games, but the total was reduced by forfeits because one of his players, Lonnie Shelton, had signed with an agent while still in college.

The floor of Gill Coliseum, Oregon State's basketball arena, is named 'Ralph Miller Court'. The street in front of Gill Coliseum was renamed 'Ralph Miller Drive' shortly upon his retirement.

Personal life

In the fall of 1937, while at the University of Kansas, he took a physiology class. The students were seated alphabetically. Next to him was an attractive coed from Topeka, Kansas named Emily Jean Milam. Five years later they were married.

The couple had two sons, Ralph Jr. and Paul, and two daughters, Susan Langer and Shannon Jakosky.

The Gymnasium at Chanute High School is named after Ralph Miller, and is home to the Ralph Miller Classic, an eight team tournament.

Head coaching record

CBB Yearly Record Start
type=coach
conference=
postseason=
poll=noCBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=University of Wichita
startyear=1951
conference=Missouri Valley Conference
endyear=1964|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1951-1952
name = Wichita
overall = 11-19
conference = 2-8
confstanding = 6th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1952-1953
name = Wichita
overall = 16-11
conference = 3-7
confstanding = 6th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1953-1954
name = Wichita
overall = 27-4
conference = 8-2
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1954-1955
name = Wichita
overall = 17-9
conference = 4-6
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1955-1956
name = Wichita
overall = 14-12
conference = 7-5
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1956-1957
name = Wichita
overall = 15-11
conference = 8-6
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1957-1958
name = Wichita
overall = 14-12
conference = 6-8
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1958-1959
name = Wichita
overall = 14-12
conference = 7-7
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1959-1960
name = Wichita
overall = 14-12
conference = 6-8
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1960-1961
name = Wichita
overall = 18-8
conference = 6-6
confstanding = 4th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1961-1962
name = Wichita
overall = 18-9
conference = 7-5
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1962-1963
name = Wichita
overall = 19-8
conference = 7-5
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1963-1964
name = Wichita
overall = 23-5
conference = 10-2
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Elite EightCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Wichita
overall = 220-133
confrecord = 81-75CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Iowa
startyear=1964
conference=Big Ten Conference
endyear=1970|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1964–1965
name = Iowa
overall = 14-10
conference = 8-6
confstanding = 5th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1965–1966
name = Iowa
overall = 17-7
conference = 8-6
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1966–1967
name = Iowa
overall = 16-8
conference = 9-5
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1967–1968
name = Iowa
overall = 16-9
conference = 10-4
confstanding = 1st
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1968–1969
name = Iowa
overall = 12-12
conference = 5-9
confstanding = 8th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1969–1970
name = Iowa
overall = 20-5
conference = 14-0
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 2nd roundCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Iowa
overall = 95-51
confrecord = 54-30CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Oregon State University
startyear=1970
conference=Pacific Ten Conference
endyear=1989|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1970–1971
name = Oregon State
overall = 12-14
conference = 4-10
confstanding = 6th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1971–1972
name = Oregon State
overall = 18-10
conference = 9-5
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1972–1973
name = Oregon State
overall = 15-11
conference = 6-8
confstanding = 5th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1973–1974
name = Oregon State
overall = 13-13
conference = 6-8
confstanding = 5th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1974–1975
name = Oregon State
overall = 19-12
conference = 10-4
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = NCAA 2nd roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1975–1976
name = Oregon State
overall = 18-9
conference = 10-4
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1976–1977
name = Oregon State
overall = 20-5
conference = 14-0
confstanding = 1st
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1977–1978
name = Oregon State
overall = 16-11
conference = 9-5
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1978–1979
name = Oregon State
overall = 18-10
conference = 11-7
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = NIT 1st roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1979–1980
name = Oregon State
overall = 26-4
conference = 16-2
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 2nd roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1980–1981
name = Oregon State
overall = 26-2
conference = 17-1
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 2nd roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1981–1982
name = Oregon State
overall = 25-5
conference = 16-2
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Elite EightCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1982–1983
name = Oregon State
overall = 20-11
conference = 12-6
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = NIT QuarterfinalsCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1983–1984
name = Oregon State
overall = 22-7
conference = 15-3
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 1st roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1984–1985
name = Oregon State
overall = 22-9
conference = 12-6
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = NCAA 1st roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1985–1986
name = Oregon State
overall = 12-15
conference = 8-10
confstanding = 5th
postseason = CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1986–1987
name = Oregon State
overall = 19-11
conference = 10-8
confstanding = 3rd
postseason = NIT 2nd roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1987–1988
name = Oregon State
overall = 20-11
conference = 12-6
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = NCAA 1st roundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1988–1989
name = Oregon State
overall = 22-8
conference = 13-5
confstanding = 2nd
postseason = NCAA 1st roundCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Oregon State
overall = 359-186
confrecord = 204-114CBB Yearly Record End
overall=674-370

References

# [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D8133AF93BA15757C0A96E948260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fO%2fOregon%20State%20University] "New York Times" "SPORTS PEOPLE; Curtain Call"

External links

* [http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-ralph-miller.html Basketball Hall of Fame profile]