John Ralston (coach)

John Ralston (born April 26, 1927), a graduate of the University of California, played linebacker on two Cal Rose Bowl teams before earning his physical education Academic degree in 1951. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Cal before being named head coach at Utah State University in 1959. In four years, he compiled a 31-11-1 record and two Skyline Conference championships. He was born in Oakland, California.

Ralston moved to Stanford in 1963 and helped revive a sagging program. Over nine seasons, Ralston guided the team back to national respectability while building a mark of 55-36-3. In his last two seasons, 1970-71, Ralston's teams won two Pacific 8 titles and back-to-back Rose Bowl victories over Ohio State and Michigan. During Ralston's tenure at the school, Stanford quarterback Jim Plunkett won the 1970 Heisman Trophy.

In 1972, Ralston departed the Bay Area once again, this time for the Rocky Mountains and the Denver Broncos. The following year, he was UPI's choice as AFC Coach of the Year after Denver achieved its first-ever-winning season at 7-5-2. In five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston took the team to winning seasons three times, the franchise's only three winning seasons up to that time.

Overall, John Ralston coached the Denver Broncos from 1972 to 1976. With no playoff appearances his regular season win/loss/tie record was 34-33-3.

After being hired in 1972, the Broncos continue to struggle under Ralston finishing with a 5-9 record.

In 1973, a year which included the "Orange Monday," game played in front of a primetime national television audience, where the Broncos would come from behind and would earn a tie on Jim Turner's 35-yard field goal; Ralston coached the team into first place with a 6-3-2 record. With their first winning season in franchise history under their belt, and with the AFC West title on the line the Broncos season ended with a 21-17 loss to the Raiders in Oakland.

In 1974, Ralston coached the Broncos to a 7-6-1 record, for their second winning season in a row.

The 1975 season was a season of mediocre football for the Broncos and the team finished with a disappointing 6-8 record, but the following year the team played strong and finished with an impressive 9-5 record. However the record was not good enough to get the Broncos into the playoffs. Despite the strong showing Bronco players issued a protest vote of no confidence, and Coach John Ralston resigned following the season.

After leaving the Broncos, Ralston held several assistant coaching jobs which included, the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, and as a head coach in the USFL with the Oakland Invaders.

Coach John Ralston also coached in Europe. He was the head coach of the Dutch Lions, the National Football Team of The Netherlands. With the Lions, Ralston won the bronze medal in the European Championships in Helsinki, Finland, in 1991.

Head coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Utah State Aggies
startyear = 1959
conf = Skyline Conference
endyear = 1962CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1959
name = Utah State
overall = 5-6
conference = 2-5
confstanding = T-5th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1960
name = Utah State
overall = 9-2
conference = 6-1
confstanding = T-1st
bowlname = Sun Bowl
bowloutcome = L 13-20
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1961
name = Utah State
overall = 9-1-1
conference = 5-0-1
confstanding = T-1st
bowlname = Gotham Bowl
bowloutcome = L 9-24
bcsbowl =
ranking = 10
ranking2 = 10CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1962
name = Utah State
overall = 8-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Utah State
overall = 31-11-1
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Stanford Cardinal
startyear = 1963
conf = Pac 10 Conference
endyear = 1971CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1963
name = Stanford
overall = 3-7
conference = 1-4
confstanding = 6th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1964
name = Stanford
overall = 5-5
conference = 3-4
confstanding = 5th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1965
name = Stanford
overall = 6-3-1
conference = 2-3
confstanding = T-5th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1966
name = Stanford
overall = 5-5
conference = 1-4
confstanding = 8th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1967
name = Stanford
overall = 5-5
conference = 3-4
confstanding = T-4th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1968
name = Stanford
overall = 6-3-1
conference = 3-3-1
confstanding = T-3rd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = 20
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1969
name = Stanford
overall = 7-2-1
conference = 5-1-1
confstanding = T-2nd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking = 14
ranking2 = 19CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1970
name = Stanford
overall = 9-3
conference = 6-1
confstanding = 1st
bowlname = Rose Bowl
bowloutcome = W 27-17
bcsbowl =
ranking = 10
ranking2 = 8CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1971
name = Stanford
overall = 9-3
conference = 6-1
confstanding = 1st
bowlname = Rose Bowl
bowloutcome = W 13-12
bcsbowl =
ranking = 16
ranking2 = 10CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Stanford
overall = 55-36-3
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = San Jose State Spartans
startyear = 1993
conf = Big West Conference/Western Athletic Conference
endyear = 1996CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1993
name = San Jose State
overall = 2-9
conference = 2-4
confstanding = T-6th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1994
name = San Jose State
overall = 3-8
conference = 3-3
confstanding = T-5th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1995
name = San Jose State
overall = 3-8
conference = 3-4
confstanding = T-6th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1996
name = San Jose State
overall = 3-9
conference = 3-5
confstanding = T-5th (Division)
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = San Jose State
overall = 11-34
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 97-81-4
bcs =
poll = two
polltype =