John Ralston, one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most popular and beloved college and professional sports figures, passed away peacefully in Sunnyvale, Calif., on September 14, 2019.
Mr. Ralston's impact on the Bay Area sports scene spanned 60 years from his days as a linebacker on the 1947 through 1950 University of California football teams playing for legendary coach Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf" into the 21st century as a special assistant to the athletics director at San Jose State University.
HIS FOOTBALL COACHING CAREER
He was best known as a football coach with a positive approach to life that took Utah State University, Stanford University and the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) to unprecedented success.
Mr. Ralston began his coaching career as an assistant football coach at San Lorenzo (Calif.) High in 1953 and spent two seasons at Mt. Diablo High before returning to Cal. He to the University of California in 1956 as an assistant football coach and was on the staff for the 1958 Golden Bears' team that played in the 1959 Rose Bowl.
He was the head coach at Utah State (1959-62), Stanford (1963-71), the Denver Broncos (1972-76), the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League (1983-84) and San Jose State (1993-96). Combining his college and professional head coaching records, his teams amassed a 140-126-7 win-loss record.
His Utah State teams played in the 1960 Sun Bowl and 1961 Gotham Bowl and his Stanford University squads won consecutive Pacific 8 Conference championships and Rose Bowls following the 1970 and 1971 regular seasons. The Broncos' first winning season in franchise history was in 1973, his second as a NFL head coach.
Mr. Ralston's coaching tree included former NFL head coaches the late Bill Walsh, Dick Vermeil, Jim Mora, Sr., Mike White, the late Rod Rust, the late Jack Christiansen and college head coaches the late Roger Theder, the late Tony Knap, Ed Peasley and Rubin Carter.
His best-known players included 1970 Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett at Stanford and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Merlin Olsen at Utah State.
Gallery: (9/16/2019) Looking Back On John Ralston
MORE THAN A FOOTBALL COACH
His football experiences extended beyond coaching players and his assistants. He was the Denver Broncos' general manager and head coach. Mr. Ralston was a Philadelphia Eagles assistant coach to Vermeil in 1978. He was the vice-president of the San Francisco 49ers during the 1979 and 1980 seasons and the president of the Portland Breakers of the USF in 1984 and 1985.
Mr. Ralston scouted for the Seattle Seahawks in 1988 and 1989 and served three years, 1990 through 1992, as the coordinator for Operation Discovery, a search for foreign-born football players of the World League of American Football. His search took him to the Soviet Union and a short-lived position as head coach of the Moscow Bears, the U.S.S.R's first professional football team.
The one-time Dale Carnegie Courses instructor also served as an administrator for Major League Volleyball, a professional women's volleyball league, and the general manager of the Sacramento Capitols team tennis franchise.
The native of Oakland, Calif., was born on April 26, 1927, and spent a portion of his youth in Norway, Mich. He graduated from the University of California in 1951.
A World War II veteran, Mr. Ralston served in the Marine Corps, achieving the rank of corporal. He was stationed mainly on the S.S. Little rock in the South Pacific.
SOME OF HIS HONORS & ACCOLADES
Mr. Ralston's lengthy list of accolades includes induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992; the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1996; the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1997; the San Jose Hall of Fame in 2001; and the sports halls of fame for San Jose State, Stanford, and Utah State.
As a coach, Mr. Ralston was named Stanford's "Coach of the Century" when the university celebrated its centennial anniversary of football in 1991 and the 1973 United Press International's American Football Conference "Coach of the Year" in his second season with the Denver Broncos.
Mr. Ralston is survived by his daughter, Terry (Ralston) Zaffonato, four grandsons, two granddaughters, and one great granddaughter. He was predeceased by his wife of 46 years, Patty (Ward) Ralston; a son, Larry; a daughter, Sherry (Ralston) Brown, the twin sister of Terry; and Virginia Fanelli, his life's partner following the passing of his wife Patty.
A celebration of life for Mr. Ralston will be announced in the near future.
REMEMBERING JOHN RALSTON
San José State University director of athletics Marie Tuite:
"Coach Ralston was a revered and cherished Spartan. He had a deep and endless connection with countless individuals, and a profound impact on the people he touched. To lose Coach Tomey and Coach Ralston within months of each other is particularly painful....especially for Coach Brennan and numerous other coaches. Our hearts are heavy, and we honor Coach Ralston by living his lessons and believing in his vision of success for San Jose State football."
San José Sports Authority Executive Director and former San Jose State Deputy Director of Athletics John Poch:
"John Ralston epitomized everything a great Coach should be from the way he roamed the sidelines to the life he lived. His focus on making everyone he touched a better person and a contributor to something positive will always be his legacy to me. Look at the mentor ship he provided to so many young coaches, from Bill Walsh, Dick Vermeil, Jim Mora, Mike White to Brent Brennan, he always took every call and let you know he believed in you. I have learned so much from him - his inquisitiveness, curiosity, generosity and push for high standards is something that will continue to inspire me and all of us that had the pleasure to work with him. Simply, today the world is a little sadder - because we have lost a truly humble, decent and caring man. And in today's times that is a great loss."
San Jose State football head coach Brent Brennan:
"Coach Ralston was a legendary football coach and an even better human being. When I first started here in 2005 (as an assistant coach), he was in our office every day and he would pull me into his office periodically and hit me with all kinds of wisdom. he would talk about what he saw as I was coaching in practice or recruiting. He would talk to me about trying to develop as a coach. I'm so grateful for the time I had with him.
"He was a special guy and a great football guy. He had a great idea what we were doing schematically, how certain players could help more or less, where they might fit better. He was always trying to help. I always thought it was amazing much later in life, he always came to work every single day trying to help San Jose State football.
