The Career of Ralph Jones A lesser-known Indiana coaching legend By Chris May Ralph Jones Photo by Lake Forest Academy The name Ralph Jones may sound common enough that even the casual fan might have heard of this early basketball coach. Most, however, even in his home state, know very little about the man and his wildly successful coaching career that spanned six decades. But to those who truly know the career of Ralph Jones they know that it was far from ordinary. In fact, an Indiana born man named Ralph R. Jones personally coached, taught, or lectured men now regarded as legends including Ward Piggy Lambert, R.E. Pete Vaughn, Everett Case, George Halas, Ken Tug Wilson, Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski. He garnered the praise of countless others during a 50-year coaching career. Although he may have gained his greatest notoriety in the sport of football, his impact and imprint on basketball particularly in Indiana still remains. Born in September 1880 near Shelbyville, Ralph Robert Jones eventually found himself a student at Indianapolis Shortridge High School. A letterman in four sports, it was as a junior in the 1899-1900 school year that Jones saw a game, (then) he decided to buy a rule book and began coaching the basketball team. (Dick Triptow, The Boxscore 2004). Prior to the formation of the IHSAA and as basketball at the turn of the century was a new and rather unpopular sport (The Stentor, Nov. 22, 1935, p.4), this Shortridge squad was the first Indiana high school basketball team, and Jones as a junior was Indiana s first high school basketball coach! The 1899-1900 Shortridge squad went 5-2, facing three Indianapolis YMCA teams and the Butler College team as well. In 1900-1901 interscholastic play began with Manual and Crawfordsville high schools joining the fray. That season finished at 3-5 for Jones Shortridge squad and after graduation he entered the Indianapolis YMCA Training School (Robison, 2.0). From 1902 through 1904 (three seasons), Jones was coach at Shortridge and the Indianapolis YMCA. He made a brief trip to Bloomington to help advance the Indiana University program. Coaching the Hoosiers from January 8-21, 1903, Jones provided his expertise coaching the team to a 3-1 record which propelled I.U. to an 8-4 season (up from 4-4 and 1-4 in previous years) (Robison, 2.0). 1904 Crawfordsville Athenians Photo by Crawfordsville District Library Some reports place Jones at Butler College for a portion of the 1903 season prior to his brief stint at I.U., but records of that have not been produced. By 1904 Jones had resumed his duties at Shortridge and the Indianapolis YMCA and added Crawfordsville High School simultaneously. On March 23, 1904, the Indianapolis YMCA team was pictured in the Indianapolis News (six players plus Coach Jones) having won the Indiana YMCA state championship. In January and February while a part-time coach, Jones 13-2 Crawfordsville high school team claimed the mythical Indiana high school state championship that same season. The 1903-1904 season was not the last Jones would spend leading three teams. He was just scratching the surface of successes he would have.
Prior to the 1904-1905 season, Jones was hired as the coach of Wabash College, and also took over as full-time coach of Crawfordsville High School, and became Athletic Director at the Crawfordsville YMCA (the location of the first basketball played in Indiana just 11 years earlier) (Robison, 3.0). The Crawfordsville High School team would go 4-3 for the season starting three sophomores. Indianapolis Manual was the state high school mythical champion. Crawfordsville claimed other Indiana high schools refused to play them (Robison, 3.0). 1905 Crawfordsville Athenians (Ralph Jones back row right) Photo by Crawfordsville District Library Jones first Wabash team was loaded with freshmen who had led Crawfordsville High to the previous year s mythical state high school crown. Freshmen Ralph Wicks, Harter Walter, and Will Sprow were three-year starters at Crawfordsville and started at Wabash that season (Robison, 3.1). The team went 8-0, with two victories each over Indiana, Purdue, Rose Poly, and Earlham and were state collegiate champions (Robison, 3.1). The Crawfordsville YMCA seemed to use those Wabash College players and won the 1905 Indiana YMCA State Championship under Jones, the second straight year one of his teams won that title. In the midst of becoming Athletic Director, head baseball coach and head football coach at Wabash, Jones success with Wabash basketball was just beginning. The 1905-1906 Wabash men increased the number of games played and proved their worth against the nation s best. Wabash went 17-1 on the season defeating highly regarded Yale, 24-8, and Western Conference (the forerunner to the Big Ten Conference) Minnesota in February. Wabash s lone loss came 28-27 at Purdue in January. That season Sprow and Rome Williams were named All-Americans (Robison, 3.2). That same season his Crawfordsville team went 9-6, with two of those losses to HIS Wabash team. Among the starters on the Crawfordsville team was one Ward Piggy Lambert, who would go on to play college ball under Jones. As Jones teams continued to improve 1906-1907 would prove to be a memorable season. His Wabash team went 17-2, their only losses to his Crawfordsville team, which went 12-0 and was again mythical state champion. Ralph Jones lost no game to another coach that season. His two teams were a combined 29-2, with the losses coming in games against each other!!! Among the notables on Jones 1907 squads were Dave Glascock (1966 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductee) of Wabash (who would go on to coach Crawfordsville in the first true Indiana high school state tournament championship in 1911) as well as future Purdue coach and Wabash A.D. and coach Pete Vaughn (1966 INBHOF inductee), along with Piggy Lambert, who would become head coach at Purdue and win 371 games, 11 Big Ten championships and recruit and coach Martinsville s John Wooden who would go on to his own coaching greatness. Lambert and Wooden were members of the inaugural INBHOF induction class of 1962. The 1907-1908 season brought even more attention to Jones and Wabash, as the team went 24-0, laying claim to the national championship. Chicago at 21-2, however, was named the Helms National Champion, as Wabash s competition had weakened. The Western Conference teams including Indiana and Purdue would not schedule Wabash and with Jones 14-1 record against teams in that conference there is little doubt why (Robison, 3.4). In four seasons as coach at Wabash, his teams were 66-3! Crawfordsville finished the 1907-1908 season Vaughn s senior year 10-5 with two of the losses coming to Wabash. 1908-1909 would be an ever busier year for Jones as he served as Athletic Director, football coach, basketball coach, baseball coach at Wabash and remained coach at Crawfordsville in his final year in town. Wabash went 9-3 on the season, starting three sophomores. Crawfordsville High School would complete the year with a 17-1 record, their only loss coming 25-24 to the Craw-
fordsville YMCA. Still prior to the IHSAA state tournament, Crawfordsville again gained credit as the mythical state champion. So involved with his various roles at Wabash, Jones sought the help of two assistants for the high school team one of them being Piggy Lambert, the presumed start of his coaching experience (Robison, 3.5). was named first team All-American. After three seasons, Jones Purdue teams had a 32-9 record with two shared conference championships. It should be noted that his former player Pete Vaughn would replace Jones as the Boiler leader, and following Vaughn s departure, another of Jones notable protégés, Ward Lambert, took the reigns at Purdue. A significant raise to $5,300 annually drew Jones to the University of Illinois to become head basketball coach, freshman football coach, and assistant baseball coach. Jones would spend eight seasons as head basketball coach, with his greatest success in the third, fourth, and fifth seasons (1914-1917). 1906 Crawfordsville Athenians (Ralph Jones far left) Photo by Crawfordsville District Library After just over five seasons in Crawfordsville, Jones took a pay raise and moved on to Purdue. Jones Crawfordsville teams had been 65-17 with three of them considered mythical state champions, while his Wabash teams were 75-6, 25-1 against other Indiana colleges. The next Wabash coach was one of his players - Ralph Wicks. At Purdue, Jones was paid $3,500 for the year and would serve as head basketball, head track, head cross country, and assistant football coach (Robison, 4.0). Jones first basketball team at Purdue went 8-5, finishing tied for fifth place in the conference. His second team (1910-1911) was 12-4 finishing in a tie with Minnesota for the Western Conference championship. It was Purdue s first basketball conference championship and the team featured 6-5 David Babe Charters from Peru, Indiana who was Purdue s first All- American, having been named first team the season prior and second team All-American in 1910-1911. Jones third and final season at Purdue was a 12-0 campaign in which the Boilers shared the conference title with Wisconsin. They shared the conference because Purdue played fewer conference games (10) than Wisconsin (12) (Robison, 4.0). They weren t, however, sharing the title with an also ran. Wisconsin (15-0) was named the Helms National Champion. Purdue s Karp Stockton 1906-07 Wabash Wonder Five (Ralph Jones back row left) Photo by Ramsey Archival Center Seemingly the only elusive accomplishment of Jones career to that point was reached in the 1914-1915 season. That Illinois team, led by sophomores Ray and Ralph Wicks, went 16-0, 12-0 in conference and was named the Helms National Champion. Ray Woods was first team All- American. It was, in fact, the second national championship of the year for Jones, who assisted on Illinois championship football team that fall (Robison, 5.1). In a 2004 issue of the Indiana High School Basketball Historical Society s Boxscore publication, Dick Triptow writes At this point Mr. Jones had coached four teams with perfect records in college basketball. The only other coach that can make this claim is John Wooden. There s more. Jones had tutored teams at three different schools:
Wabash in 1904-1905, Purdue in 1907-1908 and 1911-1912 and, of course, Illinois in 1914-1915. 1908-09 Crawfordsville Athenians (Ralph Jones back row far left) Photo by Ramsey Archival Center No other college coach has ever had an undefeated team at more than one (of today s Division 1 schools), a record that has lasted for over a century! contributed Triptow. The 1915-1916 season was another fine one, as Illinois went 13-3, sharing second place in the conference with Northwestern behind national champion Wisconsin. Ray Woods was first team All-American again. Another 13-3 campaign in 1916-1917 produced a tie with Minnesota for another conference championship during Jones fourth outright or tied conference crown in the last seven seasons. Jones had convinced a football player named George Halas to come out for basketball and he scored the final basket in a close win over Wisconsin late in the season to help secure the conference title (Robison, 5.2). In 1967, 16 years after Jones death, Halas shared his thoughts on Jones writing, perhaps the most emphatic evidence of Ralph s dedication and ability to communicate with young men is the fact that I had never played basketball until I went to Illinois. Yet raw recruit I was, he instructed me so thoroughly, I not only made the varsity but eventually was elected captain. (Letter to Nelson Forrest, Feb. 7, 1967) Jones would continue as head coach at Illinois through the 1919-1920 season. Leaving Illinois at the age of 40, Jones college coaching stints had included just one losing season (6-8 in his next to last season at Illinois), while racking up a record of 195 wins and 50 losses (.796), a Western Conference record of 87-40 (.685), and four conference titles including the first for both Purdue and Illinois. He also coached the first All-Americans at Wabash, Purdue, and Illinois. While at Illinois Jones had also been a prominent figure in the Illinois Coaching School, which was attended by the likes of his former players Tug Wilson and Piggy Lambert (Robison, 5.3). It was also where the paths of Ralph Jones and Everett Case (1968 INBHOF inductee) crossed. It was a recommendation from Jones in 1920 that landed Case the coaching job at Columbus High School and launched his Hall of Fame career (Robison, Everett Case and the Frankfort Hot Dogs). Wabash Baseball Team (Ralph Jones back row far right) Photo by Ramsey Archival Center Also, during his time at Illinois, Jones had written Basketball From a Coaching Standpoint a book published in 1916 that was considered among the foremost authorities on the sport. A publication of Lake Forest Academy trumpeted Jones book as the only successful publication of its kind and it is the acknowledged standard work in the sport. Jones coaching career was far from over. In his college stint from 1905-1920 he had coached nine All-Americans, five Western Conference scoring leaders, four conference championship teams and four undefeated teams (Robison, 6.0). From 1920 to 1930 Jones was head basketball and football coach at Lake Forest Academy, a prep school north of Chicago. During 10 seasons his basketball squads were 96-9, including five undefeated seasons and once the national academy tournament champion. His football teams went 62-10-2 with four undefeated seasons, in-
cluding a 1925 squad that was unscored upon (Robison, 7.0). In 1930, at age 50, Jones was approached by his former Illinois player, now Chicago Bears boss, George Halas to coach the NFL squad. Jones accepted and would revolutionize the game. 1911 Big Ten Champions (Ralph Jones back row far left) Photo by Purdue University Having innovated the T formation at Lake Forest, Jones essentially invented the man in motion that has since become a staple of the sport. Jones utilized a fair country ball carrier called Red Grange with the Bears. As UPI writer Henry McLemore wrote from his flanker post Grange would either take a lateral and run or take a lateral and pass. When he did neither and limited himself to faking the opposing line into spreading, a guy named Bronko Nagurski would take the ball and hit inside or outside of the tackles. Inheriting a team that had finished 4-9-2 the previous season, Jones three Bears squads would win a total of 24 games, including the 1932 NFL championship, the Bears first league title. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Bears finances were ailing and they could not pay Jones his full salary so he left the franchise (Robison, 8.0). Halas would take over, utilizing Jones system and went on to win 326 games and six NFL championships, including a 10-2 NFL championship team the season following Jones departure. Football men including Halas, Curly Lambeau, Tug Wilson, and Elmer Layden (Commissioner of NFL) later praised Jones for his innovations that spread throughout football. It should be noted that the modern T was far from Jones only innovation in sports. Prior to recognition on the gridiron his basketball teams had been adept at advancing the ball quickly up the floor. In Big Ten: A Century of Excellence, written by Dale Ratermann, it is proclaimed Jones was credited with originating the fast break. Jones jumped back into college, taking over at Lake Forest College from 1933-1948. His football teams were 53-30-10 during that time and he coached seven seasons of basketball there with a record of 43-59. This was by far his least successful basketball venture, but was better than previous Lake Forest basketball teams had fared. Approaching his 50 th year in coaching (and retirement), notables offered their appreciation of Ralph Jones work. Ralph Jones has made a most important contribution to football and to the world of sports with his energy, his courage and his outstanding character, Halas wrote. Every year many young men are the beneficiaries of his guidance. (Lake Forest College retirement press release, 1949). After Jones death Halas also wrote I, personally, feel fortunate that a man of Ralph Jones stature and integrity came my way in life. Kenneth Tug Wilson, who became the second commissioner of the Western Conference offered, He was my first coach at the University of Illinois and I know of no man who has made more contributions to intercollegiate sports than he has. Through the years he has shown great ability in all branches of coaching but his greatest contribution has been to the building of strength and character in the boys who are fortunate enough to be on his team. (Lake Forest College retirement press release) In Ward Lambert s book Practical Basketball from 1932, his dedication is focused on Ralph Jones, My Coach. Jones retired from Lake Forest College and coaching in 1949. Jones overall basketball coaching record reflected 404 wins and 153 losses (.725), excluding his final years at Lake Forest, Jones career was 361-94 (.793). He and his wife retired to Colorado, where Jones died July 25, 1951. Some theorize that Ralph Jones impact and success in football late in his career has overshadowed his career leading basketball teams. There can be little doubt that he was an innovator and successful leading football squads. His basketball coaching career spanning parts of six decades included two Indiana YMCA championships, three mythical Indiana state high school championships, four undefeated college seasons, one Helms National Championship (his teams finished five times in the top five of the final Helms
rankings), four Western Conference (Big Ten) championships, nine All-Americans, a national Academy tournament championship, mentoring Lambert, Vaughn, Halas, Wilson, and Everett Case. His 404 career wins and 72% winning percentage show an all-encompassing mastery and teaching of basketball. It would appear that Indiana s first high school basketball coach surely is one of our state s and probably nation s best ever however remote knowledge of his career may be. Ralph Robert Jones was nominated to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 but has not been inducted. A most gracious thank you goes out to a few men who have provided the vast majority of the information presented here. First is Roger Robison, currently President of the Indiana High School Basketball Historical Society. Upon unintentionally finding information on Ralph Jones written by Roger, I contacted him and he graciously and immediately provided a thorough packet of documents and research he had uncovered. Bob Whalen of the Montgomery County Basketball Hall of Fame was also a great asset with information relating to Jones and leading me to other sources of information. Dick Triptow of Lake Bluff, Illinois also was a great help, as was Alan Tuck Williams who has published Big Bang of Basketball (http://bigbangofbasketball.com), which includes information on Jones. Others I am aware of who have contributed to the research of Ralph Jones are Gary McGrady, Seymour Smith of Baltimore, MD and Dan Peterson, who resides in Italy. Sources The Life and Times of Ralph Robert Jones (1880-1951): The Godfather of Indiana Basketball by Roger Robison, Richard Triptow, Gary McGrady, and Bob Whalen. The Father of Indiana Basketball by Dick Triptow. 2004, Edition 1, IHSBHS Boxscore. Big Ten: A Century of Excellence by Dale Ratermann, Sagamore, Champaign, IL, 1996. by A.H. Williams