Ralph Park
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| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1921 |
| Died | January 24, 2003 (aged 81–82) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Austin High School |
| College | |
| Awards and highlights | |
Ralph Park Jr. (1921 – January 24, 2003) was an American football player.
College football career
Park went to college at the University of Texas, where he played football for the Texas Longhorns from 1939 to 1943, lettering in 1940, 1942 and 1943.
After getting dropped from the team due to knee surgery in 1941,[3] he returned in 1942 still prone to charley horses, which led to the nickname "Pulled Muscle Park".[1]
Park was the team captain of Dana X. Bible's 1943 Texas Longhorns football team that won the Southwest Conference Championship and tied in the 1944 Cotton Bowl Classic. That season he scored one of the two touchdowns in the win over Oklahoma, was named one of the team's Outstanding Players for the Arkansas game, led the Southwest Conference in scoring (8TDs and 11PATs), was an Honorable Mention All-American and made the Austin Statesman and AP's 2nd Team All-Conference team.[2][4][5] During his time at Texas he was also in the Marines and nearly missed the Cotton Bowl as a result.[6] He also helped with a conference championship in 1942.