Ralph Romano
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort William, Ontario, Canada
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 25, 1934 Fort William, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | December 16, 1983 (aged 49) |
| Playing career | |
| 1954–1956 | Minnesota–Duluth |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959–1968 | Minnesota–Duluth |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1969–1983 | Minnesota–Duluth |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 90–121–7 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1960 MIAC Champion 1961 MIAC Champion | |
| Awards | |
| 1989 Duluth–Superior Sports Hall of Fame 1993 Minnesota–Duluth Athletic Hall of Fame | |
Ralph Romano (August 25, 1934 – December 16, 1983) was an ice hockey goaltender, head coach, and athletic director, all with the University of Minnesota–Duluth (UMD).[1]
Ralph Romano spent his entire adult career with the UMD Bulldogs, playing for the team between 1954 and 1956. After graduating he was named as head coach in 1959 and shepherded the team while it transitioned from the MIAC (in what would become a Division III conference) to an upper-classification team and eventually join the dominant conference of the 1960s, the WCHA.[2] Though his teams didn't win many games after it left the MIAC, Romano was well-regarded at the university and was promoted to athletic director in 1969. Romano remained at that position until he died from a heart attack while attending a game against Denver in December 1983.[3] He was posthumously inducted into both the Duluth–Superior Sports Hall of Fame and the Minnesota–Duluth Athletic Hall of Fame.