Ralph G. Anderton (1980) - Hall of Fame - Brown University Athletics

Ralph G. Anderton

Induction:
1980
Class:
1930

Ralph G. Anderton ’30 had a lifetime love affair with wrestling. As an undergraduate he was a member of the undefeated 1928-29 New England champions. The following winter, he captained the team and won the New England 135-pound title. Next came a stop at East Providence High School, where Ralph Anderton coached from 1932 to 1945. When wrestling – a war casualty – was revived at Brown in 1946, the University hired its former captain to lead the revival. Despite material that seldom matched that of his opponents, Coach Anderton compiled an overall record of 69-71-9, with outstanding teams in 1950-51 (8-1), 1954- 55 (8-1-1), and 1956-57 (72). The 1954-55 team is regarded as perhaps the finest in modern Brown wrestling history. It had a perfect Ivy record and was the first Bruin mat team to defeat Harvard, Yale, and Princeton in one season. Jim Harrell ’55 captained that team, which also featured Don Seifert ’55, Frank Smith ’53, and Joe Muse ’54. During his 17 years on College Hill, the Brown graduate produced some of the school’s finest wrestlers, including Hall of Famers Gray Michael ’50, Dave Michael ’51, J. Dana Eastham ’53, and Angus MacLean ’53. An active wrestling official in his younger days, Ralph Anderton later served as president of the Eastern Collegiate Wrestling Coaches Association, as a member of the National Rules Committee, and as editor of the National Wrestling Guide. For 40 years, he was owner of R.G. Anderton Insurance Co. of Providence. Ralph Anderton was inducted into the R.I. Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1975, the year in which he died.