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Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1978
- Class:
- 1921
Ralph Chase Knight '21
Sport: Baseball
Year Inducted: 1978
Ralph Chase Knight '21 was known as "The Giant Killer" for his exploits as a pitcher on some of Brown's fine baseball teams. As a sophomore, Knight carried the pitching load for the 1919 nine that won 13 of 16 games and just missed nailing down the Eastern championship. He defeated Yale 5-1 on a three hitter and also 2-1, a game in which he outdueled Cox, Yale's crack southpaw. Knight also defeated Harvard twice, 5-2 and 6-2, Columbia 3-2, and ended the season with a dramatic 4-3 decision over Dartmouth, then Brown's big rival in baseball. "Credit for this year's showing is in a large part due to Ralph Knight '21," the Liber said. "His wonderful pitching against the best the East had to offer proved his right to rank as one of the leading hurlers in intercollegiate circles." A right-hander, Knight had a blazing fast ball, a sharp-breaking curve, and pin-point control. "When the games were tight, Ralph was right in his element," says Tom Hall, a 1919 teammate. "He would never let an error on the field both him. He'd just climb back up on the mound, hitch up his trousers, and go to work. And if you made a good play behind him, Ralph would come by you on the bench, pat you on the back, and say, 'Not bad, fella.' Ralph had a whimsical sense of humor and was a real fine person. You would never forget him." Knight captained the 1920 nine and then played one year of professional ball with Rochester of the International League, a Yankee farm team. He became sales manager for the Niagara Blower Company of New York, was a regional director of the Associated Alumni, and served as past president of the Brown Engineering Association. He died March 4, 1972. A son is Ralph C. Knight '48.
