Ralph Miller

Dateline: 05/17/01

He may not have won a championship like John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, or Al McGuire, but Hall-of-Fame coaching legend Ralph Miller was considered by many to be at the same level with his more famous peers.

Miller passed away on Tuesday, May 15th at his home in Black Butte, Oregon.  He was 82 years old.

Miller is probably best remembered for his coaching career at Oregon State University, where he led the Beavers for 19 years from 1971 until his retirement in 1990.  At OSU, he built the Beavers into a West Coast powerhouse, and his teams in the early 80's were routinely in the Top 10.  Oregon State reached the NCAA tournament eight times and won four conference titles during Miller's tenure.  Some of the talented players that played under Miller include current and former NBA players such as Gary Payton, A.C. Green,  Steve Johnson, and Lester Conner.

Before OSU, Miller started his coaching career at Wichita State University, where he carved out a record of 220-133 in 13 years.  His development of the basketball program there helped build the foundation of the school's Final Four squad in the 1964-65 season.  After WSU, Miller moved on to the University of Iowa, where he spent the next six years, with a 95-51 mark.  At Iowa, Miller led the Hawkeyes to two Big 10 titles and an NCAA tournament appearance in 1970.  Miller then moved on to Oregon State, where he would retire from coaching with 674 career victories, good enough for sixth all-time.

Miller was born and raised in the state of Kansas, and like other all-time coaching greats such as Phog Allen, Adolph Rupp, and Dean Smith, he had University of Kansas roots.  He was a three-time basketball letterman at Kansas from 1938-39 to 1941-42, and led the Big 6 conference in scoring as a senior.  In addition to his hoop exploits, he also played quarterback for the Jayhawk football team.  After graduating from KU, Miller served in the Air Force during World War II and reached the rank of First Lieutenant before being discharged.  From there, he began his legendary coaching career at Wichita East High School, before moving onto the college ranks.

Miller was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988, and the basketball floor at Gill Coliseum on the campus of Oregon State is named Ralph Miller Court in his honor.  He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren, and will be missed by all in the college basketball community.