Ralph Welch
W. Ralph "Pest" Welch (January 13, 1907 – September 15, 1974) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Washington from 1942 to 1947, compiling a record of 27–20–3. Welch led his 1943 Washington squad to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to USC, 29–0.[1] He played college football at Purdue University as a halfback under head coach James Phelan, whom he followed to Washington as an assistant in 1930.
.jpg.webp) Welch from 1947 Tyee yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1907 Collinsville, Texas |
| Died | September 15, 1974 (aged 67) Seattle, Washington |
| Playing career | |
| 1927–1929 | Purdue |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1930–1937 | Washington (assistant) |
| 1939–1941 | Washington (assistant) |
| 1942–1947 | Washington |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 27–20–3 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
When Washington athletic director Ray Eckmann removed Phelan after the 1941 season,[2][3][4] he selected Welch to replace him. Popular with the players, Welch wielded a reputation as a great scout of talent. Eckmann retained Welch on a year-to-year basis with an initial $9,000 per season salary, matching Phelan's final salary.[5]
Welch died on September 15, 1974, at University Hospital in Seattle, Washington.[6]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Huskies (Pacific Coast Conference) (1942–1947) | |||||||||
| 1942 | Washington | 4–3–3 | 3–3–2 | 6th | |||||
| 1943 | Washington | 4–1 | 0–1 | 3rd | L Rose | 12 | |||
| 1944 | Washington | 5–3 | 1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1945 | Washington | 6–3 | 6–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1946 | Washington | 5–4 | 5–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1947 | Washington | 3–6 | 2–5 | T–7th | |||||
| Washington: | 27–20–3 | 17–16–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 27–20–3 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
References
- "W. Ralph "Pest" Welch Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
- "Jimmy Phelan and two aides get gate at Washington U." Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 13, 1941. p. 9.
- "Washington coaching staff is out". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 14, 1941. p. 1, sports.
- "Phelan fired after dozen years at job". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 14, 1941. p. 18.
- David Eskenazi. "Wayback Machine: James Merlin Phelan | Sportspress Northwest". Sportspressnw.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- "Huskies' Welch dies". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. United Press International. September 17, 1974. p. 15. Retrieved January 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
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