Elmer Ripley
Elmer Ripley (1891-1982)
Teams coached: Wagner Seahawks, Georgetown Hoyas, Yale Bulldogs, Columbia Lions, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, John Carroll Blue Streaks, Army Cadets
Wagner record: 23-22 (.511)
Georgetown record: 133-82 (.619)
Yale record: 82-50 (.621)
Columbia record: 16-19 (.457)
Notre Dame record: 17-4 (.810)
John Carroll record: 11-32 (.256)
Army record: 19-17 (.528)
Overall record: 301-226 (.572)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1943)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1943)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1 (1943)
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
- EIC Regular Season Champion: 1 (1939)
- Ivy League Regular Season Champion: 1 (1933)
Awards:
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1973)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1951-1953 | Army |
| 1949-1951 | John Carroll |
| 1946-1949 | Georgetown |
| 1945-1946 | Notre Dame |
| 1943-1945 | Columbia |
| 1938-1943 | Georgetown |
| 1929-1935 | Yale |
| 1927-1929 | Georgetown |
| 1922-1925 | Wagner |
Elmer Ripley Facts
- Elmer Horton Ripley
- Born July 21, 1891
- Died April 29, 1982
- Hometown: Staten Island, New York
- Alma Mater: Brown University (BA, 1910)
- Played at Curtis HS in Staten Island before embarking on a professional career that spanned from 1913 through 1929
- Suited up for a number of teams, from independents to IBL and ABL squads (including the “Original Celtics”
- Started coaching in 1922, spending three years at then-Independent Wagner College (23-22 record)
- Began his first of three stints at Georgetown in 1927, where he would serve a total of ten years as the Hoyas’ head coach
- Finished as NCAA Runner-up in 1943, the final year of his second stint at the school
- Also coached at Yale, Columbia, Notre Dame, John Carroll (OH) and Army
- Spent a total of 26 seasons as a collegiate head coach, compiling a 301-226 record across all seven programs
- Served as head coach of the Harlem Globetrotters (1953-56), Israeli Olympic team (1956) & Canadian Olympic team (1960)
- Was the head coach at Englewood School for Boys in New Jersey from 1962 through his retirement in 1973
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973 as a contributor to the sport
- Died at the age of 89 in 1982, survived by two nieces
Elmer Ripley Coaching Tree
- Vince Boryla (New York Knicks)
- Johnny Dee (Notre Dame, Alabama)
- Dino Martin (Boston College)
- Buddy O’Grady (Georgetown)
- Tommy O’Keefe (Georgetown)