Coaches

Ralph Hodge

Year Inducted: 2004

Category: Coaches

Schools / Organizations:

Olivet Nazarene University

Biography:

Ralph Hodge was an incredible part of Olivet Nazarene University’s success as a player and coach. In his 39 years as head coach, Hodge was 775-487 (.614 winning percentage) with 18 NAIA National Tournament appearances. Three of his teams made the NAIA Elite Eight and his 2000 team made the Final Four before losing to the eventual national champion.  His teams won 4 NAIA District 20 titles, 12 CCAC regular-season and 6 CCAC tournament championships and 4 NIIC titles. The program also had 15 straight 20-win seasons from 1989-2003 and Ralph was on the bench for the 1,000th victory in program history.

Ralph was named CCAC Coach of the Year nine times and was named NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year in 1989.  He was the IBCA Coach of the Year in 2015 and NAIA Coach of the Year in 2016. He served the IBCA as a clinician.

As a player, Ralph was the all-time leading scorer when he graduated from Olivet Nazarene with 2,449 points, was involved in 86 victories and had his jersey No. 20 retired. He was inducted into the Olivet Hall of Fame as a player in 1988 and as a coach in 2014. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2014 and is a member of the CCAC Hall of Fame. 

Ralph Hodge died on November 29, 2018 at the age of 65.