INDUCTED: 1994

CATEGORY: Athlete

BORN: 1928

 

Lifted as a Light Heavyweight, Middle Heavyweight and Heavyweight out of Nashua, New Hampshire. Entered the sport around 1949 with no formal coaching, though he strove to emulate technique and training methods of leading US competitors such as Stan Stanczyk and Norb Schemansky. Within two years he was on the national scene, being Silver Medalist as Light Heavyweight at 1950 Junior Nationals (Baltimore, MD) with lifts of 240 lbs. Press, 230 Snatch and 295 Clean & Jerk. Won that division at 1953 Jr. Nationals (Cleveland, OH) with marks of 240 lbs. in both the Press and Snatch, adding a C&J of 315. Silver Medalist with identical marks at 1954 National YMCA Championships. His Lifetime Best Total as Light Heavyweight came in 1956 at Senior Nationals: 260 lbs. in both Press and Snatch, plus a C&J of 325. (He finished second to Jim George.) STRENGTH & HEALTH magazine ranked him 4th in the nation for that year, based on Total; also ranked him 5th in Middle Heavyweight Class: Press, 275 lbs.; Snatch, 270 lbs.; C&J, 350 for Total of 895 lbs. His best Total as Middle Heavyweight was achieved the following year at Boston, MA with 280 lbs. in both Press and Snatch, plus 340 C&J (900 lbs. Total). Ralph claimed the New England C&J Record as Heavyweight (weighed in at 204 3/4 lbs.) in 1958, Boston ‘Y,’ by hoisting 360 lbs. His Total that day of 910 lbs. also set a New England Record, which he exceeded in 1961 (Boston again) with 915 lbs. (300+265+350). During those years he held Press and C&J Records for New England, as well as all New England Records as a Middle Heavyweight. He set long-standing New Hampshire State Records as well. Was considered outstanding New England lifter for close to a decade starting in mid-1950s, winning the George Massios Trophy 3 consecutive years. He went undefeated for more than a decade in New England, finishing behind only Massios and Ray Racine in New England for his overall career. Ralph Raymond used split technique until his later years, when he adopted the squat for the clean phase of Clean & Jerk.