First USA Softball Olympic Coach, WBSC Hall of Famer Ralph Raymond passes away at 94

First USA Softball Olympic Coach, WBSC Hall of Famer Ralph Raymond passes away at 94
24/04/2019

USA Softball legendary head coach and WBSC Softball Hall of Famer Ralph Raymond passed away on 23 April, at age 94. Raymond guided the USA to two consecutive Olympic Gold Medals and five Women’s Softball World Championship titles.

USA Softball legendary head coach and WBSC Softball Hall of Famer Ralph Raymond passed away on 23 April, at age 94. Raymond guided the USA to two consecutive Olympic Gold Medals and five Women’s Softball World Championship titles.

One of the most important coaches in softball history, Raymond guided Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Raymond earned the accolade of winningest manager in USA Softball history with a 332-9 record for a .974 winning percentage, compiling a 72-1 record in winning five World Championships (1974, 1978, 1986, 1990, and 1994). He went to the Pan American Games where the team achieved Gold three times (1979, 1995 and 1999) and silver once (1983).

This amazing track record earned the USA Women’s Softball National Team the title of “The Other Dream Team” under his tenure. However, Raymond didn’t give too much importance to this. “We’re not going to be the Dream Team until we win it,” said Raymond to Associated Press a few weeks before the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games. “Once we win it, then they can call us whatever they want.”

“With a mindset to play the game the right way, Raymond was pivotal in the popularization of the sport of softball prior to the 1996 Olympic Games during the U.S. pre-Olympic tour”, said USA Softball in a release.

Born April 27, 1924, he was inducted into the WBSC Softball Hall of Fame as a Coach in 1993, even before magnify his historic legacy with the two Olympic Gold Medal campaigns.