Ralph Hamilton

Ralph Albert Hamilton (June 10, 1921 – June 5, 1983^[1]) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Fort Wayne Pistons and Indianapolis Jets of the National Basketball League^[2] and the Basketball Association of America (BAA), precursors to the modern day National Basketball Association (NBA).^[3] Hamilton was traded by the Pistons to the Jets in December 1948.^[3]

Ralph Hamilton

Hamilton in 1948
Personal information
Born	(1921-06-10)June 10, 1921 Fort Wayne, Indiana
Died	June 5, 1983(1983-06-05) (aged 61)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school	South Side (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
College	Indiana (1941–1943, 1946–1947)
BAA draft	1947: undrafted
Playing career	1947–1951
Position	Guard / forward
Number	36, 55
Career history
1947–1948	Fort Wayne Pistons
1948–1949	Indianapolis Jets
1950–1951	Kansas City Hi-Spots
Career highlights and awards
Consensus first-team All-American (1947) First-team All-Big Ten (1947)
Career statistics
Points	289
Rebounds	Not tracked
Assists	83
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Hamilton, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, played collegiately at Indiana University in Bloomington.^[4] He played for the Hoosiers in 1941–42 and 1942–43 (his sophomore and junior years, respectively) but then served in the United States Army for three years during the end of World War II.^[4][5] When he came back as a 25-year-old senior in 1946–47, he served as team captain and led them in scoring, was named First Team All-Big Ten Conference and was dubbed a consensus First Team All-American.^[4] He also scored nearly 1,000 points during his staggered college career.^[4]

Hamilton died in 1983^[6] just shy of his 62nd birthday.