Month: May 2014

Ralph Kiner

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by Mike Magers

Ralph_Kiner

Ralph Kiner was a 2014 inductee into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.  Ralph’s sole connection to New Mexico is that he was born in 1922 in Santa Rita, now a ghost town but at the time, a copper mining town in Grant County, New Mexico.  He attended high school in Alhambra, California and then attended Pasadena City College and University of Southern California, signing a contract with the Pittsburg Pirates in 1941.  Like many other players, he entered the armed forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Kiner served in the United States Navy as a pilot in World War II, afterwards making his debut with the Pirates on April 16, 1946 and playing his final game September 25, 1955.

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Coach Ralph Bowyer

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by Mike Magers

Ralph Bowyer was a record-setting coach in Carlsbad (Eddy County), New Mexico for whom Bowyer Stadium is named.  In his days as a player, he was considered one of the greatest athletes to attend University of New Mexico earning All-Border Conference honors both in football (1934-35) and basketball (1934-1935 and 1935-1936).

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