Look up Ralph or ralph in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ralph may refer to:

• Ralph (name), masculine given name, literally "wolf counsel"

People:

• Ralph the Timid (d.1057), pre conquest Norman earl of Hereford
• Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland (b. 1956), British peer
• Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (1364-1425), English peer
• Ralph Klein (1931–2008), Israeli basketball player and coach
• Ralph Neville (d. 1244), Archbishop of Canterbury
• Bo Ralph (born 1945), Swedish linguist
• Brian Ralph (born 1973), American cartoonist
• Caleb Ralph (born 1977), New Zealand rugby union footballer
• Damani Ralph (born 1980), Jamaican football player
• David Ralph (born 1972), Scottish field hockey forward
• Elena Ralph, Miss Israel 2005
• Hanna Ralph (1888-1978), German actress
• Jessie Ralph (1864-1944), American actress
• Shea Ralph (born 1978), American basketball player and coach
• Sheryl Lee Ralph (born 1956), American actress and singer

Fictional characters:

• Ralph Kramden, character portrayed by Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners
• Ralph Wiggum, fictional character on The Simpsons
• Ralph Jones, title character of King Ralph, a 1991 American comedy film starring John Goodman
• the title character of Ralph 124C 41+, a 1911 science fiction novel
• Ralph, main character of the novel Lord of the Flies
• Ralph, in the Wolf and Sheepdog Warner Bros. cartoons
• Ralph Dring, in the sitcom Dear John

Other:

• Ralph (magazine), Australian magazine first published in 1997
• Ralph, Alabama, an unincorporated community in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States
• Ralph Records, original record label of The Residents
• Ralphs, American supermarket chain

See also[link]

• Radulf (disambiguation)
• All pages beginning with "Ralph"

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2009)

Ralph Tresvant
Background information
Birth name	Ralph Edward Tresvant Jr.
Born	(1968-05-16) May 16, 1968 (age 44)
Origin	Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	R&B, New Jack Swing
Occupations	Singer, actor, producer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Xzault Media Group MCA Records Geffen Records Interscope Records
Associated acts	New Edition, Heads of State
Website	http://www.ralphtresvant.com

Ralph Tresvant ( /trəˈvɑːnt/; born Ralph Edward Tresvant, Jr. on May 16, 1968) is an American tenor singer, best known as one of the lead singers in New Edition.

Biography[link]

New Edition[link]

Tresvant sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love". When New Edition was formed as the group, Tresvant was chosen as the leading frontman, which caused conflict with group member Bobby Brown (who was since voted out of the group in the early years).

Solo career[link]

Tresvant left New Edition in 1989, shortly before the rest of the group disbanded by the time it was a quartet. Despite the success of groupmates Bobby Brown, Bell Biv DeVoe, and Johnny Gill, Tresvant was cautious about his own solo career. Signing to MCA Records, Tresvant let his apprehension be known in several interviews.

Nevertheless, well-known producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were confident in his abilities after having worked with him on the album Heartbreak. They wrote the song "Sensitivity" for him which hit #1 on the R&B charts, #4 on the Hot 100 and it went gold. His self-titled album released shortly after in 1990 and went platinum as well, topping the R&B charts. The album scored two more hits with "Stone Cold Gentleman" reaching #3 on the R&B charts and "Do What I Gotta Do" which reached #2.

Tresvant appeared in the movie House Party 2 in 1991, performing the song 'Yo Baby Yo' from the House Party 2 Movie Soundtrack. The following year, he scored his fourth and final solo top 3 R&B hit to date, "Money Can't Buy You Love", from the Mo' Money soundtrack. In 1993, he released his second album, It's Goin' Down. The album featured greater involvement from Tresvant as he produced many of the tracks himself. However, the album failed to perform as well as the debut.

In 1996, he reunited with the other members of New Edition for the release of Home Again which became a success. The album was released on September 10, 1996 and debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Pop and R&B Charts.

In October 2004 "Sensitivity" appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on R&B/Soul radio station CSR 103.9.

Ralph's third solo album, Rizz-Wa-Faire, was released March 7, 2006. The first single and video from the album was "My Homegirl".

Heads of State[link]

As of September 27, 2008, he began touring with Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill in a new group named Heads of State.

Personal life[link]

On September 18, 2004 he married Amber Serrano. They live in Acworth, Georgia.^{[citation needed]} He is currently signed to Geffen Records and Interscope Records.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Guest singles[link]

Music videos[link]

Filmography[link]

• 1985: Krush Groove as New Edition
• 2004: Barbershop Blues Jake
• 2006 Triple Cross Sonny
• 2008 Behind RizzWaFaire
• 2009: Mama, I Want to Sing!

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ralph Tresvant Official Site
• Official Myspace Page
• Official Twitter Page
• R&B Haven
• Ralph Tresvant 2006 Interview on Sidewalks Entertainment
• Singersroom

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (April 2011)

Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren in his office 1979 by Edgar de Evia
Born	Ralph Lifshitz (1939-10-14) October 14, 1939 (age 72) Bronx, New York
Nationality	American
Education	Baruch College, City University of New York
Occupation	Fashion designer
Spouse	Ricky Anne Low-Beer (1964-present)
Children	3
Awards	Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur
Labels	Polo Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz, October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.

Early life[link]

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx, New York, to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants, from Pinsk, Belarus:^[1] Fraydl (née Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter.^[2]

Ralph attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School followed by MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957.^[3][4] In MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students. In a moment of spontaneity, when asked what he wanted to do in^[5] his Clinton yearbook he stated under his picture that he wanted to be a millionaire.^[6] During the summer, Ralph attended Camp Roosevelt (Monticello).^[7]

At the age of 16, Ralph's brother Jerry (who was his guardian) changed their last name to Lauren to avoid the unfortunate obscenity reference Lifshitz has in English (although Ralph's brother Lenny retained the name). Apparently Ralph was teased about it in school.^[8] “My given name has the word shit in it,” he told Oprah Winfrey. “When I was a kid, the other kids would make a lot of fun of me. It was a tough name. That's why I decided to change it. Then people said, "Did you change your name because you don't want to be Jewish?" I said, "Absolutely not. That's not what it's about. My cousins who lived in California had changed their last name to Lawrence. So I just thought, "I'm going to pick a nice last name"—it wasn't particularly connected to anything or anyone."^[9]

He went to Baruch College where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years. From 1962 to 1964 he served in the United States Army.^{[citation needed]} He did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman. In 1967, with the financial backing of Manhattan clothing manufacturer Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label "Polo."^[10] He later received the rights to use the trademark Polo from Brooks Brothers.

Personal life[link]

On December 20, 1964, he married Ricky Anne Low-Beer in New York City. The two met six months earlier, in an eye doctor's office where Ricky was working as a receptionist.^[11] They have three children: Dylan, David and Andrew.

The Polo Ralph Lauren flagship store occupying the Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue in New York City

In 1970, Ralph Lauren won the COTY Award for his menswear line. Around that same time he released a line of women's suits that were tailored in a classic men's style, which was when the first Polo emblem was seen. It was on the cuff of the women's suit. Ralph Lauren released Polo's famous short sleeve mesh shirt with the Polo logo in 1972. It came out in 24 colors and soon became a classic.^[12] He also gained recognition for his design after he was contracted to provide clothing styles for the movie The Great Gatsby.

A Polo Ralph Lauren store on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago

In 1984, he transformed the Rhinelander Mansion, former home of the photographer Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning, into the flagship store for Polo Ralph Lauren. This same year de Evia photographed the cover feature story for House & Garden on the Lauren home Round Hill in Jamaica,^[13] which had formerly been the home of Babe and Bill Paley.^[14] On June 11, 1997, Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RL.

By 2007 Ralph Lauren had over 35 boutiques in the United States. There were 23 locations that carried Ralph Lauren Purple Label, including Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boston, Charlotte, Washington, DC, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Manhasset, New York, Palm Beach, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Short Hills, and Troy.^{[citation needed]} The Financial Times reported in its edition of January 2–3, 2010 that the firm had revenues of $5 billion for the fiscal year 2009. The article addresses succession plans and the future of the overall business.

In 2010, Ralph Lauren was decorated Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Paris

Surgery[link]

Sometime in early 1987, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. In April 1987 he underwent surgery to remove the tumor and made a full recovery.^[15]

Net worth[link]

As of September 2011, Forbes estimates his wealth at $6.1 billion dollars which would make Ralph Lauren the 173rd richest person in the world.^[16]

Automobile Collection[link]

Ralph Lauren with his Porsche GT3 RS (2010)

Ralph Lauren is also well known as a collector of automobiles, some of which are extremely rare. A large portion of his over 70 automobiles are held in his estate in Katonah, New York. He owns a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, two Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, three 1996 McLaren F1s (one of them an ultra-rare F1 LM), a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, a 1929 Blower Bentley, one Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, a Porsche 997 GT3 RS, a Bugatti Veyron, a 1930 Mercedes-Benz CountTrossi SSK (aka "The Black Prince") a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia.^[17], a Lamborghini Reventón and the rare Reventón Roadster. His cars have won "best in show" at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance multiple times. In 2005 his collection was displayed at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.^[18] In 2011 17 prime members of his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.^[19]

Controversies[link]

In 2009, Ralph Lauren apologized^[20] for digitally retouching a photograph of model Filippa Hamilton to make her look thinner. Hamilton also claims that she was fired by Ralph Lauren a few days later.^[21] Another model's photo was also digitally retouched^[22] adding to the row.

See also[link]

• List of swimwear brands

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Gross, Michael: Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren. Harper, New York 2003.
• Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A.: Ralph Lauren: The Man behind the Mystique. Little, Brown and Company New York 1981.
• McDowell, Colin: Ralph Lauren: The Man, The Vision, The Style. Rizzoli, New York 2002.

External links[link]

• Ralph Lauren Web Site
• Ralph Lauren designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Ralph Lauren at the Internet Movie Database
• Ralph Lauren collections at style.com
• Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention
• Men's Vogue profile of Ralph Lauren
• Ralph Lauren Auto Collection
• WIRED Magazine celebrates the Ralph Lauren Classic Automobile Collection

Ralph Sampson

No. 50
Center
Personal information
Born	(1960-07-07) July 7, 1960 (age 51) Harrisonburg, Virginia
Nationality	American
High school	Harrisonburg
Listed height	7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
Listed weight	228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
College	Virginia (1979–1983)
NBA Draft	1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	1983–1995
Career history
As player:
1983–1987	Houston Rockets
1987–1989	Golden State Warriors
1989–1990	Sacramento Kings
1991	Washington Bullets
1992	Unicaja Ronda (Spain)
1994–1995	Rockford Lightning (CBA)
As coach:
1999–2000	Richmond Rhythm (IBL)
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA All-Star (1984–1987) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1985) NBA Rookie of the Year (1984) All-NBA Second Team (1985) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1984) 3× Naismith College Player of the Year (1981–1983) 2× John R. Wooden Award winner (1982–1983) 3× USBWA Player of the Year (1981–1983) 3× Adolph Rupp Trophy winner (1981–1983) 2× NABC Player of the Year (1982–1983) 3× Associated Press Player of the Year (1981–1983) 3× UPI Player of the Year (1981–1983) Sporting News Player of the Year (1983) 3× ACC Player of the Year (1981–1983) 3× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1981–1983)
Career NBA statistics
Points	7,039 (15.4 ppg)
Rebounds	4,011 (8.8 rpg)
Assists	1,038 (2.3 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Competitor for  United States Men's basketball Pan American Games Gold 1979 San Juan Team competition

Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is a retired American college and professional basketball player.

A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year, and No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the NBA.

The NBA Rookie of the Year, Sampson averaged 20.7 points and 10.9 rebounds for his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets before injuries began to take their toll. Three knee surgeries later he retired a four-time All-Star whose career highlight ended up being a buzzer-beating shot to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers as Western Conference champions, derailing their hopes for coveted back-to-back NBA titles and sending the Rockets to their second NBA Finals in the team's history to that point.

Early life[link]

Sampson was already 6-foot-7 inches tall by the ninth grade, reaching 7-foot-3 in high school in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He averaged nearly 30 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots as a senior (after averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds as a sophomore, and 19 points and 17 rebounds as a junior), at Harrisonburg High, leading the team to state AA basketball championships in 1978 and 1979. His senior year he lost the high school player of the year award to another talented center, Sam Bowie. However, he did get a form of revenge against Bowie, outplaying him in the Capital Classic, getting 23 points and 21 rebounds with 4 blocks in a game styled "Battle of the Giants".

College[link]

Sampson was arguably the most heavily recruited college and professional basketball prospect of his generation appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated an unprecedented six times in a span of less than four years (December 17, 1979; December 1, 1980; March 30, 1981; November 29, 1982; December 20, 1982; and October 31, 1983).

Playing center for the University of Virginia, he led the Cavaliers to an NIT title in 1980, an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1981 and an NCAA elite 8 appearance in 1983. He earned three Naismith Awards as the National Player of the Year, only the second athlete to do so, and an unprecedented pair of Wooden Awards.

NBA career[link]

Houston Rockets[link]

With his size and agility Sampson was expected to score like Wilt Chamberlain and win championships like Bill Russell when he reached the pros. The Houston Rockets made him the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft.^[1] As a rookie he averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds, played in the All-Star Game, and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.^[2]

The Rockets managed only a 29-53 record in 1983-84 and again "earned" the right to pick first in the 1984 NBA Draft, choosing Hakeem Olajuwon out of the University of Houston. Many observers criticized the Rockets' choice, believing the two 7-footers would not be effective playing together, while others thought the combination could be overpowering. Sampson, playing a new style of power forward, had new expectations placed upon him. At the time, Dallas Mavericks Coach Dick Motta said, "That front line, when history is written, when they’ve grown up, might be the best ever assembled on one team. Ever." Houston guard John Lucas said of Sampson’s move to forward, "He’ll revolutionize the game."

In 1984-85 the Rockets improved by 19 games to 48-34 and made the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Sampson had his best individual campaign, averaging 22.1 points and 10.4 rebounds and earning a berth on the All-NBA Second Team. He and Olajuwon both played in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, and Sampson, after scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, earned the game’s MVP Award.^[3]

The next season Houston won the Midwest Division with a 51-31 record. In the playoffs, the Rockets swept the Sacramento Kings, but faced a stiffer challenge against Alex English and the Denver Nuggets in the Conference Semi-Finals, eventually winning the series 4-2, with the sixth and deciding game going to double overtime. Against the defending champion Lakers in the Conference Finals, the Rockets were ready to knock off their rivals who had the best of them during the season. The Rockets lost game 1, but the Rockets fought back, winning four straight to take the series four games to one. In Game 5 of that series, Sampson provided one of the most memorable moments in NBA Playoff history. With the score tied at 112, Olajuwon having earlier been ejected, and with only one second remaining on the clock, Sampson took an inbounds pass and launched a twisting turnaround jumper that sailed through the hoop at the buzzer, giving the Rockets a 114-112 victory and a shocking series upset.

In the NBA Finals the Rockets faced the Boston Celtics. Boston sportswriters were not happy about not getting revenge against the Lakers who had beaten the Celtics in the Finals the year before, but the matchup was interesting with the young front court challenging the old guard of the Celtics. During the season at the Boston Garden, the Rockets were playing the Celtics well until Sampson suffered a jarring fall on his back. At the start of the Finals, Sampson quickly found himself in foul trouble early in game one as Boston held its serve easily leading 2-0 going back to Houston. Houston won a close game 3 under the leadership of Sampson. Game 4 also went down to the wire with the Celtics pulling it out on late Larry Bird 3 pointer heroics and untimely turnovers by Rockets guard Mitch Wiggins. In a similarly close Game 5 in Houston (under the 2-3-2 format) Sampson inexplicably and unprofessionally succumbed to taunting by the much smaller and less significant 6-foot-1 Boston guard Jerry Sichting resulting in Sampson taking a swing and an ejection from the game. Strangely, this fired up the Rockets who won game 5 by 15 points without Ralph thanks to the inspired play of Olajuwon, Jim Petersen and Robert "Bobby Jo" Reid. Game 6 went back to Boston with Sampson finding himself again in foul trouble and of little effect against the older and wiser Celtic front court of Bird, McHale and Parish. After the series, Boston coach KC Jones called the Rockets, "the new monsters on the block" with the future looking very bright for the Rockets. During the six-game championship series loss against the Celtics, Sampson averaged 14.8 points on .438 shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.^[4]

Golden State Warriors[link]

Injured halfway into the 1986-87 season, Sampson fell out of favor with Rockets Coach Bill Fitch and was traded, along with guard Steve Harris, to the Golden State Warriors for Eric "Sleepy" Floyd and Joe Barry Carroll. But Sampson’s knee and back troubles worsened, and he never played a full slate in the next four seasons. He averaged 6.4 points and 5.0 rebounds with Golden State in 1988-89 and was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Jim Petersen.

Sacramento Kings[link]

Sampson’s days at Sacramento were disheartening. He totaled just 51 games in two seasons, averaging 4.2 and 3.0 points, respectively, in 1989-90 and 1990-91.

Washington Bullets[link]

Released by the Kings, Sampson went on to a mere 10-game stint with the Washington Bullets in 1991-92 before being waived. The player once predicted to be the greatest ever in the NBA had played just 441 games in 10 NBA seasons, slightly more than half the 820 scheduled.

Retirement[link]

Sampson played eight games for Unicaja Ronda of the Spanish League during the 1991-92 season.

Returning to the States, he spent the 1992–93 season as an assistant to head coach Lefty Driesell at James Madison University before coaching a minor league professional team in Richmond, Virginia.

Reflecting back on his career and its three knee surgeries, Sampson admitted that he had attempted to come back too quickly from them, and said that he tried not to think about what could have been.

In 1996, Sampson was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team as one of the fifty best players in Atlantic Coast Conference history - one of only three Virginia Cavaliers so honored. On November 22, 2011, Sampson was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. In February 2012, Sampson was honored by Houston Rockets and fans as a member of the Decade Team of the 80s. On April 2, 2012, Sampson was named a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's induction class of 2012.

Sampson currently devotes his time as founder and chairman of Winner's Circle Enterprises and the Winner's Circle Foundation, as well as a prominent speaker on sports and education. The goals of Winner's Circle Enterprises and the Winner's Circle Foundation are to ensure quality education for children across the country.^[5]

Sampson's son, Ralph Sampson III, played collegiate basketball for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Sampson's younger son, Robert, currently plays for the East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team.

Awards[link]

• Naismith College Player of the Year (1981-1983)
• USBWA College Player of the Year (1981-1983)
• Adolph Rupp Trophy (1981-1983)
• John R. Wooden Award (1982-1983)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (1984)
• NBA All-Rookie Team (1984)
• NBA All-Star Game MVP (1985)
• NBA All-Star (1984-1987)
• All-NBA Second Team selection (1985)
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (2011)
• Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (2012)

Basketball statistics[link]

College

NBA Draft: Selected in the 1st round (1st overall).

NBA

See also[link]

• List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game
• List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• University of Virginia Basketball Media Guide (PDF copy available at www.virginiasports.com)

External links[link]

• nba.com historical playerfile
• "His Future is Up in the Air" Sports Illustrated (Dec. 17, 1979)
• ClutchFans.net Ralph Sampson Profile - Houston Rocket Fan Site
• Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year
• "The prodigal Sampson: Ralph returns to UVA" 2007 article in the Hook weekly