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{{Short description|American basketball player (1935–1999)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Ralph Crosthwaite
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| image_size = 75px
| caption =
|
|
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 9
| weight_lb = 240
| birth_date = {{birth date|1935|11|13}}
| birth_place = [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|10|28|1935|11|13}}
| death_place =
| highschool = [[Western Hills High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)|Western Hills]] (Cincinnati, Ohio)
| college = [[
| draft_year = 1959
| draft_round = 3
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| draft_team = [[Boston Celtics]]
| highlights =
* 4× First-team All-[[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]] (1955, 1957–1959)
}}
'''Ralph E. Crosthwaite''' (November 13, 1935 – October 28, 1999) was an American basketball player who is best known for his collegiate career at [[Western Kentucky University]] (WKU) between 1954–55 and 1958–59. Within the WKU community, he is considered to be one of the greatest players in program history.<ref name=HOF>{{Cite web| title = 1995 WKU Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees| work = wku.edu| publisher = Western Kentucky University| url = http://www.wku.edu/tradition/HOF/95hof.html#anchor649818| accessdate = January 29, 2011}}</ref>
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===Freshman===
Crosthwaite enrolled at WKU in the fall of 1954. At this time in [[NCAA]] athletics, [[freshmen]] were allowed to play varsity sports (not long thereafter, a rule was instituted where college freshmen had to wait until their [[Sophomore year|sophomore]] season to play varsity sports).<ref name=LEGENDS>{{Cite web| title = The Legends... Ralph Crosthwaite| publisher = hilltopperhaven.com| year = 2011| url = http://www.hilltopperhaven.com/legends/crosthwaite.html| accessdate = January 29, 2011}}</ref> The {{height|ft=6|in=9}}, 240 pound (109 kg) [[center (basketball)|center]] made an immediate impact in his first season, averaging 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.<ref name=TDR>{{Cite web| title = Ralph Crosthwaite| date = 29 September 2007| publisher = TheDraftReview| url = http://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3306| accessdate = January 29, 2011}}</ref> The [[Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball|Hilltoppers]] compiled an 18–10 (8–2 [[Ohio Valley Conference]]) record en route to the regular season conference championship.<ref name=ENCY>{{Cite book| last = ((ESPN Editors))| title = ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game| publisher = [[Random House, Inc.]]| year= 2009| location = New York, NY| pages = 500–501 |isbn = 978-0-345-51392-2}}</ref> He was named to the All-OVC Team, which at the time did not distinguish between First Team or Second Team selections.<ref name=ALLCONF>{{Cite web| title = Past OVC Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams| work = ovcsports.com| publisher = Ohio Valley Conference| date = March 11, 2005| url = http://www.ovcsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6200&ATCLID=322238| accessdate = January 29, 2011}}</ref> The following year, in what would have been Crosthwaite's true [[Sophomore year|sophomore]] season, he did not play
===Sophomore===
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===Junior===
Crosthwaite's personally greatest season came when he was a [[
===Senior===
Despite being drafted to the NBA he returned for his [[senior (education)|senior]] season in 1958–59. Heading into the season, all eyes were on Crosthwaite. A reporter wrote an article during the preseason that said:
<blockquote>This rugged giant is devastating around the basket with his operations. He can fake and drive for a dunk shot; he can come down the lane like a steamroller; he can hook from either side; or he can drop in a soft overhead push shot from the head of the circle. Once the ball is on the boards, Crosthwaite is always dangerous with his ability to follow for bat-ins. He has no peer as a rebounder. With Crosthwaite ready to go, Western Kentucky will not be a "soft touch" for any of the 26 opponents on the
He managed to average 20.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, and once again Crosthwaite led the nation field goal shooting percentage at 64.5%.<ref name=LEGENDS/><ref name=TDR/> He was selected to his fourth All-Conference team, but Western Kentucky finished 16–10 (8–4 OVC) and failed to qualify for a national postseason tournament.<ref name=ENCY/> At the conclusion of Crosthwaite's career in 1959, he was WKU's all-time leading scorer with 2,076 points (since passed by [[Jim McDaniels]] and [[Courtney Lee]]) and is still the third all-time leading rebounder with 1,309.<ref name=HOF/> His career 20.1 points per game average is fifth in school history, while his career 12.7 rebounds per game average places him second.<ref name=LEGENDS/> By scoring 2,000+ points and grabbing 1,000+ rebounds, Crosthwaite also joined an exclusive list of NCAA Division I men's basketball players to reach ''both'' milestones.
In the [[1959 NBA
==See also==
*[[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with
==References==
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[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Boston Celtics draft picks]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Detroit Pistons draft picks]]
▲[[Category:Sportspeople from Cincinnati]]
[[Category:Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players]]
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