Ralph Cook

Ralph was the Head Cross Country and Assistant Track and Field Coach at Brandon Valley High School.  He taught science tor twenty-two years at Brandon Valley.

Coach Cook came to Brandon High School in the fall of 1959 and started the cross country program.  During his time at the helm, his teams were Big 8 Conference Champions twice and runners-up twice.  His 1969 team won the inaugural Big 8 Cross Country Meet.  The 1969 team also took home fourth place honors at the State Meet.  As an assistant coach for the track and field team, he helped lead the Lynx to Big 8 Championships for four consecutive years from 1970-1973.

His athletes and colleagues remember Ralph as a leader by example, never asking his team members to be more prepared than he was.  He was more concerned about the individual than the performance outcome, but always strived to help athletes reach a higher level.  He was a teacher, first and foremost, who took classroom ideals to the athletic field.