Ralph Hinger, 72, a high school basketball coach who was known for his soft-spoken, gentlemanly manner on and off the court, died of cancer Monday, March 27, in his home in Des Plaines.
A native of Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, Mr. Hinger played center at St. Philip High School and at the University of Notre Dame before beginning his coaching career in 1950.
After stints at St. Vincent High School in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and Chicago’s Bethlehem Community Center, he was named head basketball coach at St. Ignatius High School in Chicago and, later, at Notre Dame High School in Niles. He was a member of the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Illinois High School Coaches Association Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Not many coaches would you really refer to as gentlemen coaches; Ralph was one of those unique kind of people,” said Gene Sullivan, a former Loyola University athletic director who coached against Mr. Hinger.
At St. Philip, Mr. Hinger was a tall, quiet teenager in hand-me- down gym shoes, an outstanding player who idolized his coaches, Bill Shay and Clem Naughton, friends and family members said.
In 1945, he was on the city championship team that beat Senn High School, of the Chicago Public League, in the Mayor’s City Championship Game, played in Chicago Stadium. Later, Mr. Hinger’s St. Ignatius team played against teams led by Naugton.
“He reached his players without shouting, as many of us do,” said Bob Luksta, a St. Philip teammate and fellow coach who knew Mr. Hinger for 59 years. “His teams were fundamentally sound.”
Family members said Mr. Hinger was even quieter at home than on the court.
His daughter, Judy Borucki, recalled the first time she ever heard Mr. Hinger yell: She was 9 years old, watching from the stands as her father led a basketball practice.
“It shocked me to see him raising his voice,” she said.
Mr. Hinger left the University of Notre Dame in the mid-1940s to serve in the Army. He returned to finish his studies, graduating in 1950, said his wife of 49 years, Marianne.
In addition to teaching the rules of the game and honing youngsters’ skills, Mr. Hinger sought to instill dedication, integrity and honesty in his players. Many returned to visit him.
He coached at St. Ignatius from 1955 to 1963, and at Notre Dame High School until 1977. He continued teaching physical education and assisting the athletic director there until his retirement in 1989.
Though he had been to every NCAA Final Four since 1963 and cared deeply about sports, Mr. Hinger also enjoyed mental exercise, his daughter said. He did crossword puzzles and read mysteries, historical biographies and the poetry of Robert Service.
“It just seems unusual for someone you call a jock to be so intelligent, so interested in literature and logic problems,” his daughter said.
Other survivors include his sister, Dee Blicharski.
A mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday in Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church, 8300 N. Greenwood Ave., Niles.
