Ralph "Ruffy" Silverstein

Ralph "Ruffy" Silverstein (March 20, 1914 – April 5, 1980) was a champion American wrestler, both as an amateur and a professional. In his prime, Ruffy weighed 225 pounds and stood 5'-8" tall.

A Chicago native, he received the nickname "Ruffy" as a child from his Russian-born mother. He grew up in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood. He started wrestling at Lawson playground. He polished his skills at the Boys' Brotherhood Republic (BBR), the Jewish People's Institute (JPI) and Crane Technical High School.

He married Evelyn Epstein and had two children, a son (Roger) and a daughter. He served in the army during World War II, under General Douglas MacArthur, advising MacArthur about the Japanese study of martial arts during the U.S. occupation of Japan.

In college Silverstein wrestled for the University of Illinois and, in 3 years of varsity competition, did not lose a match, He became the 1935 (175 pounds) and 1936 (heavyweight) Big Ten champion, the 1936 NCAA champion (175 pounds) and an All-American in 1935 (175 pounds). He was a member of the 1936 U.S. Olympic team but, because the Olympics were held in Nazi Germany, Silverstein was one of several Jewish athletes who boycotted that year's Olympics.

An expert in wrestling fundamentals, Silverstein was one of the first to blaze the transitional trail from collegiate to professional wrestling. Straight-laced Silverstein won the Illinois State Championships in his first event as a pro, a victory which laid the groundwork for his celebrated professional career. Undefeated for many years, he ultimately won two AWA World Titles and was twice the WLW Television Champion (1951 and 1952). To many people, Silverstein represented an honest and clean style of pro wrestling, traits that were fast disappearing as the sport grew in popularity. Silverstein's favorite and signature wrestling move was the "Falling Arm Drag".

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