Ralph Warren (American football)

Ralph Warren

Portrait of Warren from Walter Camp's 1894 book, "American Football"
Princeton Tigers
Position	End
Class	Graduate
Career history
College	Princeton University (1889–1891)
Personal information
Date of birth	August 21, 1871
Place of birth	Montclair, New Jersey
Date of death	September 3, 1928 (aged 57)
Career highlights and awards
All-American, 1890

Ralph Herbert Warren (August 21, 1871 – September 3, 1928) was an All-American football player. He played end for Princeton University from 1889–1891 and was selected to the 1890 College Football All-America Team. Warren was the subject of intense press coverage in January 1892 when he disappeared for several days, showing up at his parents' home days later. Warren was said to have been "temporarily out of his mind" following an injury sustained in a football game.

Warren was the son of a prominent New York family. He attended preparatory school at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey where he played halfback and was captain of the school's football team.

In 1889, Warren enrolled at Princeton University. Warren was tall and thin, standing five feet, eleven inches tall, and weighing only 152 pounds. At Princeton, Warren was switched from a halfback to a left end. Despite his small size, Warren became a starter as a freshman for Princeton's football team—considered the best in the United States at the time. He began in 1889 on Princeton's freshman team but was elevated to the scrub team and then the varsity before the season's end. The following newspaper account describes Warren's quick progression to varsity:

"In his freshman year he began work by trying for his class team. His work soon caused "Snake" Ames, then captain of the Princeton eleven, to invite the smooth-faced youth to take a place at right end on the scrub team. Warren filled his position so admirably that Ames had no cause for regret when circumstances called for a new man and Warren was placed on the 'varsity team. He played in the Harvard game, but it was in the memorable battle of '89 on the Berkeley Oval that the freshman distinguished himself. Aided by Donnelly's splendid interference he dropped on the ball when McBride muffed it. Princeton thus scored four points and Warren had established his reputation."

An 1890 profile of the Princeton football team described Warren as follows:

"Ralph Herbert Warren, always called 'Pop' in college, completes the quartette of the old team. He is looked upon as one of the best end rushers now playing. A sure tackler and always well down the field on a punt, he is an invaluable man. He, too, however, has a disabled knee, and if he does not recover in time for the Yale game, it will be hard to fill his place. When he began playing last year he was only a Freshman."