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John Ralston, a graduate of the University of California, played linebacker on two Cal Rose Bowl teams before earning his physical education Academic degree in 1951. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Cal before being named head coach at Utah State in 1959. In four years, he compiled a 31-11-1 record and two Skyline Conference championships.
Ralston moved to Stanford in 1963 and helped revive a sagging program. Over nine seasons, Ralston guided the team back to national respectability while building a mark of 55-36-3. In his last two seasons, 1970-71, Ralston's teams won two Pacific 8 titles and back-to-back Rose Bowl victories over Ohio State and Michigan. During Ralston's tenure at the school, Stanford quarterback Jim Plunkett won the 1970 Heisman Trophy under Ralston.
In 1972, Ralston departed the Bay Area once again, this time for the Rocky Mountains and the Denver Broncos. The following year, he was UPI's choice as AFC Coach of the Year after Denver achieved its first-ever-winning season at 7-5-2. In five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston took the team to winning seasons three times, the franchise's only three winning seasons up to that time.
Overall, John Ralston coached the Denver Broncos from 1972 to 1976. With no playoff appearances his regular season win/loss/tie record was 34-33-3.
After being hired in 1972, the Broncos continue to struggle under Ralston finishing with a 5-9 record.
In 1973, a year which included the "Orange Monday," game played in front of a primetime national television audience, where the Broncos would come from behind and would earn a tie on Jim Turner's 35-yard FG; Ralston coached the team into first place with a 6-3-2 record. With their first winning season in franchise history under their belt, and with the [[]AFC West] title on the line the Broncos season ends with a 21-17 loss to the Raiders in Oakland.
In 1974, Ralston coached the Broncos to a 7-6-1 record, for their second winning season in a row.
The 1975 season was a season of mediocre football for the Broncos and the team finished with a disappointing 6-8 record, but the following year the team played strong and finished with an impressive 9-5 record. However the record was not good enough to get the Broncos into the playoffs. Despite the strong showing Coach John Ralston would resign following the season.
After leaving the Broncos, Ralston held several assistant coaching jobs which included, the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, and as a head coach in the USFL with the Oakland Invaders.
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