Hall of Fame
Ralph Alexander, who was reared in Brookfield, Mo., was a four-year letterman as a halfback and some as a quarterback on Bulldog football teams in the mid-1930's. Alex, as he was called by teammates, also was a defensive linebacker and did some field-goal kicking. Mr. Alexander played on the last undefeated Bulldog football team. That was in 1936 when they compiled a 7-0 record and a conference championship. In fact, he played for the Bulldogs in only one losing effort and that was against St. Louis University in 1935. The Billikins halted the Bulldog winning streak at 27 games, the sixth longest victory string among Division II and III teams. Mr. Alexander was named to the All-Conference team in 1935 and 1936. "Mean Hog", as he was dubbed by some teammates, always tried to keep his teammates loose in the huddles. More than once, he would ask a teammate to move over a little bit, so that he could see what play coach Don Faurot was calling from the bench. Mr. Alexander was also a fine baseball infielder with a solid reputation as a hitter. He also was an important cog on the Bulldog basketball team. After his graduation in 1937 he was drafted by the St. Louis baseball Cardinals. He was a third baseman in the Cardinal organization, but an injury ended his professional career. In the fall of 1937, he was appointed as coach and teacher at Milan High School, and he stayed at Milan until the spring of 1942. During World War II, Mr. Alexander worked in defense plants in Houston, Texas. After the war, he was with the Basin Steel Works until 1950 when he became a sales representative for Acrow Corporations western hemisphere. Mr. Alexander left Acrow in 1957 and worked for Barber Electric Company until 1960 when he became a sales engineer for Metco Inc., a metallizing company in Houston. He worked for Metco until his death in 1983 when he and his wife were killed as a result of a car accident.
