Throwback Thinking: Ralph J. Holden Tribute

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Blog was originally posted on March 31, 2009. And, while the author would love to rework it, he feels the message conveyed trumps his then amateur syntax.)

A small man -- in a smaller city -- making a big impact.

Very few people outside Rhode Island are aware that Central Falls even exists. Covering one square mile, Central Falls is the smallest city in the smallest state in the Union. Affectionately referred to as "CF", it's so small that you can drive through the city down Broad St. in approximately 3 minutes! (It may take you a whopping 5 minutes if you catch a few lights.)

Being such a small city does have it's advantages. When you're small you can keep things simple. You're not clouded by infinite choices. You can focus on one thing and try and do it extremely well. For example, Central Falls is home to an iconic Rhode Island establishment: Stanley's Hamburgers.

Best. Hamburgers. Ever.

But, in a place where focus is critical to success, the opportunities that benefit from said focus are limited. And, in CF, positive opportunities are nearly non-existent. Central Falls became a prime hub for cocaine trafficking throughout the 80's and 90's which earned it the unenviable nickname "Sparkle City."

Don't believe it? Just ask Providence's notorious ex-mayor: Buddy Cianci. Buddy was so cavalier that his private car was commonly found on the streets of CF during his political career with him in the backseat.

Central Falls: the embodiment of a double-edged sword.

Growing up in Central Falls provided very few options to spend your free time if you were trying to avoid the cocaine trade. You really only had 2 choices: Academics or Athletics. Both helped you punch a ticket to "get out" and one was usually a means to get closer to the other.

I started this blog by saying "Very few people outside Rhode Island are aware that Central Falls even exists." Well, even fewer are aware of the importance that youth sports had in the city. And if you were involved in youth athletics around CF in the early 80's and 90's there was one man who you knew, respected and, in most cases, loved like a father: Ralph Holden.

Ralph was a Central Falls native stricken with Polio during the height of it's epidemic in the 1950's. While he never lost the use of his limbs, Ralph's physical development was limited resulting in a hunchback physique preventing him from ever playing organized sports.

But his love for sports could not be broken by a crooked back. Ralph wanted sports to be part of his life -- and he did all he could to ensure that they would be. He focused on school and eventually earned a degree in Physical Education. He finally worked his way to become the Athletic Director of the Central Falls Community Center.

And that is where Ralph's legacy was born.

It was called the "Club." Every teenager growing up in CF during the 80's and 90's considered the Club their home away from home. The kids were the bricks. Ralph was the mortar.

Ralph never used his physical deficiencies as an excuse. Obstacles were a daily part of Ralph's life. But overcoming each made his victories that much sweeter. For example, simple things like driving were difficult -- but not impossible.

Ralph had a mechanic fabricate longer gas and brake pedals so he could reach them. His steering wheel had a circular handle attached to it so he could turn the wheel with one hand. Ralph would sit on a few pillows so his hunch arm could lean out the window while he would turn the wheel with his good hand. It could be 15 degrees out and snowing but Ralph's midnight-blue Oldsmobile would have the driver side window open and the heat on full blast.

Ralph Holden's perseverance in life translated to his coaching. He wouldn't allow us kids to fall into self pity. He taught us that growing up poor in Central Falls was an opportunity. It would help us learn to appreciate our victories more than our opponents did.

His coaching style was brash and his temper legendary. He didn't tolerate laziness or disrespectful behavior toward another player, coach or referee. And his love for us "kids" was palpable and enduring.

Even as we all grew up and moved up and out of Central Falls, you would still find Ralph standing in the corner of whatever gymnasium one of us "kids" happened to be playing in -- scribbling in his notepad prepping for a post game "review."

Ralph Holden passed away on March 12, 1998. The "Club" was renamed the Ralph J. Holden Community Center as a tribute to the man who served as the caretaker for the building and those who spent their free time playing sports in it.

Ralph was widely referred to as "Ralphie-Baby" by the legions of youngsters who viewed him more as a surrogate father than a coach. And, as we all know, a father's job is to keep his girl off the pole and his son off the streets -- Ralph did just that.

His daily struggles served as an example that your life is what you make of it. Where some see obstacles, others see opportunity. Ralph created a sense of family between his players that no other coach this former athlete has known could replicate. The same kids I grew up with in the 80's are still my best friends today. At full strength we're about 25 deep. Regardless of the sport, we were never a team -- we were always a family.

And we always will be.

Thanks, Ralphie-Baby.