Call from the Hall: Long Beach State legend Ed Ratleff

Basketball was not difficult for “Easy Ed” Ratleff at Columbus East High School: he led the Tigers to 3 Ohio state title games, won 2 of them, and graduated with a record of 70-1.  College at Long Beach State did not pose much of a challenge either: he set a school record by averaging 21.4 PPG during his career and was a 2-time 1st-team All-American.  His only stumbling block came as a member of Team USA at the 1972 Olympics after losing 1 of the most controversial games of all time in the final against the Soviet Union.  In 1991 his alma mater retired his #42 jersey, and last Friday he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ed about all of his accomplishments and we congratulate him on his outstanding career!

At Columbus East High School you led your team to the state title in 1968 and joined Dwight “Bo” Lamar to go 25-0 in 1969 and win another title: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles, and how was your team able to stay focused every single night during the unbeaten season? Our other great player was Nicky Connors who later went to Illinois. He started with me in the 10th grade: we went 21-0 before losing a game and then made a pact to not lose again, which is why we were able to stay focused.

You ended up going to Long Beach State and playing for legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian: what made Tarkanian such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? Jerry was a winner and really knew the sport: he was a competitor. I remember seeing players from other teams who would show up late to practice and then get benched for the next game. If 1 of our guys showed up late Jerry would just punish him by running him forever…but then he would let you play so that it would not hurt the team.

In 1970 you scored a school-record 45 PTS vs. St. Mary’s (and as a freshman you had a 68-PT game vs. San Diego State): was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I honestly do not remember: I just played to win and did not keep track of how many points I scored.

Take me through the 1971 NCAA tourney:
You scored a tourney-school record 31 PTS and had 13 REB in a win over Weber State: how were you able to make such a great postseason debut? I held my own against our varsity while playing as a freshman so by my sophomore year I felt ready to play well against anyone.

You scored 18 PTS before fouling out in a 2-PT loss to eventual champion UCLA (the closest the Bruins came to losing during their streak of 7 straight NCAA titles from 1967-1973): how close did you come to winning the game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? We were ahead by 11 PTS at halftime and knew that we had it won, but there were some phantom calls against me that caused me to foul out. Sidney Wicks/Curtis Rowe tried to guard me but just could not.

In 1971 you had 26 PTS/8 REB/12 AST in a 7-PT loss to Southwestern Louisiana (your high school teammate Lamar had 38 PTS): what was it like to play against Bo, and how good a player was he? I almost went to Lafayette because I liked their coaches but I ended up liking Long Beach State more. It was fun to play against Bo and against coaches who I respected. I tried to get Tark to recruit Bo but he just thought that I was trying to bring a friend along and we did not have a big budget at the time. There was no possible way they were going to let us win a game down there! To this day I still have the photo on my wall of Bo and me as co-MVPs of the game.

Take me through the 1972 NCAA tourney:
You scored 21 PTS in a 5-PT OT win over BYU (future Hall of Famer Kresimir Cosic had 27 PTS/13 REB): how close did you come to losing that game, and could you tell at the time that Cosic was going to become a star? He was a good player who was very tall. We were decent so I never thought that we were going to lose.

You scored 17 PTS in a loss to eventual champion UCLA (Bill Walton had 19 PTS/11 REB): was it frustrating to keep having to go through the Bruins in order to win a title, and could you tell at the time that Walton was going to become a star? I truly believe that Walton might have been the best college player ever: he could shoot, he could pass, and he loved to win. They always put us out West because that is how they did things back then, which is why we kept having to play UCLA.

Take me through the 1972 5-game warm-up series against pro competition before playing in the Olympics:
In Game 1 you beat a team of ex-Olympians in Dayton (including Hall of Famers Walt Bellamy/Bill Bradley/Oscar Robertson): was that the greatest collection of talent you have ever seen on a basketball court? It was fun because they were all guys who I looked up to and had read about while I was still in high school. When you think you are decent and then play well against great guys, you feel like you can hold your own, so I was not intimidated 1 bit!

In Game 3 you had a 2-PT win over a team of Summer League Pro All-Stars in Los Angeles (including Paul Westphal/Wicks [who beat you in the 1971 tourney]/Henry Bibby [who beat you in the 1972 tourney]): did it give you any extra satisfaction to beat some former Bruins? It did not matter so I did not think about that. I did not know Wicks that well but Bibby and I are good friends.

In Game 4 you had a 6-PT OT win over a team of ABA Stars in Greensboro (including Julius Erving): where does Dr. J rank among the best players you have ever seen? It is hard to say who was the best but Julius got better as he learned how to shoot the ball. He was just the next stage of the evolution of guys who played above the rim. Elgin Baylor was the 1st, then Connie Hawkins came along, then Dr. J did a little bit more, and then Michael Jordan came along after him.

Take me through the infamous 1972 Olympics:
You were co-captain for Team USA: what did it mean to you to be co-captain? I thought that it was very nice: the coaches respected me because I tried to do the right thing.

You scored 2 PTS in a win over Italy (featuring future FIBA Hall of Famer Dino Meneghin): could you tell at the time that Meneghin was going to become a star, and how confident was your team going into the gold medal game? We did not even know the names of the players. We went into the Russia game expecting to win.

You scored 6 PTS in a controversial 1-PT gold medal loss to the Soviet Union: how did that game change your life, and what is your lasting memory of the final minute of that game? It is always on my mind because people are always asking me about it. In international ball the rule is that you cannot call a timeout after a FT is attempted. Doug Collins made 2 FTs and then the Russians said that they had tried to call a time out. However, if they had wanted a timeout before then they would have had 1. If you were unable to call it before then you should not be able to call it after the fact, but the ref ended up letting them take the ball out 3 straight times.

Your team earned silver medals but refused to accept them: will you ever accept the silver medal in the future, or give it to your kids when you pass away, or just leave it unclaimed? It can sit where it is right now: we know that we won the game under the rules.

In 1973 you made all 11 of your FT in a 10-PT win over #6 Marquette on national TV inside a sold-out arena (the largest home crowd in 49ers history): how much of a home-court advantage did you have that night, and what is your secret for FT shooting? Anytime you play at home you feel good. They thumped us when we played them at Marquette and then we beat them at our place. FT shooting is about getting in a rhythm. I went through the same routine every time: footwork, hands, everything.

Take me through the 1973 NCAA tourney:
You scored 25 PTS in a win over Weber State: do you think that the Wildcats were getting sick of playing you in the tourney?! I got to know Willie Sojourner pretty well: he was a really nice guy and a really good player. Once you beat a team then you think you can beat them over and over again.

You scored 12 PTS in a 10-PT loss to San Francisco at Pauley Pavilion: do you think that the Dons were out for revenge after losing to you in the previous year’s tourney, and did playing on UCLA’s home court get in your heads? It was not publicized at all but I had my shooting hand taped up after some tendons had ripped away from the bone. However, I am not taking anything away from them: they were a good team and deserved to win.

You had 16 PTS/13 REB in a 4-PT win over ASU in the 3rd place game (Tarkanian’s last game before he moved to UNLV): why did Tarkanian decide to switch schools? I think Tark left due to money and I do not blame him. He just got a good offer.

You were a 2-time conference POY/2-time All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding individual honors? I had great teammates: I did not do it myself.

You finished your 3-year career as the 49ers’ all-time leader in PTS/REB/AST, and your career 21.4 PPG is still #1 in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were, and do you think that anyone will ever break your scoring record? I think that someone will break my scoring record because there is now a 3-PT line and a shot clock. I truthfully do not remember how many points I scored: I just loved to win. I only played 3 years so someone in the future who plays for 4 years might break it.

In the summer of 1973 you were drafted 6th overall by Houston (1 spot behind Kermit Washington): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I think that your pro success is based primarily on what team you go to. I was an all-around player but when I got to Houston we already had a bunch of great shooters (Jack Marin, Calvin Murphy, etc.). I ended up turning into a defensive player, which is why Coach Johnny Egan decided to start me for 3 years. After hurting 2 disks in my back I ended up having to end my career prematurely. I love all those shooters…but they had no conscience!

In 1977 your teammate Rudy Tomjanovich was famously punched by Kermit: what was your reaction when you saw the punch, and could you tell at time how serious the injury was? I spent a night talking to Kermit at a banquet right around the time I was drafted: he was 1 of the nicest guys I ever talked to. It started off as Kermit vs. Kevin Kunnert, but when Rudy came in to try and break it up Kermit just turned around and hit him right in the face. That really blackballed Kermit from the NBA and also affected Rudy’s career.

After retiring from the NBA you became an assistant coach at your alma mater under Tex Winter (the father of the triangle offense): how revolutionary was the triangle offense, and how hard was it to implement? Tex is 1 of the best coaches around and is a basketball genius. When I watched back in the day he could scout both teams while they were going in both directions! I learned a lot of basketball from Tex and people at Long Beach State did not appreciate what they had. The Lakers and Bulls were awfully good with the triangle offense so I am glad that he is in the Hall of Fame.