April 19, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Former University of Notre Dame All-America quarterback Ralph Guglielmi (pronounced goo-yell-me) is one of 15 former college football greats and three former coaches named to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made in New York City by NFF Chairman Jon F. Hanson and Honors Court Chairman Gene Corrigan.

Guglielmi will be inducted in December at the Foundation’s 44th annual banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York — then he’ll be enshrined in ceremonies in August 2002 in South Bend at the College Football Hall of Fame.

Selected in addition to Guglielmi were USC halfback Jon Arnett, Georgia placekicker Kevin Butler, Michigan receiver Anthony Carter, Navy end Dick Duden, Syracuse defensive tackle Tim Green, Ohio State tackle John Hicks, Oklahoma tight end Keith Jackson, Clemson defensive back Terry Kinard, Mississippi State linebacker D.D. Lewis, North Carolina running back Donald McCauley, Kansas and Pennsylvania tackle John Outland, Penn State lineman Glenn Ressler, Michigan State defensive back Brad Van Pelt and BYU quarterback Steve Young — along with coaches Barry Switzer from Oklahoma, Grant Teaff from McMurry, San Angelo State and Baylor and Bill Yeoman from Houston.

Guglielmi becomes the 39th former Notre Dame player to be selected for the Hall of Fame (there also are five former Notre Dame head coaches enshrined). He becomes the seventh former Irish quarterback to earn that honor — following Frank Carideo, Harry Stuhldreher, Heisman Trophy winners John Lujack, Angelo Bertelli and Paul Hornung and most recently Bob Williams in 1988.

The 6-0, 180-pound Guglielimi was a three-year starter for the Irish at quarterback from 1952 through ’54. He earned unanimous All-America honors as a senior in ’54 after completing 68 of 127 passes for 1,160 yards and six touchdowns — ranking fourth nationally in passing yards. He finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy as a senior in ’54. In his three seasons as a starter, the Irish finished 7-2-1 in ’52 (third in final Associated Press poll), 9-0-1 in ’53 (second) and 9-1 in ’54 (fourth).

He remains 10th on the Notre Dame career passing chart based on 209 career completions on 436 attempts (both Notre Dame records at the time) for 3,117 yards (breaking Bertelli’s Notre Dame career mark for passing yards) and 18 TDs. He also rushed 187 times for 200 yards and 12 TDs, kicked five PATs, intercepted 10 passes returned for 98 yards and one TD (he led the team in interceptions with five each in ’53 and ’54), recovered two fumbles and returned two kickoffs for 15 yards.

The Columbus, Ohio, product (Grandview High School) remains tied with Rick Mirer for the Notre Dame record for most consecutive games completing a pass with 34, including his last four games in 1951 and all 10 each year in 1952-54. He was honored with the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy by the Washington (D.C.) Touchdown Club as the nation’s top back in 1954.

He graduated with a degree in sociology from the College of Arts and Letters.

Guglielmi earned MVP honors in the 1955 College All-Star Game and also played in the East-West Shrine Game.

He was a first-round National Football League draft pick (third pick overall) of the Washington Redskins in 1955, moved on to play with St. Louis in 1961, the New York Giants in 1962 and with Philadelphia in 1963.

He’s now living in Potomac, Md., after retiring from his position as general manager of an auto dealership.