Seahawks fans Remembering Ralph Lewis

Published on July 13, 2011 by Seahawks.Com News (Feed)     

In the article on the Seattle Seahawks’ 1980 season that was posted Monday, then-rookie free agent cornerback/returner Will Lewis shared a story about former scout Ralph Goldston.

“One day, I muffed a punt,” said Lewis, now the Seahawks’ VP of football operations. “At the end of practice, (scout) Ralph Goldston came up to me, put his arm around my neck and said, ‘Hey Millersville, if you want to make this team you’d better catch all those balls.’ ”

That’s when Lewis realized everything counted in the final tally.

“The only reason I had returned punts in college is because I was out there for the fun of it,” Lewis said. “If you dropped one, so what. But after Ralph talked to me, that’s when I realized if I wanted the opportunity to stay here I would have to field everything. That’s when I started focusing more on being the return guy.”

Goldston has died at the age of 82, according to this report. While the Associated Press story mentioned Goldston being one of the first African Americans to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, there are no details about his post-playing career.

He was a scout for the Seahawks for 14 years, arriving in 1975 – the year before the team played its first game. Goldston came to the Seahawks after serving as offensive backfield coach for the Chicago Bears and remained with the Seahawks through the 1988 season.

Goldston always had a smile to share, not to mention a story that would only make you smile. He will be missed.

Tags: Balls, Chicago Bears, coach, first game, Football Operations, Free Agent, Fun, Goldston, Philadelphia Eagles, Punt, Punts, Ralph Lewis, Scout, seahawks fans, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, Smile, Tally, Vp