Ralph L. Pim

Dr. Ralph Pim is recognized as a global expert for developing leaders of character through sport and building cultures of significance. He has served as an international sport consultant in the countries of New Zealand, Singapore, and Australia. Ralph also worked as a mental performance and leadership coach for the women’s soccer team at the University of Minnesota and the University of Missouri. During his time at the University of Minnesota, the Gophers won 3 Big Ten Conference championships. In 2018, Ralph founded Developing Leaders of Character (DLOC) Worldwide which is a values-based framework that promotes the development of character strengths, leadership skills, and social-emotional skills in student-athletes and coaches throughout the world.

Dr. Pim served as a Professor of Physical Education and the Director of Competitive for 12 years at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He and his Leader Team created and implemented a values-based sport curriculum for 3,500 cadets that received worldwide recognition. The number of collegiate national championships tripled, and a total of 36 national titles were won during his tenure. The percentage of competitive club teams ranked in the Top Ten in the nation doubled. At the same time, team grade point averages significantly increased while disciplinary problems decreased. Ralph and his staff were selected one of "America’s 15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams in America" by the Institute for International Sport. In 2009, Ralph was one of only 12 educators chosen as a Sports Ethics Fellow by The Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University and the Institute for International Sport.

During his career, Ralph has been recognized as a passionate and caring teacher, coach, and team builder. He has coached basketball at the high school, Division III, Division II, and Division I levels. As a head college coach, he inherited losing teams at Alma College and Limestone University and quickly turned them into highly respected, winning programs. His Alma teams were ranked nationally for points scored and three-point field goals. The 1989 Alma squad recorded the best overall record in 47 years. Pim also coached at Central Michigan University, the College of William and Mary, Northwestern State University, and Barberton (Ohio) High School. In 1976, Barberton won the AAA State Championship in Ohio. Internationally, Ralph spent 10 years as a part-time technical advisor for the Basketball Association of Wales and assisted with the training of their national teams.

Pim has authored or co-authored 10 books and has been a featured NABC clinician every year since 2004 at the Men's Basketball Final Four convention.

Ralph received his Bachelor of Science degree from Springfield College, Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University, and the Doctor of Education degree from Northwestern State University. He was inducted into the Limestone University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Revere High School Alumni Hall of Fame, and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame (team award). Ralph was selected for membership in the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and he was presented the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Medal.