Ralph Branca Legacy Shines At Opening Week In NYU

During NYU’s opening weekend, Dylan Branca, the great-nephew of former MLB pitcher Ralph Branca, showed off his skills. His two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning helped his side defeat Merchant Marine Academy.

Ralph Branca Legacy Shines At Opening Week In NYU

Aside from that tragic throw, Dylan’s great uncle Ralph Branca (who is inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at NYU for both baseball and basketball) had a rather good baseball career.

After graduating from the university with a master’s degree, Dylan’s grandpa John R. Branca went on to serve as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and as an assemblyman in the state of New York.

When NYU formally launches the Branca Family baseball training center on Thursday, located at the Palladium Athletic Facility on 14th Street, the Branca name will become even more embedded in the school’s athletic legacy.

The squad has been using the 4,400-square-foot facility for many months now, thanks to an endowment from Dylan’s father.

Pitching mounds, batting cages, Trackman, and Rapsodo are all part of the facilities. With this cutting-edge facility, NYU players will be able to train efficiently on campus.

Doug Kimbler, the manager of NYU baseball, is ecstatic about the facilities and the idea of the Branca family carrying on their tradition at the institution. Dylan understands he has large shoes to fill and feels the same way.

“I think it’s really cool to have Brancas playing baseball again at NYU,” Dylan said.

Two significant events in the ongoing Branca legacy at NYU are Dylan Branca’s performance and the launch of the new training facility. Both ceremonies celebrate the family’s longstanding relationship with the institution while also casting an eye toward the future and ensuring the baseball program at NYU continues to grow and succeed.

While Dylan forges his own route in the collegiate baseball scene, the NYU Violets continue to draw strength and inspiration from the Branca family’s tradition.

The Branca family’s continuing dedication to quality and community support is demonstrated by the effect of their gifts to NYU’s academic and sports programs.

As NYU baseball players train in the new facility and take to the field, they carry forward a legacy that is much larger than the game itself, embodying the spirit of determination, excellence, and philanthropy that the Branca family represents.

One of the most well-known entertainment lawyers in the country, John Branca, has represented a number of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame acts, including the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, and the Rolling Stones.

“I thought it was the right thing to do,” John Branca told The Post. “A bit of it was a tribute to my uncle Ralph and my dad and the other part of it is giving back.”

“My father was two years ahead of Ralph,” John, Dylan’s father, said. “On their high school team [AB Davis] that won the New York state championship, my father was the ace of the staff. He threw two no-hitters. Ralph played the outfield and pitched once in a while.

“My dad was 5-foot-10, Ralph was 6-3. My dad got drafted and spent four years in [World War II] on an aircraft carrier. When he came back, he used the GI Bill to go to NYU, and by that time Ralph was in the major leagues.”

My dad would talk about it for years, that they were stealing the signs. And Ralph knew they were stealing the signs but would never say anything because he didn’t want to look like a sore loser,” John Branca, 73, said. “When it finally came out that they were stealing the signs, he felt vindicated.”

A practice field at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium was endowed by John Branca a few years prior, and Dylan was made aware of the team’s logistical challenges when he began at NYU in 2022.

Ralph Branca had a 12-year major league career. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 after going to their audition. The next season, he made his debut and had a respectable 3.04 ERA in his rookie year.

Branca played for the Dodgers for ten seasons before briefly playing for the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. Before retiring in 1956, he rejoined the Dodgers. From 1947 to 1949, he was an All-Star three times in his career.

And so the Branca name carries on at NYU, emblazoned on a glass door at the new training facility and also on the mound with Dylan, who, like Ralph with the Dodgers, wears No. 13.

“I think it’s really cool to have Brancas playing baseball again at NYU,” he said.

“It’s wonderful,” his father adds. “I wish my dad and Ralph were around to see it. It chokes me up a little bit.”

What is Ralph Branca known for?

Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca, often known as “Hawk,” was an American professional baseball pitcher who spent 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1944 to 1956. He was born on January 6, 1926, and passed away on November 23, 2016.

Is Ralph Branca in the Hall of Fame?

Apart from that one disastrous pitch, Dylan’s great uncle Ralph Branca (who is in the Baseball and Basketball Hall of Fame at NYU) had a rather good career as a baseball player.

Was Ralph Branca friends with Jackie Robinson?

When the topic of Robinson was brought up to him, Branca brightened up and proceeded to share how the two of them became the best of friends following Bobby Thomson’s photo that went viral on October 3, 1951.

 

 

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