Brandon Ralph (2000), owner of Bruno’s Pizza in Bismarck and co-owner of ND Country Fest in New Salem, was recently back on campus to celebrate the 1999 Wildcat Football Team’s induction to the NDSCS Hall of Fame. While he did not initially have NDSCS on his radar, the Minot High athlete attended the ND State Indoor Track Meet the spring of his senior year, where John Richman, NDSCS’s Football Coach, was also in attendance. Ralph and Richman met between events, and after their visit, Ralph had a new vision of what his next two years would look like. After graduating as a Liberal Arts student at NDSCS, Ralph went on to the University of Mary, earning his degree in Health and Physical Education.
Ralph’s love for sports would keep him in the athletic world as Track Coach at University of Mary for 13 years, and Bismarck High for 5 years. After college, he had a passion for business. He began working at an Anheuser-Busch distributor learning about customer acquisition, on-site promotions, and product sales. He would eventually pursue his dream of business ownership, purchasing Bruno’s Pizza in Bismarck. His experiences would open other doors, including coordinating food and beverage for ND Country Fest in New Salem, ND, and later becoming co-owner of the music festival.
Looking back at his time as a freshman athlete at NDSCS, Ralph admitted he was not fully prepared or as structured as he needed to be. He soon learned the value of time management, crediting much of his growth to Coach Richman. As Richman’s athletes would agree, “if you are not 15 minutes early, you are late.” He also participated in track at NDSCS, throwing shot put. Coach OJ Jensen and wife Dee were also instrumental in helping Ralph be successful on and off the field.
Ralph has stayed in touch with teammates over the years, and with the Hall of Fame induction this past fall, it prompted more players to reconnect. Much like family, “we picked up right where we left off,” Ralph commented. Besides the friendships, he is grateful for the life lessons that transferred beyond college; discipline, commitment, and teamwork can take you far in life.
Ralph recalls one of his favorite memories during his sophomore year following their win against Rochester Community College in the Pepsi-Cola Bowl game. Coach Richman gave his team a speech reminding them how important family is and the sacrifices some made to get them there. Richman brought them all together — the team and the fans that attended the game — for a “family” picture. Ralph stated, “we learned that at the end of the day, family and friends are what matter most.”
Brandon and his wife Nicole reside in Bismarck with their three girls ages 3, 5, and 7.