University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Ralph P. D'Altilia 1965 - Basketball
Pound for pound, Ralph D'Altilia, a 1988 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was one of the top basketball players in New England in the 1960s. D'Altilia, only 6-3 and perhaps 190 pounds, scored 926 career points in only three seasons and more impressive, he averaged almost ten rebounds a game.
The Union City, N.J. native, one of many outstanding athletes who came from Bergen County in the early 60s, was at his best inside. He had the uncanny ability to move past much bigger men on his way to averaging 20 points a game in the 1964-65 season, the 4th best p.p.g in the UVM record books. D'Altilia's scored a record 42 points in a Dec. 11, 1964 game against New Hampshire (broken by Hall of Famer Frank Martiniuk in 1968), including 27 second-half points, still a UVM record. His 14.5 points-per-game average is ranked 11th in Vermont history and D'Altilia's 32 field goals attempted in the Dec. 11, 1964 game versus New Hampshire ranks No. 1. D'Altilia was quite simply a player.
His versatility is evident when you look at his rebounding prowess. D'Altilia had 16 rebounds in one game against Maine (in 1964) and is ranked No. 4 in the UVM record books for most career rebounds (618). That averages out to 9.7 rebounds a game (third-best in UVM history), outstanding for any big man, but for a player of his size, it was remarkable. He used his cunning - and intelligence - to position himself perfectly in front of his opponents.
An outstanding student, D'Altilia was an All-Yankee Conference Academic first-team choice and honorable mention nationally his senior year. At the Senior Letterwinners banquet, D'Altilia was the recipient of the Semans Trophy, presented to the senior athlete for outstanding qualities of leadership, loyalty and service to the University. D'Altilia, a vice-president of sales at an instrument company, resides in Framingham, Mass.
