Ralph Vincent Guglielmi of Wallace, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on January 23, 2017. He was 83. Born in Columbus, Ohio on June 26, 1933, he was the only son to Italian immigrants Marino and Rose Guglielmi. Ralph made his mark in high school as an all around student athlete at Grandview High School in Columbus. After receiving more than a combined 100+ collegiate academic and athletic scholarship offers in baseball, basketball and football, he decided to attend the University of Notre Dame from 1951-1955. With Ralph as a starting player, the Fighting Irish went 26-3-2, finishing in the top 4 teams in the country every year of his attendance. In 1953 the team went 9-0-1, as Notre Dame's backfield included fullback Neil Worden and halfbacks Johnny Lattner and Joe Heap. After Ralph's junior year, the famous coach, Frank Leahy, proclaimed, Guglielmi as "the greatest quarterback I ever coached."

Ralph went on to receive the unanimous nomination for the honor of All-American quarterback in 1954. In 1955 he was a member of the winning College All Stars team securing MVP honors, and the same year became the number one draft pick of the Washington Redskins. Not only did he play for the Redskins, but also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as playing football and becoming an officer for the US Air Force. On April 19, 2001, Guglielmi was inducted in the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame. After his NFL career, Ralph was a successful insurance agent as well as long time business owner of restaurants and car dealerships. He also developed a successful computer forms company, Computer Business Supplies (CBS). After many years as a resident and avid, almost daily golfer of the Congressional Country Club in Potomac, Maryland, Ralph and his wife retired to River Landing Golf Community in Wallace, North Carolina in 2003. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Linda Doeringer Guglielmi, his son, Ralph David Guglielmi and wife, Laurie Maves, his daughter, Lisa Marie Hofmann and husband, Mark Hofmann, five grandchildren, Ralph Vincent Guglielmi II, Michael Anthony Guglielmi, Isabella Marie Hofmann, Livianna Noelle Hofmann and Elena Claire Hofmann, brother-in-law, Jeffrey W. Doeringer and mother-in-law, Betty Z. Doeringer. A celebration of life service will be held on February 25, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Transfiguration Catholic Church in Wallace, North Carolina. A private family reception will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Rocky Mountain Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Chapter in his son's name, Ralph David Guglielmi, a two time cancer survivor. The address is PO Box 4072 Pittsfield, MA 01202. To sign the guest book, go to www.padgettfuneralhome.com. A service of Padgett Funeral and Cremation Services, Wallace.