Ralph Budelman

Ralph Neil Budelman (April 19, 1918 – October 24, 2002) was an American water polo player who competed for the Illinois Athletic Club, and participated in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics where he played goaltender.

Budelman was born April 19, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. During most of his water polo career, from 1936-1955, he competed for the Illinois Athletic Club primarily under Coach Sam Greller, a Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee. Budelman played on water polo teams that won national indoor championships in 1955, 1952, 1948-9, and 1940-41, and that won national outdoor championships in 1953 and 1951. , where the American team finished ninth. Though the U.S. won their first game against the team from Uruguary 7-0, and then had a tie game with the strong team from Belgium that ended in a score of 4-4, they lost their critical match with Sweden in a 7-0 shutout, and were eliminated from further rounds. Budelman played goaltender during the 1948 Olympic games, and played a strong game in the winning shutout against Uruguay. Italy won the Gold medal, and Hungary the silver, and the Netherlands won the bronze in a period when European teams, particularly Eastern European teams, dominated international water polo.

Careers In professional pursuits, he founded and owned his own excavating company, Chicago's Ralph N. Budelman Co., responsible largely for digging areas for construction projects. He was a Director of Hinsdale's First National Bank, and in sports management directed the Hinsdale Golf Club and the Chicago Boys Club. Hinsdale, Illinois is an upscale city about 20 miles West of downtown Chicago.

Budelman died October 24, 2002 in Palm City, Florida. He was survived by four children.