A Chicago native, he received the nickname "Ruffy" as a child from his Russian-born mother. He grew up in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood. He started wrestling at Lawson playground. He polished his skills at the Boys' Brotherhood Republic, the Jewish People's Institute and Crane Technical High School. He married Evelyn Epstein and had two children, a son and a daughter. He served in the army during World War II, under General Douglas MacArthur, advising MacArthur about the Japanese study of martial arts during the U.S. occupation of Japan.
Amateur wrestling career
In college Silverstein wrestled for the University of Illinois and, in 3 years of varsity competition, did not lose a match, He became the 1935 and 1936 Big Ten champion, the 1936 NCAA champion and an All-American in 1935. He was a member of the 1936 U.S. Olympic team but, because the Olympics were held in Nazi Germany, Silverstein was one of several Jewish athletes who boycotted that year's Olympics.
An expert in wrestling fundamentals, Silverstein was one of the first to blaze the transitional trail from collegiate to professional wrestling. Strait-laced Silverstein won the Illinois State Championships in his first event as a pro, a victory which laid the groundwork for his celebrated professional career. Undefeated for many years, he ultimately won two AWA World Titles and was twice the WLW Television Champion. To many people, Silverstein represented an honest and clean style of pro wrestling, traits that were fast disappearing as the sport grew in popularity. Silverstein's favorite and signature wrestling move was the "Falling Arm Drag". He had a notable match against NWA World Heavyweight ChampionLou Thesz in a losing effort in 1950. After his professional wrestling career, Silverstein served as a coach in the Maccabiah Games in Israel. He also taught wrestling at Chicago's Duncan Y.M.C.A. Interested in education, Silverstein later became a high schoolgym teacher and founded and coached the Nicholas Senn Chicago Public High School wrestling team. He also was Head Coach of the school's swim team. Besides sporting techniques, Silverstein offered his philosophy of life to his students. In November, 1977, Silverstein was diagnosed Lou Gehrig's disease. He died as he neared retirement from teaching.
Legacy
A current Canadian wrestler, Aaron Quinn Schlosser, uses the professional name "Ruffy Silverstein" as a tribute to the original Ralph "Ruffy" Silverstein who was an inspiration to many Jews. Many looked up to him as a competitive wrestler, a soldier who fought the Axis powers in the American Army and later as a teacher in Chicago's public schools.
