Ted Rupp ’35 Passes Away

LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall athletic community is mourning the loss of Theodore Rupp ’35. Rupp passed away peacefully at Lancaster General Hospital late Wednesday evening.

No one did more to advance wrestling in Lancaster County. A student at the F&M Academy and Franklin & Marshall, Rupp maintained strong ties to both his alma mater and Millersville University. In 1948-49, Rupp coached both Millersville and F&M, finishing with a 20-2 combined record. That is believed to have been the only time in collegiate wrestling history when one man coached two colleges concurrently.

A member of outstanding F&M wrestling teams, Rupp's first coaching post was at the F&M Academy. He served as the team's mentor between 1935 and 1943, winning four National Prep School championships. From those teams came Dick DiBattista, who went on to win the NCAA championships for Penn in 1941 and 1942 under the direction of F&M alum, W. Austin Bishop ’27.

In 1946, Rupp started the wrestling program at Millersville and guided the team through 12 straight winning seasons. He wrapped up his collegiate coaching career with a 76-20-2 record. In 1990, Rupp was inducted into the Franklin & Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame. He was honored in the fall of 2008 at the F&M Academy Reunion, where the trophy bearing his name was formally introduced. In honor of his distinguished service to both institutions, the Rupp Cup is awarded to the winner of the annual meeting between Franklin & Marshall and Millersville.

After receiving his B.A. in history from F&M, Rupp earned an M.A. from Penn State and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He was the chairman of the department of foreign languages at Millersville for a number of years and attended the Sorbonne as a Fulbright Scholar.

Rupp became an emeritus professor of French upon his retirement in 1982. In 1984, the Lancaster Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association honored Rupp with the "George Kirchner Award" for his athletic accomplishments and achievements. Other honors include: President of the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association, inductee into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame (1975) and Educator of the Year of the PSMLA.