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175 Makers of History: Ralph and Russell Bridges

Ralph 40B & Russell 33C Bridges
Emory Athletes

For fifty years, Russell Bridges (at right in photo) returned to Emory each spring to bestow a trophy bearing his name upon the school's outstanding all-around varsity athlete.

The Bridges Award was created in 1946 by Bridges and his brother, Ralph 40C (at center in photo), to replace the previous all-around athlete award, which had been discontinued during World War II. Both Bridges brothers were honored as the best all-around athletes during their respective undergraduate years and were later inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame. Russell Bridges was the first Emory student to letter in five sports.