When retrospectives of the 1984 national champions are written, many take care not to forget the story of Patrick Ewing, the triumphant return of Fred Brown to the Final Four, or even the arrival of Dunbar grads David Wingate and Reggie Williams to the national stage. Often overlooked is the story of center Ralph Dalton, a story of perseverance and commitment that deserves its own story as well.

Originally from Suitland, MD, Dalton was a highly recruited center in the spring of 1980 when Georgetown coach John Thompson convinced him to take a fifth year at Fishburne Military Academy in Waynesboro VA--not to improve his grades, as some prep schools proffer, but to improve his game. Dalton averaged 17 points and 19 rebounds a game at Fishburne. A fifth year for Dalton also kept the center position open in recruiting, where Thompson would sign Patrick Ewing the following spring. With Ewing and Dalton, plus Parade All-Americans Anthony Jones and Bill Martin, Thompson had lined up a celestial recruiting class.

Some recruits might have seen Ewing's arrival as a threat to their game and decided to go elsewhere, but Dalton did not. In 1986, he told the New York Times why he stayed.

"I came to Georgetown because it had a good program," he said. "I came to Georgetown because it had an excellent academic background...And people these days ask me, 'Do you look with regret at coming to Georgetown when you could have played at a small school and been the star?' Well, I just wanted to be a part of a good tradition, a good program, and hopefully contribute something in my years here, and get the thing that I came here for, get my degree. So I wasn't concerned about playing time."

Dalton's career nearly ended before it began. In November 1981, making his debut at the Blue-Gray Game, a scrimmage held annually through the 1980's, Dalton's knee gave way at mid-court, just a few minutes into the contest. The injury silenced the 4,000 in attendance, and destroyed much of Dalton's knee and corresponding nerve tissue. The injury not only cost him the 1981-82 season, but it was so severe it was studied in medical journals. After a nine month recovery Dalton was forced to wear a metal brace and a special boot just to stand.

What would have been a career ending injury for most players willed Dalton to return to the court in the fall of 1982, but without the mobility he enjoyed in his earlier years. Dalton played reserve to his classmate and close friend Ewing, Dalton saw action in 102 games over his first three seasons, including 13 starts at forward alongside Ewing. Despite scoring just under three points a game, Dalton always made an impact, none more so than in the 1985 NCAA Eastern Regional final versus Georgia Tech where Ewing was in serious foul trouble late in the game. Dalton stepped up with six points and six rebounds to carry the Hoyas home to the win.

Dalton graduated alongside Ewing and Martin in the spring of 1985, and earned a fourth year of varsity play while enrolled in the school's graduate business program. En route to becoming the first men's basketball player to earn an MBA, Dalton started all 32 games as the starting center for the 1985-86 Hoyas, averaging 7.7 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. A 15 point, 11 rebound effort versus Villanova that season were career highs.

"John Thompson didn't lock us up," Dalton told the Los Angeles Times in 1989. "He provides an opportunity to do the things you have to do... You have to draw the line someplace. The best thing that happened to me is that Coach Thompson provided that line for us. I'd do it again. While I did it, I had fun."

With his MBA, Dalton set his sights on Wall Street. He has enjoyed a long and successful career in fixed income and emerging markets securities, with posts at Prudential Securities, and Bank of New York before leadership positions at Merrill Lynch and Scotia Bank. Since 2014, he has served as President at Barclay Investments.