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John Rapparlie was one of Toledo's premier basketball players of the 1930s. Rapparlie was recognized for his defensive skills by being named to the United Press All-Ohio Conference first- team after his junior season (1934-35). Following his senior season (1935-36), he was selected to the all-conference first-team again, and was named the squad's honorary captain. As a junior, Rapparlie helped lead the team to 13-3 record, one game out of first place in the Ohio Conference and the best finish to date in Rocket history. During his senior year, he captained the squad leading the Rockets to a 12-4 record and third-place finish in the conference. In a letter of recommendation to the dean of graduate studies at Ohio State University, where Rapparlie had applied. Coach Anderson wrote, "He is one of the most unselfish, self-sacrificing boys I have ever known. The winning of the game was always uppermost in his mind and the scoring of points was the last." Rapparlie also pitched for the Rocket baseball team in 1934 and 1935, helping lead the squad to 8-4 and 8-5 seasons, respectively. An excellent student, he was a member of the honor society and the ARX men's honorary as an undergraduate, and a member of Alpha Psi Delta at OSU, where he earned an M.A and Ph.D.
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