| Ralph Carpenter | |
| Birth Date: | 6 August 1930 |
| Death Place: | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Player Sport1: | Football |
| Player Years2: | 1954–1956 |
| Player Team2: | Henderson State |
| Coach Sport1: | Football |
| Coach Years2: | 1967–1970 |
| Coach Team2: | Henderson State (assistant) |
| Coach Years3: | 1971–1989 |
| Coach Team3: | Henderson State |
| Coach Sport4: | Baseball |
| Coach Years5: | 1970–1975 |
| Coach Team5: | Henderson State |
| Overall Record: | 119–76–5 (football) 106–68 (baseball) |
| Bowl Record: | 1–0 |
| Tournament Record: | Football 1–2 (NAIA D-I playoffs) |
| Championships: | Football 5 AIC (1973–1975, 1977, 1985) Baseball 2 AIC (1973–1974) |
| Awards: | Football NAIA Division I Coach of the Year (1985) |
Ralph L. "Sporty" Carpenter (August 6, 1930 – February 16, 1990) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas from 1971 to 1989, compiling a record of 119–76–5. Carpenter was also the head baseball coach at Henderson State from 1970 to 1975, tallying a mark of 106–68.
A native of Hamburg, Arkansas, Carpenter played college football at Henderson State from 1954 to 1956 under head coach Duke Wells. He returned to Henderson State in 1967 as assistant football coach. Carpenter died on February 16, 1990, at a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee from complications of a liver transplant.[1]