THE SUNSET OF CONIBEAR Washington crew to another Poughkeepsie victory in 1926, sharing honors with [Stork] Sanford, [Norm] Sonju and James Matthews, who now helps Callow at the University of Pennsylvania. “At graduation, Al Ulbrickson was appointed freshman coach at Washington and was made head coach next year when Rusty Callow left for Penn. Ever since [as of 1937], Washington has always finished at least third in the varsity races at Poughkeepsie, except in 1930 when their boat was rigged too low and sank before the finish. “Handsome, reticent, unexcitable, Coach Ulbrickson never reprimands his men; they learn their faults from his good- natured, critical banter. He rarely smokes, never drinks, and forbids swearing during crew practice. He methodically records the conditions, time and distance of each day’s rowing. To avoid overtraining, he ceases coaching a week before the major races. “His favorite starting-line goad: ‘It doesn’t mean anything to think you’re good – go out and prove it.’”4023 John Sayre, 1958 stroke: “People quote George Pocock, and here’s this mystic, beautiful statement, but you get done saying it and wonder what the hell it actually means. Then when you start asking what are the quotes you remember from Al, it’s kind of like, ‘Sayre, you’re hunched over. You look like a monkey peeing in a jug,’ or, ‘Sayre, keep your oar flat, flat like the top of your head.’ “Al was one of the old-time coaches whom you were basically scared of, and when he spoke to you it was kind of like God speaking. But people really loved him and respected him and enjoyed him.”4024 Dick Erickson, 1958 2-seat: “He kept fairly aloof from everyday contact and a lot 4023 Washington Wakes, Time Magazine, July 5, 1937 4024 Sayre, personal conversation, 2007 Charles E Steinheimer / Time & Life Pictures / Getty Images Al Ulbrickson “From a rangy, rawboned and handsome youth he matured into a distinguished, graying gentleman who could be – and in Moscow occasionally was – mistaken for a diplomat.” – Georg N. Meyers, The Seattle Times of idle conversation with the athletes, and that was part of the mystique, I think. He had a droll sense of humor, and he was a bright guy, a Phi Beta Kappa – very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics.”4025 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “For thirty- two seasons, Ulbrickson, nicknamed the ‘Dour Dane’ by his athletes, coached the Husky varsity oarsmen, and his record is unmatched in collegiate rowing. Time and 4025 Al Ulbrickson: A Legend in Intercollegiate Rowing, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 1980 1115
