Sept. 15, 2017

Carver Memories - July 23, 1952

Former WWU rowing coach won bronze medal at 1952 Olympics

BELLINGHAM, Wash. --- "Larger than life."

That's how Fillip "Fil" Leanderson was described by a fellow coach who worked with him during his 17 years as the head men's rowing coach at Western Washington University. Leanderson served in that capacity from 1977 to 1993.

And that quote is no overstatement. During his lifetime, which spanned 75 years (March 11, 1931 - Nov. 2, 2006), Leanderson was a collegiate national champion and head coach, both at the highest level, as well as an Olympic medalist. He was inducted into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 and the University of Washington Hall of Fame in 2002.

While at Western, Leanderson's rowers dominated the northwest small college ranks, the varsity 8 winning the LaFromboise Cup race for five of his first seven years. The Vikings were not eligible the other two seasons because of their superiority.

And Western owned the Cascade Sprints, the northwest small college championships, during the last 10 years of Leanderson's tenure.

In those days, Western was second in rowing only to Washington among northwest schools.

Overall, Leanderson coached collegiate rowing for 31 years, beginning as the freshmen coach for two years (1954-1955) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He returned to the West Coast and the UW to direct the freshmen and lightweights from 1956 to 1958, before taking over the head coaching duties for the Huskies from 1959 to 1967.

Leanderson becomes an oarsman

Rowing began for Leanderson in 1949, following graduation from Edmonds High School near Seattle. There he had been a three-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball and baseball. However, he decided to give rowing a try at the UW.

"It (rowing) looked like an interesting thing to do," Leanderson said in a 1992 Western Front (WWU school newspaper) story written by Rob Gwinn. "I guess it was following my senior year in high school that I developed a bug for rowing."

Leanderson, who had never seen a crew race before competing in one, was 6-foot-3 and very strong with large hands. The perfect physique to be a standout stroke in rowing.

The stroke is located in the seat closest to the coxswain and usually is the most competitive rower in the shell. Everyone else follows the stroke's timing, placing their oars in and out of the water at the same time. During the race, it is the stroke's responsibility to establish the crew's rate or number of strokes per minute and rhythm. Thus the stroke seat will usually be one of the most technically sound members of the boat.

Coaching the Huskies during Leanderson's athletic career at the UW was the legendary Al Ulbrickson, who directed the Husky program for 31 years (1927 to 1958), winning six national championships. One of his crews was the varsity 8 which won a gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, and later was featured in the book, "The Boys in the Boat," released in 2013.

National champion as freshman

In the fall of 1949, Leanderson was among 100-plus UW rowers who reported to the new Conibear Shellhouse. However, the docks had yet to be completed.

That winter is listed as the coldest on record in Seattle, and the blizzard of January 1950 is considered one of the major weather events of the 20th century in Washington State. The freshmen rowers, one of them Leanderson, had to lay a path of scrap lumber across the frozen marsh out to the lake so that they could get on the water.

In the annual Dual on the Esturary against California that spring, the Washington frosh 8, stroked by Leanderson, prevailed by open water.

That year the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championships were held on the Ohio River at Marietta, Ohio. Due to a torrential rainstorm on June 17, 1950, the Muskingum River, which entered the Ohio at the one-mile mark of the course, flooded. All of the events had to be shortened.

Over a course of approximately one and one-half miles, the Leanderson-stroked frosh eight rowed to a two-length win, completing an undefeated season. That helped the UW to a sweep at nationals, the fourth in school history, as the junior varsity 8 and varsity 8 also were victorious.

Medalist at Olympics

While being named the UW team captain as a senior was a huge honor for Leanderson, the highlight of his rowing career came a year earlier when he represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland.

It didn't look as though that would happen after the UW varsity 8 of which Leanderson was a member lost at the IRA that spring. But Ulbrickson, knowing his charges had no chance against national champion Navy, dismantled the boat, taking four of his elite upper class oarsmen - seniors Carl Lovsted, and Al Ulbrickson Jr., son of the coach; and juniors Dick Wahlstrom and Leanderson, added junior varsity coxswain Al Rossi, and entered them in the varsity 4 competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Ulbrickson's hand-picked boat won all of its races, including an open water victory in the final over runner-up Navy, and was off to Helsinki as the third crew ever to represent the UW at the Olympics.

Because of various communication breakdowns and misunderstandings, the Husky 4 got to Helsinki, only to find out that they had no coach. Although UW alum Stork Sanford did watch the team a couple of times, it was basically a self-coached crew that competed in those Olympics. Leanderson's boat easily won both preliminary heats.

In the final on July 23, 1952 the Washington shell covered the 2,000-meter course in 7:37.0, less than four seconds behind first-place Czecheslovakia (7:33.4) with Switzerland (7:36.5) the runner-up. The bronze medal winning Huskies finished ahead of Great Britain and Finland.

"Fil was very disappointed," said Lovsted in a video interview years later. "He didn't want to go to the awards ceremony because we hadn't won."

"He really worked so hard at it that he set an excellent example for those in the boats he rowed with," said his teammate Al Ulbrickson Jr. in a Seattle Times' story by Keith Ervin at the time of Leanderson's passing in November of 2006.

In that same piece, coxswain Al Rossi said of Leanderson, "He was a silent guy, humble, who never bragged about anything but just worked hard. I think his middle name was hard work."

"He was a fierce competitor, and it was that and his rowing ability that helped carry us in the Olympics."

Those five crew members remained friends for life, gathering every fall around the time of the Husky Homecoming for dinner.

Olympic memories

The Olympic Village in Helsinki was actually a new apartment complex, which was to be occupied by the Finnish people at the conclusion of the competition.

"Some of them were still living in bomb shelters in those days," recalled Leanderson in Gwinn's 1992 Western Front article.

The rowing events for that year's Olympics came during the first part of the Games, which left the rowers time to explore following their competition.

"I had a good chance to meet some of the crews from other countries," said Leanderson. "That was the first Olympiad that the Russians were in, and, of course, tensions were really high at that time. Relationships between the Russian team and the U.S. Naval Academy (which won the Gold medal in the eights), now that was interesting to see. They tried to make it work, but the relationships were strained."

"It was a very interesting experience," he continued. "Like in your opening ceremony, when all the teams from the different countries march into the stadium and your national anthem is played. It sends a few tingles and chills up and down your spine. You know that the United States is pretty important to you."

Leanderson felt his Olympic experience was his most rewarding as an athlete.

"I think everything that you do has its own reward, but that (the Olympics) is something that stands out. That group of five people, we've stayed together and we get together at least once a year. We were all from the Northwest area, in fact the four other guys live in the greater Seattle area.

We're a fairly tight-knit group, and I know more about those guys and have stayed closer to them than anybody else that I've rowed with."

But Leanderson's bronze medal was not displayed openly.

"It's tucked away someplace," he said many years later. "You know it's great to win a medal, but you're not satisfied if you don't have a gold. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but nevertheless you're not totally fulfilled unless you have the Gold. It wasn't very far away, but it was far enough away that we didn't get it."

Coaching the Huskies

Taking over for a legend is a tough task, and that is what faced Leanderson in 1959 when he was picked to direct UW's nationally recognized rowing program after Ulbrickson retired.

The high point of Leanderson's coaching tenure with the Huskies came in 1964 when they brought home the IRA all-points trophy.

After stepping down as coach at Washington in 1967, Leanderson continued to work as an administrator for the school in personnel and health services.

Moving to Bellingham

Leanderson came to Western to work in its personnel office on Feb. 5, 1971. He played a key role for the school in a number of capacities over the next 25 years, having titles that included personnel officer, director of labor relations, and retirement and insurance officer.

In 1969, F.M. "Red" Haskell had donated $10,000 to begin an intercollegiate men's rowing program at Western. Al Stocker coached the first two years, and Bob Diehl took the program to another level for the next six seasons.

Because of added responsibilities off the water, Diehl opted to leave the part-time position following the 1976 season. He asked Leanderson to head the program.

"I said sure let's do it for a year," recalled Leanderson in a 1992 school newspaper story. "And one year led to another year, and I've been doing it ever since."

"When Fil took over the program, everybody was really happy," said Diehl, who rowed for Leanderson at the UW. "It turned out to be the perfect place for him."

"My collegiate rowing for Fil at the UW shaped my future and built friendships that will last a lifetime," continued Diehl. "Western was a highlight in Fil's coaching career and our friendship."

A big part of the WWU rowing coach position was raising funds for the program, especially for equipment such as shells and oars. For instance, in January of 1979, a Row-A-Thon was held on a very frigid day that netted $10,200.

"We would solicit pledges from relatives and friends, but Fil was the one who knew the right people and raised most of the money," said Bob Putich, who rowed for Leanderson from 1978 to 1982 and is now Director of the Student Business Office at WWU.

"He pretty much ran his own show," said current WWU director of athletics Steve Card, who was an associate AD for business and financial affairs during the latter years of Leanderson's coaching tenure. "I remember him stopping by and handing me a pile of receipts every so often."

A family affair

Leanderson met his future wife, Jane, in an English class during their sophomore year at the UW. Married for 53 years, they had three daughters: Linda, Gretchen, and Paula.

With Leanderson's move from Seattle in 1971 to take a job at Western, one that eventually would include becoming one of the founding fathers of the school's rowing program, the Leandersons became the first family of Vikings' rowing.

And so on Apr. 15, 1989, during a pre-race ceremony at the first home regatta for Western in three years, it was only fitting that a newly commissioned eight-oared shell was christened with "Fil & Janie" inscribed on the starboard side of the bow and "Leanderson" on the port.

It was then, in a head-to-head matchup against Washington State, that the new $12,000 shell splashed into Western's home waters at Lake Samish for its first competition.

"It's kind of unusual," said Leanderson that day for a Bellingham Herald story written by John Sleeper. "Both Janie and I are very honored and surprised ... I'm proud to have our names on the boat."

That day, Western won two of three races in that shell, including both the men's and women's varsity 8 events.

"He really enjoyed his coaching role in the Western rowing program and working with both the newcomers as well as returning rowers," said daughter Linda. "Throughout the years, be it Western or UW, it was amazing and rewarding to see just how many oarsmen kept in touch with Dad. It meant so much to him when he would receive a card or letter in the mail expressing thoughts of thanks and gratitude for the time, effort and attention he had given them during their time with either program."

"Probably the biggest thing for the family at our father's memorial service was seeing how packed it was with rowers from Western and the UW," Linda continued. "It still gives us goosebumps thinking about it."

And it was truly a family affair each spring when Western would host its annual regatta on Lake Samish.

"He enjoyed getting all the schools together to race," said Linda. "I remember he would always find time to bring the oars home before the race and give them a fresh coat of white and blue paint."

The Leanderson named shell had an impressive run, exceeding its 20-year lifespan. In 2011, it was given to the Whatcom Rowing Association to start its community rowing program. To this day, the bow and stern, with names still attached, are part of yard art at a prominent Bellingham residence.

"He was an awesome dad and grandfather," said daughter Gretchen. "He was kind, loving, a great listener and always non-judgmental. He had a strong work ethic that he passed along to each of his daughters. Dad also had an infectious smile, that came across the phone every time one of his daughters would call. He had a way of always brightening your day."

Gretchen, who is now a Superior Court Judge for Pierce County, married Jim Schacht, who rowed for Pacific Lutheran University from 1979 to 1983. He knew Fil as a rival coach long before he met Gretchen.

Gretchen related how she met her husband.

"I stopped one day at the University of Puget Sound law school library to talk with a classmate wearing a PLU sweatshirt. Crew is a bond. The rest is history!"

As Vikings' coach -- Quiet, fierce competitor

Leanderson had a way of inspiring and motivating his athletes at Western. Quiet and even-tempered, he could get his point across with just a look or minimal words.

"Fil had what you'd call a command presence," said Putich. "He was a big man anyway and large in stature. But it takes more than that. He had it because of his demeanor, his knowledge and he could express things with his eyes.

"You would know if you disappointed him long before you got close enough to have words by how he held his head, how he stood ... And that's a really, really powerful trait to have."

"He definitely had that look," agreed Fuchs, who rowed (1985 to 1988) and served as an assistant coach (1989 to 1992) for Leanderson and is now beginning his 20th year as the head WWU women's coach, winning eight NCAA Division II national titles during that stretch. "If he looked at you with a certain facial expression, you knew that you were in deep trouble. He didn't have to say anything."

And there was no mistaking that Leanderson was a fierce competitor. That was very evident one season when the heavyweight boat was not performing up to expectations and set the stage for what one coxswain called the "Emptying of the shell house."

Following a particularly poor showing by the heavyweights in practice, Fuchs remembers Leanderson storming out of the boathouse and throwing a spare oar and a megaphone among numerous other things.

"The lightweights were beating the heavyweights and he did not like that one bit," Fuchs said. "He yelled at them, but never cussed at them. He didn't say much. I learned that from him, to use you words carefully."

Leanderson had a way of making a point without being confrontational, according to Putich.

"We would work all week to develop all that physical strength and mental determination, go out and race on Saturday and then we would destroy it all that night (by partying) ... Fil knew all that, so Monday was hell. And the reason he made it hell was to teach you not to do that. He would never say, `Don't go and ruin everything you've worked for all week.' But he wanted you to learn that it's going to be hell on Monday morning because of the choices you make on Saturday. So, he totally got it, he totally drove it home and he wouldn't have to say a word."

Putich related another story about Leanderson's coaching style and how he worked to get his athletes to think for themselves.

"One morning we took off and there was a horrible fog. Usually we would go for a run in that kind of weather, but we were getting ready for a race and we needed the work. Our boat went out, and we could hear voices off in the distance. We rowed slowly toward the voices and what we found was that one of the eights had gone off course and ended up in the swimming area by the log boom near the bridge at Lake Samish. Well the boats are paper thin, so a log boom could poke a hole through the hull of a boat. They had somehow hit the log and gone into the swimming area. So here were these eight guys silhouetted in the swimming hole."

"We heard a launch pull up, it's Fil, and he shuts the engine off. He takes a puff on his cigarette and tosses it into the water, and you can hear the poof as it hits, that's how quiet it is. And after a long pause, he says, `Not going to get much rowing done in there,' and hits the gas and leaves them there."

"And that's what he did. That's how he taught you to think on your own. He wasn't going to tell you how to get out of the situation. No, you are going to think on your own on how you are going to get out. You can't go back over the log and risk putting a hole in the boat. So, all eight of them jumped into the lake, lifted the boat over the log, and then climbed back into the boat and got to the starting line."

But above all, Leanderson possessed a wonderful heart.

"I remember one year that we had a really good lightweight boat and were preparing for the Cascade Sprints," said Fuchs, "and he (Leanderson) goes, `Why don't we race the UW too. "So, we went and spent Friday night before the regatta in Seattle. Fil drove down Saturday morning. We borrowed a boat from the UW and used our oars and we were on the water at 5:30 a.m."

"It was just getting light, just us and the UW, mano a mano down the (Montlake) cut. They beat us by four seats. It was a really good race. Then we all jumped into the car and went down to Tacoma and raced again. It was cool that he let us, that he did that for us. That's one of the experiences I'll always remember, racing at the Cut with no one watching. That was cool."

Always under control

Leanderson was calm and cool, no matter the situation.

"We were bringing the shells back from Vallejo, Calif.," remembered Putich. "Fil always used his own vehicle, a Ford Ranchero, to pull the trailer. It was rigged so that it could do that. It wasn't the optimum formula for transporting a trailer full of shells, but he insisted on it being his car and not a truck.

"So, we're on I-5 (near Seattle) on a raised portion of the freeway, and the road is frozen and a sheet of ice. As we're driving along and it's snowing like crazy, the car and trailer start to do this jackknifing thing. Fil has this stub of a cigarette in his mouth, and with one hand wrapped around the steering wheel, he pulls the cigarette out of his mouth with the other, and says, `She wants to dance around a bit, doesn't she,' puts the cigarette back in his mouth and keeps driving. I've got white knuckles, I'm looking for an escape route and he's like calm as could be. And that's how he was."

Old school

The idea of women rowing collegiately was new to Leanderson, who began rowing over 20 years before Title IX came into existence. While he didn't welcome the change at first, he came to accept it. It was much the same way he viewed the difference between the men's heavyweight 8 and the lightweight 8. The lightweights were never referred to as varsity.

Some would call it "old school," but that was Fil.

"I remember that his wife Janie was not allowed to call the boathouse," said Paulette Bergh, who coached the Viking women from 1989 to 1993 and became a family friend. She was the coach who described Leanderson as being larger than life.

"One time I was tying down a boat (to the trailer for transportation) and I felt this huge presence watching me over my shoulder," said Bergh. "After I was finished, he checked out the boat. About that time, someone asked him how to tie down a boat. He said, `Have Paulette show you.' I knew at that moment that I had arrived."

"On another occasion we had a great race versus Washington State and we (women) ended up winning the varsity eight race in a tight battle. He came up to me afterwards and said, "Your ladies really like to race.' He saw that they were not afraid of pain."

"He was always a gentleman. He would never say anything unbecoming. He always treated people with respect."

And there were occasions when "old school" could save the day.

"One time I was traveling with him east of mountains and the weather was getting pretty bad," recalled Putich. "And he says, `When we get to the hotel, there's some wood in the back of the trailer, bring that wood into the room.' ... And I bring in the wood and he says we're going to make widgets, at least that's what he called them, and he told me how many we needed and we stayed up until three in the morning finishing them."

"They were shims, little pieces of square wood, and we would drill a hole through the middle of each one. They went under the lower mount of the rigor, to raise the rigors to pop off the water, so that when you are rowing the oar is up out of the water a little bit because he knew that there would be white cap waves during the race and that would give us an advantage. Nowadays, they are all adjustable because the technology has changed. But that knowledge made a big difference on race day."

Bottom line, special man

"He loved developing people, and you could see it," said Putich of Leanderson. "Everyone who has been through the program with him, when you talk to them, that's one of biggest parts - Fil. Yeah we all liked rowing, we liked being all in it together, but it was how Fil created the experience that made it special. So, all the people who went through the program when he was coach, they all took something special away from it because of Fil."

Written by Paul Madison who served 48 years as sports information director at WWU from 1966 to 2015.