Forgotten Greatest of Husky Men's Rowing

He was a graduate of Broadway High School in Seattle, and a coxswain of the 1917 Husky Crew. After being a flying instructor during WW1, he became an assistant coach of the Husky Crew until 1923, the year of the first boat that was inducted into the Husky Hall of fame. While his Husky credentials were not mentioned in the movie (unlike the book), "The Boys in the Boat," he was a major supporting character in it and, what's more, donated the critical final money needed to send the Husky crew to Berlin.

The book of the same name gives him a nod, noting that George Pocock (a hall of fame member), recommended him as a head coach. George's recommendation was on the mark, considering he went on to become the only man to coach THREE Olympic gold medal-winning eight-oared crews, including the 1948 winner  The 1948 crew from the UW is in the Husky hall of fame while HIS crew is in the NATIONAL rowing hall of fame. In 1948, his crew beat Britain on the Henley by ten seconds.

In addition, this man coached six IRA National Title Championships. Amazingly, he was also present as an assistant Husky coach when the UW changed its mascot from "Sun Dodgers" to "Huskies" in 1922. Why was he not a Husky Hall of Fame member? Well, in 1923, he became the coach of the University of California at Berkeley Golden Bears at the recommendation of George Pocock and upon the assurance of the alumni that he could have his old job back if it didn't work out well. The alumni were afraid that if Cal's crew folded, that the Huskies would have no West Coast competition to row against.

During the time period of the movie, two of his rowers included Robert McNamara and Gregory Peck. Upon his passing, Gregory Peck donated $25,000 to the rowing crew in his honor. His name? Ky Ebright, the forgotten greatest of Husky Men's Rowing.

Ky Ebright, from Wikipedia