Bob Ernst is a former

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

coach. He served as both the men's and women's rowing coach at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

during a 42-year association with the school. He was a four-time coach of U.S. Olympic women's rowing teams, from 1976 to 1988.

Early life and college

Ernst graduated from

Costa Mesa High School Costa Mesa High School/Middle School is a public secondary school serving grades 7 through 12 in Costa Mesa, California. It is part of the Newport Mesa Unified School District. Campus In 2009, the Newport-Mesa Board of Education approved pl ...

in 1963. He then attended

Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, cert ...

where he was active in sports, playing center on the 1963 national champion junior college football team as well as the swimming and water polo. He then transferred to

UC Irvine UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** '' University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the ti ...

, where he again competed in both swimming and water polo, while adding rowing – becoming captain as a senior. Ernst graduated from UC Irvine in 1967. He would go on to earn a master's degree in sports administration from the University of Washington in 1979.

Coaching

College

Ernst began his coaching career in rowing at

. A near-upset of Washington in 1974 led to a job coaching the Washington freshman team, a role which held from 1974 to 1980. Ernst was then promoted to head the Washington women's team from 1980 to 1987. After the retirement of Dick Erickson, he led the Washington men's team from 1987 to 2007, capturing national championships in 1997 and 2007. The following season, Ernst returned to lead the women's team, a role he held from 2007 to 2015.

Olympics

Enrst is a four-time coach of the U.S. women's Olympic team. He led the women's double in 1976, women's sculls in 1980, and the women's eight in both 1984 and 1988. His 1980 team did not compete in the Olympics due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and its allies later ...

, while the 1984 team won the gold medal.

Awards

Ernst was an eleven-time Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year, Women's Coach of the Year in 1987 and Men's Coach of the Year in 1990–1993, 1995–1997, 2003, 2004, and 2007. He was inducted into UC Irvine's athletic Hall of Fame in 1984, the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Hall of Fame in 2015.

Personal life

Ernst is married with two children.

References

External links

Washington profile
Washington Huskies men's rowing coaches Washington Huskies women's rowing coaches {{US-rowing-bio-stub