Carl Farnum Ullrich (born June 23, 1928 - May 9, 2023) was a former American college rowing coach and athletics administrator who served as the first civilian

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, from 1980 to 1990.

Early life and education

Ullrich was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey in 1928 and grew up on

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

. He attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree in 1950. While at Cornell, he joined Sigma Chi fraternity and was a member of the 1949 national champion lightweight crew team, serving as captain in 1950. He also was a member of the

Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key at Yale University. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated t ...

society. After graduation he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, and served as an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

officer during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Coaching career

Ullrich returned to Cornell as the freshman crew coach in 1955, before taking over the varsity team at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1960. After a stint as head coach at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, Ullrich took over the boathouse at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1968, where he served as head coach and assistant athletic director for over a decade.

Administrative career

Ullrich arrived at West Point in 1980, making his mark on the

Army football The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play home ga ...

program two years later with the hiring of head coach

Jim Young James Norman Young (born June 6, 1943) is a former professional American football and Canadian football player. Young played running back and wide receiver for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings for two seasons (1965–66), and the CFL's BC Lions f ...

. Under Young's wishbone system, the Black Knights returned to relevance, turning in six winning seasons, capturing the

Commander-In-Chief's Trophy The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the American college football series among the teams of the U.S. Military Academy ( Army Black Knights), the U.S. Naval Academy ( Navy Midshipmen), and the U.S. Air Force ...

three times, and reaching the first three bowls in Army football history. During this time Ullrich served as President of the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and N ...

and on the executive committee of the

National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) is a professional organization for college and university athletic directors in the United States. NACDA boasts a membership of more than 6,100 individuals and more than 1,600 ins ...

. From his post at West Point, Ullrich transitioned to become the first Executive Director of the

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...

. Under his leadership the conference expanded its offerings from football to a full slate of 22 intercollegiate sports. After retiring to North Carolina, he served two separate stints as athletic director for St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

Awards and honors

Ullrich has been inducted into the athletic Hall of Fame for West Point, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Eastern College Athletic Conference and

, respectively, honored as a "Significant Sig" by Sigma Chi fraternity, and received the ECAC's

James Lynah James Lynah (1881 – February 24, 1956) was an American businessman and sports administrator who is considered the principal founder of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Lynah Rink is named in his honor. Early years Born in Charl ...

Award for distinguished achievement.

References

External links

Carl Ullrich Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ullrich, Carl F. 1928 births Living people Army Black Knights athletic directors Boston University Terriers rowing coaches Columbia Lions rowing coaches Cornell Big Red rowers Cornell Big Red rowing coaches Navy Midshipmen rowing coaches Western Michigan Broncos athletic directors United States Marine Corps officers People from Ridgewood, New Jersey United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from New Jersey