Carroll M. "Ky" Ebright (March 20, 1894 – November 25, 1979)[1] was a revered coach for the University of California, Berkeley crew.
Ebright was an only child,[2] born in Chicago, Illinois,[2] to Frank Randall Ebright (1862–1959) and Charlotte M. Bassage Ebright (1866–1959).[1] He attended Broadway High School in Seattle, Washington.[2]
While attending college at the University of Washington, Ebright was a coxswain, lettering there in 1916 and 1917.
During World War I he was a flying instructor.[2]
Ebright remained at the University of Washington after graduating and was an assistant coach there through the 1923 season. In the fall of 1923, he became the head coach for the rowing team at Berkeley.[3] Ebright took the job only after he was assured that his job at Washington would be waiting for him if things did not work well.[3]
Ebright is the only man to have coached three Olympic gold medal-winning eight-oared boats. He coached the Cal Men's crew from 1924 through 1959.[4]
During his tenure, the Cal Bears men's varsity 8 (8+) won the following events:
Olympics
IRA Championships – National Title
In 1956, Ebright was inducted into the United States Rowing Hall of Fame. In addition, four of his varsity boats have been inducted:
According to friend and interviewer Arthur Arlett, Ebright was small of stature (befitting a coxswain) and was affectionately nicknamed "The Little Admiral".[2] He married Kathryn Doty Gruber Ebright (1907–2001);[5] their families were friendly and were neighbors.[2] They had two children,[2] a son Malcolm and a daughter Margaret.[5]
On November 25, 1979, Ebright died in Berkeley, California at the age of 85. In 1996, Gregory Peck, one of Ebright's former students, donated $25,000 to the rowing crew in honor of his coach.[6]
