Ulen Marks 25th Year of Coaching

Harold S. "Hal" Ulon will celebrate his 25th year of varsity coaching at Harvard tonight as his swimmers open their 1954 campaign.

During this quarter century he has compiled a record of 142 wins and 32 losses in Ivy League competition, and eleven of his swimmers have become national collegiate or intercollegiate champions.

One of his most memorable wins took place in 1937 against Yale, which had been undefeated for 13 years. Regarding his 1937 squad, he said: "They made up their minds in their sophomore year that Harvard and no none else was going to break Yale's string of 163 victories, and they did it."

In league competition, Ulen's teams captured first place for the first two years, 1937 and 1938, without suffering a defeat. He says that the 1937-38 team, the one that defeated Yale, was his greatest--the next best being last year's team which finished second in the league, losing only one meet.

Ulen himself is quite, unassuming, and very well-liked by his team. He considers himself fortunate to be connected with Harvard and considers himself a teacher rather and a coach. with this, Captain Charley Egan agrees: "There is no question about Hal being a great coach, but more important is the fact that he is a great teacher and a friend to every boy who has over had the good fortune to know him."

The Crimson coach says it's a great deal of fun to watch boys win at their favorite sport, "but all of that seems to be the least important of my memories." Watching the growth of a boy over a four-year period, not only physically, but more important--Intellectually--is his greatest pleasure.

All boys have a challenging curiosity" said Ulen, "for instance the average freshman is very much a liberal, even a trifle to the Left. This viewpoint broadens out so that when he is a senior he has a much more conservative idea of life."

And Ulen ought to know, for he began his coaching with the Cleveland Athletic Club, back in 1917. From there he moved to Syracuse university where he coached for 12 years. He came to the College in 1929, the year the Indoor Athletic. Building was built.

Plaque in Office

In the Blockhouse swimming pool office hangs a plaque presented to him in 1940 by the College Coaches Association of America, commemorating 25 years of college coaching. In 1949 he received a "Major H" from the University.

Although he is reluctant to name an "all-time" swimmer over his 25 years here, he says Don Mulvey, on this year's team, is one of the best. Ulen points out that Mulvey has made the All-American swimming team for two years; this year he is the only swimmer on that team to be selected for three berths: the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke, and medley relay.

In the days before Mulvey, the Crimson coach developed such National and intercollegiate champions at the college as Charley Hutter and Forbes Norris. Jr., both members of the American Olympic swimming teams.

And these men and the other hundreds of swimmers, who have had the experience of working with Ulen in the past 25 years, will never forget him.