Julian Wolf - UCLA oarsman, coach, rowing referee, supporter of rowing.

Excerpts from commemoration of the life of Julian Wolf on the National Rowing Federation site [URL: https://natrowing.org/julian-wolf-rowing-referee-and-icon-of-the-sport-by-usrowing/]:

“There are some people that have made our sport better because of their involvement,” said USRowing Chief Executive Officer Glenn Merry. “Julian Wolf was one of those people. “I was fortunate to know Julian, perhaps not as well as many in the sport, but I benefited from my conversations with him. He was a true gentleman and innovative thinker. Every regatta, every competitor, can be thankful for his leadership and role in creating a nationalized referee education program and the invention of the referee college. But that wasn’t the only aspect of the sport he lifted,” Merry said. “He founded programs, he led teams and he brought people together under one sport of rowing. Julian will be missed.”

“Nationally, Julian recognized that local regionalization was hindering the growth of the sport, and the best way to overcome this obstacle was to interpret and enforce the rules universally. He began a nationwide mentorship program for referees and using his own resources, established the USRowing Referee College. Every current athlete, coach or referee has somehow benefited from his presence in the sport. While we can all appreciate his contribution to the rowing community, I also had the privilege of knowing him personally. Away from the water, he also stood tall,” 2009 Wolf Award recipient, Bob Scurria wrote.

Wolf was passionate about women participating in the sport. So he championed the cause and offered his support to the National Women’s Rowing Association and continued his support when USRowing was formed.

 And he believed that referees needed a place where they could share ideas and train new officials and that rowing would be better if rules were enforced universally. So he established the USRowing Referee College that today bears his name – the Julian Wolf National Referee Training School, which operates in different cities around the country each year.

“One of the earliest proponents of a comprehensive training program for referees, Julian was a mentor and friend to many referees throughout the country. His dedication, humor, and warmth will be greatly missed and fondly remembered,” according to John Wik.

USRowing recognizes referees for their commitment to the sport with four awards annually. The Julian Wolf Award is one of those four and was first presented in 1986. The Julian Wolf Award pays tribute to the one rowing official in the USA that stood apart from the rest in his/her contribution to rowing in the past year. It is based upon one, several, or all of the following: outstanding performance, dedication, heroic acts, or outstanding contributions to officiating. The winner is selected by five past Wolf award winners.

In a 1998 article Wolf is quoted about a memento he received from his 1949 USC crew, “The [trophy] I’m most proud of is one the crew gave me the first year for being their coach. It looks like a little oarsman. That’s the most important one. The rest is just hardware.” Linda Whitmore, “USC Rowing Team Started Because of UCLA’s Generosity”, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jun 1998, web [URL: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-19-sp-61644-story.html].