George Lewis AHLGREN

While at Cal/Berkeley, George Ahlgren rowed all four years. In 1948 the Berkeley eight-oared crew lost twice to the team from the University of Washington, once in the finals of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) regatta. However, in the semi-finals of the Olympic Trials, they heaped revenge on the crew from Seattle and went on to defeat a Harvard eight in the finals, thereby earning an Olympic berth and, eventually, a gold medal. In Ahlgren’s last two years in school, Cal had a bit more success with Washington, defeating them at the 1949 IRAs, but Washington again won that title in 1950, with Cal second. After college, George Ahlgren joined the U.S. Air Force but was killed shortly thereafter in a plane crash in Arizona.