Few people have the ability to seamlessly make the jump between competitive sports and the business world. Bob Whitford is one of those people.

Whitford, the facilities manager at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, has instilled knowledge in others they will use for the rest of their lives.

Whitford has taken 25-plus years experience in water sports and applied it to the everyday workings of the Aquatic Center, located in Rancho Cordova at Lake Natoma.

Whitford first joined the university in 1988 as head coach for the men’s and women’s club rowing teams. In the summer of 1995, Whitford was appointed as facilities manager for the Aquatic Center where his work in the water and boating industry has proven invaluable.

Whitford’s developed his boating knowledge at a young age in his hometown of Newport Beach, Calif. His first experiences with water sports came when he was in grade school helping out at Orange Coast College. That experience came as the coxswain, the person who steers the boat and calls out the stroke cadence for the rowers.

After helping the Orange Coast College rowing team, he then became a rower himself for the Newport High School rowing team. Whitford took his desire for rowing to every school he helped out as a young boy.

After spending two years at Orange Coast College, he then transferred to UC Berkeley and continued to row. He then moved up to coaching at the collegiate level. One of his coaching positions was at Stanford from 1980-84.

Aquatic Center Director Brian Dulgar said he was in awe of how much water and boating knowledge Whitford possesses.

“He has enough broad knowledge that it could kick a tin can around for a few days,” Brian Dulgar said.

Whitford also coached at Newport School Boys rowing team in the 1970s, Long Beach State from 1978-80, Santa Clara University from 1987-88 and finally the men’s and women’s club rowing teams at Sac State from 1988-94.

Whitford has even had the opportunity to coach at the national level as well. He was the head coach for two different U.S. national teams in the 1980s. In 1986 he was the national head coach for the single scull event and in 1987 as the double scull head coach.

The scull is a one-to-four-person boat propelled by large oars through the water with a front-to-back pulling motion.

Cindi Dulgar, youth programs director and operations manager, said the knowledge Whitford has given to so many of those individuals over the years has made each person better.

“He has lived a lifetime of lessons,” she said. “If he shared just a portion of that knowledge, they will be better off if they have not ever met him.”

The Aquatic Center employs approximately 20 people year-round and a handful of those employees are Sac State students. Each person will have his or her own unique experience working with Whitford.

He has taught each person the ins and outs of facilities maintenance and boating repair. Brian Dulgar said Whitford is more than a teacher.

“Bob is a mentor to the many student employees that come through the center,” he said. “He is teaching the students how to refurbish a patio boat, something they may not have attempted on their own.”

Whitford’s understanding of facilities management and what it takes to house expensive rowing equipment helped him in the design of the Aquatic Center. The state Department of Boating and Waterways granted $6 million to begin the center’s renovation process in 2003.

During the process, Whitford helped to design each building that now sits on the property. Over a three-year period, each building was constructed in phases. As one building came down, another was built in its place. This kept the Aquatic Center operational. Brian Dulgar said it could not be done without Whitford.

“Everything we have at the Aquatic Center is built to maximize the dollar and minimize waste,” Whitford said. “All of our buildings were built in a sustainable way.”

The Aquatic Center’s focus is on community and student development around the water. Whitford is a humble person and did not want that fact to be lost in the process.

But for those who work with Whitford, the attention is in the right place.

“We are all a team; we all have equal value,” Brain Dulgar said. “We couldn’t do what we do without him.”

Matt Harrington can be reached at [email protected]