Legler ends 40-plus year career at Tufts

LEGLER continued from page 44 said. “What happened was Tufts got harder and harder to get into; it became equivalent to the Ivy Leagues. At the same time, the Ivy Leagues started recruiting, and there’s your win style.”

The Ivy Leagues also have the capability to offer scholarships to students, a significant advantage in the recruit - ing process. As such, Tufts has stayed within the top sailing schools in the country over the past years but hasn’t won any dinghy national championships since 2003. It is still an appealing place to sail, simply because of the acclaimed history that encompasses its coaching staff. Legler has coached 92 All-American sailors throughout his career.

Legler’s recruiting strategy is simple; he looks for pure skill and students who are eager to sail as often as possible.

“If they [train] through winter sailing in their local frostbite fleet, they don’t have to go to the big championship in California just to prove they can sail in a big fleet,” Legler said.

His motto does not change much in the coaching realm once those students reach Tufts, emphasizing having fun along with striving to get the best results.

“They have to be able to keep up with academics, keep up with sailing and also keep up with just enjoying life,” Legler said. “And if they can pull off all of those three things, they’re doing great.”

As he transitions away from coaching, he will look to finally take some time for himself and enjoy sailing away from competition. Without the pressures of coaching, a lot more time opens up for personal enjoyment of the sport as well as making an impact on the literature side of things. He hopes to publish a book on sailing in the next year.

“It’s going to be called ‘College Sailing and Other Short Course Racing.’ And I don’t know if I’ll finish it in ’24, but I hope to finish it in ’24,” Legler said.

He will sail in his free time away from coaching, still holding onto the passion that has guided the majority of his life.

“I’m still sailing whenever I can,” Legler said. “I sail all winter in Boston Harbor and in the summer. And starting next year, I’ll be sailing in the fall and spring too.”

The Tufts sailing team is ranked just outside of the top 15 in the country in open rankings and No. 14 in the women’s rankings. Both the women’s and coed squads received bids to nationals, which begin on May 23. No matter how the team finishes, however, Legler has a different measure of achievement as he leaves Tufts.

“I like to think that I’m going to leave behind a team that sails for fun and enjoyment by being successful.”