Don R. Sprinkle

Rainier Beach/Seattle Ramblers - Coach

First Northwest Coach to win 100 Semi-Pro Games *

* 102 wins with Seattle Ramblers, 43 wins with Queen Anne Kuays under-21 team

A varsity fullback for the Queen Anne High Grizzlies in 1931, 1932 & 1934, Don dropped out of high school during the 1933-34 year in order to work full time and help increase the family income during the Great Depression.  He also delivered papers for the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer to help make ends meet.  Suffering a knee injury in 1934, Don would be hampered by knee injuries throughout his playing career.  These same knee injuries would make him unacceptable to the armed forces during World War II.

In 1935, through the efforts of Dr. Harry Moore, Don received a football scholarship to the University of Oregon where he played football on the Freshman team, but was forced to quit in order to return home and work.  Being extremely devoted to his family, Don later quit the University of Puget Sound in order to earn an income for his struggling family.  While working for the Seattle Gas Company in the late 1930's, Don played semi-pro ball for The Ranch Mustangs (1937) running behind fellow future Hall of Famer Elmo Hudgens, before joining the Renton Rams (1938-1940) of the Northwest League.  Sprinkle would appear with the Bremerton Red Raiders at fullback in 1941 as well.  Knee injuries ended his playing days early, but his love of the the game shifted his focus to coaching.

As a volunteer coach in 1940, Sprinkle began with the Queen Anne Frosh-Soph team and continued on through 1942.  That would be the same year Don began as a reserve deputy with the King County Sherriff's Department.  While on his honeymoon with new wife Audrey (VandeKant), Don was informed he would become a regular deputy.  He would eventually join the Seattle Police Department where he served until 1955.  It was during this time the King County Sheriff's Department, dealing with a sharp increase in youth violence, truancy, vandalism and teen arrests, began the Associated Boys' Club Programs, a precursor to the Boys and Girls Clubs.  On September 10, 1943 the first "A.B.C" football team was organizaed in the Greenwood District of Seattle made up of young boys aged 14-21 ineligible for high school football, not attending high school, or working part time and unable to compete for the scholastic teams.  The goal was to give the kids something to do to stay out of trouble.  The program worked and by 1944, had grown to over 15 clubs in numerous sports and activities to keep the kids busy and out of trouble.

Don Sprinkle would be one of the department officers jumping into the coaching ranks.  As a coach, Don's Queen Anne Boys Club Football Team won 3 championships, a co-championship in 1948 and finished 2nd in 1946 during a five year span from 1944 - 1948.  His teams were a combined 43-3-1.  His final Boys Club loss came against the Elmo Hudgens-led Lake City Club in 1948.  The future Seattle Rambler and Seattle Cavalier bosses would share A.B.C. honors as co-champions.

In 1948 he took over head coaching duties of the Rainier Beach Athletic Club Ramblers.  During the 1948 season he held practices for Queen Anne on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, while Rainier Beach practices would be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings.  On Sunday during game day, he coached Queen Anne during the 1st half, then, leaving the team in the hands of associate coach Jack Telling to manage the second half, rushed to the kickoff of the Rambler game several miles away.  When 1948 ended, the Sprinkle-led teams finished a combined 17-1-1, Co-Champions of the  under-21 Associated Boys Club League (Queen Anne shared with Lake City) and the Ramblers tied with Issaquah in the 175-lb Northwest Championship game, winning the title having defeated the Alpines 14-0 earlier in league play.

The Don R. Sprinkle Football Scholarship was established by January 1964 and in February Cleveland High School's 3-sport athlete Jerry Bailey became the first recipient of the scholarship. 

In 1950 the Rainier Beach Athletic Club became the Seattle Ramblers and embarked on a historic run through semi-professional history accumulating a 108-46-3 record including 4 undefeated seasons and claiming ten championships.  The team would play the 1963 and 1964 seasons without their beloved coach.  Missing Don and the emergence of the Edmonds Warriors who took many former Rambler players, the team just couldn't compete in the changing semi-pro scene and the final game would be played at Portland.  The Ramblers lost their final game of a 2-9 season and drifted off into history.  Over the course of his Seattle Rambler coaching career, Sprinkle was the first to win 100 games and today remains one of only six Northwest coaches with over 100 coaching victories.

In 1952 Don was voted the Charles E. Sullivan Award by the Puget Sound Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association for distinguished service to Northwest athletics over a period of years.

From 1955 until January 1963, Don was the Undersheriff of King County.  He graduated from the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA in 1956 and was elected Sheriff of King County in 1962, serving from January 1963 until his untimely death in August of 1963.  He was 47.  The Ramblers continued on briefly, however Sprinkle was the engine that made the franchise go.  The original Seattle Ramblers closed down after the 1964 season.  The name would be used once more when Lafa Lane purchased the Edmonds Warriors and played the 1966 season as the Seattle Ramblers before changing to the Seattle Rangers in 1967.  Richard Fleck would pay tribute to the Sprinkle-led Ramblers in 1966 as well changing the Snohomish County Rough Riders to the Snohomish County Ramblers, maintaining the moniker until 1978.

Don Sprinkle was as dedicated to athletics as they come.  Family, Community and Football, Coach Sprinkle touched innumerable lives during his short life.

Coaching Accomplishments

First Northwest Coach to Win 100 "Semi-Pro Games" (1948-1962)

1944 Seattle Associate Boys Club Champions (Queen Anne Kuays)

1945 Seattle Associate Boys Club Champions (Queen Anne Kuays)

1947 Seattle Associate Boys Club Champions (Queen Anne Kuays)

1948 Seattle Associate Boys Club Co-Champions (Queen Anne Kuays)

1948 Northwest 175lb League Champions (Rainier Beach Athletic Club Ramblers)

1949 Northwest 175lb League Champions (Rainier Beach Athletic Club Ramblers)

1951 Northwest Independent Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1952 Northwest Independent Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1953-Co-Northwest Independent Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1957 North Pacific League Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1958 North Pacific League Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1959 North Pacific League Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1960 North Pacific League Champions (Seattle Ramblers)

1961 North Pacific League Champions (Seattle Ramblers)