Charlie “Doc” Ulrichs graduated from Norwich High School in 1945. In his senior year, he was captain of both football and basketball, only the second in Norwich’s history to be so honored. In those days, captains were chosen by their teammates, and co-captains were a rarity. Ulrichs also lettered in baseball, starting at third base, but it was as a football player that he was most renowned.
Just as Glenn Manning was called “Tommy” after his father, Charlie’s nickname came from his father, Dr. Frank Ulrichs, who was a dentist. “Doc” Ulrichs was the epitome of the All-American Boy: handsome, smart, humble, and athletically talented. Many younger Norwich kids (alas, now old) remember him from the Cortland Street swimming pool or the old Y Camp, where he served as head life guard and head counselor respectively, and where he set an example for many to emulate. He and his younger brother, “Inky,” were excellent divers, and put on exhibitions, doing “1 1/2 gainers” into the dammed-up Canasawacta Creek.
The football teams of 1943 and 1944 had a combined record of 13 and 2, each losing only its last game. The ’43 team, captained by John Kelly, who was injured for most of the season, won seven games before losing to The Manlius School, 7-6. Despite the last-minute loss, Norwich was named the Southern Tier champion as a result of its win the previous week over unbeaten Johnson City. In that game, Charlie Ulrichs played a major role scoring half of the Norwich points in a 28-14 triumph. For the season, Norwich scored 186 points against 34 for the opposition.
On a team loaded with senior stars such as Kelly, Hal McNitt, Bob Crittenden, Dick VanDeusen, John Pierson, Dick Carnrike, Bob Conron, and Bill Crawley, junior halfback Charlie Ulrichs was the leading ground gainer, carrying the ball over 100 times and scoring an average of more than a touchdown a game. He and his quarterback, “Percy” Crittenden, were chosen on two Southern Tier all-opponent teams. At the season-ending banquet, which featured the presentation of gold footballs obtained through public donations and the ultimate emblem of the day for a championship team, it was announced that Doc Ulrichs had been elected captain of the 1944 team.
With so many veterans lost to graduation, prospects for 1944 were not bright. Ulrichs moved to the quarterback position, and passing and punting were added to his duties. Several reserves from the prior year moved up to starting positions, and under Ulrichs’ leadership, the ’44 team won its first six games, beating Vestal, Rome, Oxford, Binghamton Central, Oneonta, and Utica Free Academy.
The final game against Johnson City was a disaster. In its first six games, Norwich had permitted the opposition to score a combined total of 28 points. Johnson City scored 39.
The week before, Utica had been considered the chief obstacle standing in the way of an undefeated season for Norwich. But the Purple were up to the challenge, with Ulrichs scoring three touchdowns, the last on a run described by Norwich Sun Sports Editor Perry Browne as “…a brilliant display of ball carrying. No less than three potential tacklers wrapped their arms around Ulrichs but his aggressiveness forced each of them to slide earthward… .” Norwich won, 27-7. That success, so arduously and enthusiastically prepared for, apparently caused Norwich to let down, lose its focus, and forfeit an undefeated season for the second straight year, as Johnson City, which had lost its last three games, blew them out 39-12.
