Background
He was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Alderwood Manor, and graduated from Edmonds High School.
He was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Alderwood Manor, and graduated from Edmonds High School.
In 1952, he was the stroke of the American boat in the Olympic Four with coxwain event. He went on to coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later left Massachusetts Institute of Technology to coach the freshman crew team at the University of Washington, where he took over as head coach from 1959 to 1967. He also coached rowing at Western Washington University from 1977 to 1993.
Leanderson was inducted into the Western Washington University Hall of Fame in 1998 and the University of Washington Hall of Fame in 2002.
He died in Kirkland, Washington. He is interred at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park.