History

Prologue
Situated along the riparian banks of the Schuylkill River below the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Waterworks, and nestled at the foot of Lemon Hill along Kelly Drive, are the boat clubs of the Schuylkill Navy, familiarly known as "Boathouse Row." Philadelphia and rowing have been inextricably linked for more than a century and a half. This unique relationship of a city to its river and Boathouse Row has produced a saga of unequaled world and national championships.

The Historical Background
England's King Charles II gave a grant of 45,000 square miles in the New World to William Penn to pay off loans made by Penn's father to the king. Penn called the grant Pennsylvania, which was occupied by Lenape Indians and trading posts run by the Dutch, Swedes and Finns. He sold land parcels to Quakers and other dissenters in a brilliant marketing plan, promising them religious freedom. In 1681, in an area covered by the "Governor's Woods," Penn chartered the "greene Country Towne" and called it Philadelphia.

This location was the closest in Pennsylvania to the ocean and had abundant water power at the fall line, a border between the granite hills of the Piedmont plateau and the sandy coastal plains. As shown on the early Scull and Heap map of 1752, a grid plan was adopted between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, with lots sufficiently large to prevent the spread of fire.

The Schuylkill River
This name is Dutch for "hidden river," an appropriate description of the river in early times. The Schuylkill River was used as a highway to the interior of the state, as well as a location to swim, fish, ice skate and perform occasional baptisms, while singing "The Schuylkill Hymn": "Jesus Master O discover, Pleasure in us, now we stand, On the bank of Schuylkill River, to obey thy great command ..."

The banks were heavily foliaged up to Laurel Hill, and there were no roads of any kind along the east shore up to East Falls at Midvale. Promontory Rock at Girard Avenue blocked access along the river edge, leaving only short sections of paths on the west side near Columbia Bridge. Save for the occasional canal boat drawn by teams of mules with faintly tinkling bells, there was little to break the solitude of the river.

The Revolution
After Gen. George Washington's defeat in August 1777 at Brandywine Creek, Gen. Anthony Wayne's encampment was overrun in the Paoli Massacre. Washington withdrew to Valley Forge to protect his supplies at Reading and the colonial government in exile at Lancaster. British Gen. William Howe occupied Germantown. The war was brought to the Schuylkill when a failed attempt by the Americans to take Howe's headquarters in Germantown resulted in a skirmish at a British outpost near the mouth of Wissahickon Creek. However, the determination of the American attack impressed Howe to the extent that he withdrew his army to Philadelphia.

The British laid siege to Fort Mifflin for more than a month to open the Delaware River, then built a line of 10 stone fortresses to protect their northern flank along what is now Fairmount Avenue, stretching from the Delaware River to a redoubt atop Fair Mount. These forts were garrisoned by Hessian mercenary troops.

After the French alliance with the rebels in 1778, the British withdrew to New York. Gen. Benedict Arnold was placed in charge of the city. His Loyalist sympathies led to prosecution by the Supreme Executive Council, and Arnold withdrew, defected and made a proposal to the British for the surrender of West Point. While still in town, an engagement party for his fiancee, Peggy Shippen, was held at Mount Pleasant, just north of Fairmount.

After the British withdrawal, much physical refurbishing and rebuilding was necessary because of British destruction, such as the burning of the Somerton mansion, home of Charles Thomson, secretary to the Continental Congress. The federal period ended in Philadelphia with the move of the government to Washington in 1800. Philadelphia at this time was the largest city in the U.S. and was considered a pleasant place to live. However, the federal government's embargo against France in 1808 and the British blockade during the War of 1812 crushed commerce in the city and turned its energy toward the Industrial Revolution.

Early Industry
From the city's infancy, there were ferries across the river. From the time of the Revolution, two floating bridges crossed the Schuylkill and were often swept away in freshets. In 1800, a 552-foot-long wooden covered bridge crossed at Market Street. In 1806, the first suspension bridge in the U.S. was built at the Falls of Schuylkill. In 1810, a 340-foot covered bridge was built at Upper Ferry.

In 1807, Robert Kennedy, a tavern keeper at the Falls of Schuylkill near Midvale Avenue, bought the waterpower rights and sold them in 1809 to Josiah White, who built a rolling mill and wire factory. He later used bituminous coal from Virginia but became interested in cheaper anthracite coal from upstate Pennsylvania, which was abundant but which no one yet knew how to use properly. After experiments proved fruitless, a large amount was left in a closed furnace to burn off. Upon returning, White found that the furnace was red-hot and could roll three times the amount of iron that the other coal could. This accidental discovery was the first industrial use of this very efficient fuel.

White then formed the Schuylkill Navigation Co. to bring coal from Carbon County down the Schuylkill to Philadelphia. This helped transform the city from a wood-burning commercial center to an industrial hub.

When completed in 1825, the canal measured 108 miles from East Falls to Reading: 58 miles of canals, 50 miles of pools, 129 locks, 34 dams, one 385-foot tunnel and a rise of 610 feet. The Lehigh Canal connected it to the railhead of the 9-mile gravity railroad, which took coal from the mine at Summit Hill to Mauch Chunk, now called Jim Thorpe. Single-horse barges took four days for a trip downriver. The system was later purchased by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. A wharf had been constructed along the riverfront where the boathouses are now located. These fell into decay, and a line of submerged pilings presented a hazard to early boating.

The Schuylkill Canal system caused the river south from Fairmount to develop into an industrial area with a series of docks and piers, rolling mills, manufacturing plants and taverns, alongside a solid mass of wharves from which coastal ships distributed coal along the Atlantic seaboard. Robert Morris started a canal along Vine Street to connect the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers but never completed it. The Columbia Railroad bridge tracks now run in the canal trench under Pennsylvania Avenue.

There were numerous icehouses on both banks up to Columbia Bridge. Kern Ice House was located just upriver from the boathouses, and Lips Brewery was situated on the west bank across from Boathouse Row. There was passenger ferry service in the late 19th century from the Waterworks area, stopping at the goose pens area, Robin Hood Dell, East Falls and the Wissahickon.

The Waterworks
In 1793, a devastating yellow fever epidemic, caused by mosquitoes breeding in rain barrels, motivated the city to develop the first municipal waterworks in the country in 1805. Benjamin Latrobe planned it, Nicholas Roosevelt built pumps, and Frederick Graff served as chief engineer for the project. Initially, water was taken directly from the river and pumped by steam engines housed in the still-existent Graff Mansion to a reservoir atop Fair Mount, the present site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and gravity-fed to a pump station at Center Square, where City Hall is now located.

The steam engines proved expensive and dangerous, so in 1822 the city built a dam across the river to power waterwheels. The dam was laid out diagonally across the river to direct destructive currents away from the waterworks millhouse. The 5-acre site surrounding the waterworks was landscaped as a public garden, making it the earliest municipal park in the U.S. and the genesis of Fairmount Park.

The West Side Estates
After the outbreak of the Revolution, William Penn's son John purchased an estate on the west side of the Schuylkill and built Solitude, which now serves as the administrative office for the Philadelphia Zoo. John Bartram, a world-renowned botanist, built his home and gardens on the lower Schuylkill in 1758. The grandson of Andrew Hamilton built the Woodlands Mansion in the Federal style near the University of Pennsylvania. Solitude at the Zoo, Beveridge, Egglesfield (neither of which exists today), Ormiston, Belmont, Greenland, Chamounix and Lansdowne in West Park were other prominent estates on the west side of the Schuylkill.

The East Side Estates
Fair Mount was originally proposed as an estate for William Penn, but he instead located his mansion at Pennsbury Manor, Pennsylvania. The area to the east of Fair Mount was known as Bush Hill, near 18th and Spring Garden streets, with Springetsbury Manor just to the north. Stephen Girard, likely the wealthiest man in the U.S. at the time, left his estate to the city of Philadelphia for Girard College. Mount Pleasant, Ormiston, Laurel Hill, Woodford and Strawberry Mansion were later acquired to complete East Park up to the Wissahickon.

Lemon Hill
By 1770, Robert Morris, a prominent merchant and superintendent of finance for the colonial government, acquired parcels of land along the Schuylkill and started a working farm known as the "Hills," which included the grounds now occupied by Boathouse Row. By 1800, Morris and Girard, along with Thomas Fitzsimons, Thomas McKean, Israel Israel, Dr. Benjamin Rush and others, tried to regain political power lost by the upper class in 1776. After political defeat following the adoption of the Constitution and financial crises in 1810, Morris found himself overextended, was forced to sell his holdings and was imprisoned for debt. Public outrage over his imprisonment led to the nation's first bankruptcy laws.

Part of Morris' estate was sold to Henry Pratt, who built the present mansion, named Lemon Hill, in the Neoclassical style. The area was developed into attractive gardens called Pratt Gardens and opened freely to the public. Lemon Hill was next owned by Isaac Loyd. In 1844, the city purchased Lemon Hill from the Bank of the United States for $75,000.

Sedgley Estate
The adjoining upriver Sedgley estate was built in 1799 and owned first by William Cramond and later by Benjamin Latrobe, the first waterworks engineer. The city acquired the Sedgley estate as a gift in 1854. The estate was considered the earliest American home designed in the Gothic Revival style. It was demolished in 1857.

For 11 years, the Sedgley property was leased to William H. Kern, sheriff of Philadelphia, who ran a popular beer garden, which likely accounts for the site's appeal to boat clubs. Both Pratt and Kern allowed several boat clubs to erect small wooden boatsheds along the riverfront.

The City Takes Control
Both estates were acquired by the city to prevent further commercial development and to protect the purity of the water used in the waterworks. The outlying neighborhood, called Northern Liberties, was incorporated into the city under the Act of Consolidation in 1854. A city ordinance on Sept. 15, 1855, set aside 45 acres between Lemon Hill and the waterworks as a commons to be held in trust for the citizens of Philadelphia. This resulted in direct municipal management, and the city began landscaping these estates as an extension of Fair Mount.

The existing boatsheds were condemned by city ordinance in 1859, but a subsequent ordinance in 1860 allowed three clubs — Bachelors, Pacific (now Fairmount Rowing Association) and the Skating and Humane Society (now Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club) — to "hold, occupy and enjoy the use of the ground upon which the Clubs stand within the limits of Fairmount Park." This agreement was later extended to other clubs.

The Fairmount Park Commission
When the Fairmount Park Commission was formed in 1867, a committee comprised of waterworks engineer Frederick Graff and Strickland Kneass issued a report calling for the removal of the boat clubs. However, pressure brought upon City Council by the boat clubs and the Schuylkill Navy resulted in an 1878 ordinance allowing them to remain, provided they built houses in the approved Victorian Gothic style. In 1898, the Fairmount Park trolley system was established, and the Strawberry trolley bridge was built across the river racecourse.

Dredging the River
The history of rowing on the Schuylkill River would not be complete without telling the story of the battle with silt. Hydraulic mining culm washing down from upstate, along with soil runoff, gradually filled the river bottom. The Park Commission maintained a dredge to keep silting under control, but despite its efforts, certain areas periodically filled to the point where boats became stuck in the mud. Directly in front of Boathouse Row, the water eddied and flowed upstream, depositing silt until an island formed along the full length of Boathouse Row. University of Pennsylvania coach Rusty Callow remarked that the river was "much too thick to drink, much too thin to plow."

Finally, in 1953 and 1954, under the state's Clean Streams program, the river was dredged completely from Norristown to the Fairmount Dam. The dredged material was pumped to a southwest Philadelphia landfill for the Eastwick housing area. In 1986, a proposal to obtain federal funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the basin was launched; however, changes in federal recreational dredging regulations placed the project on hold until political support could be mustered. In 1990, a small dredging project was initiated by Jack Galloway to clear the channel in front of Boathouse Row. In 1996, Fairmount Park Director Bill Mifflin petitioned U.S. Rep. Robert Borski to sponsor a bill making the Army Corps of Engineers responsible for maintaining the river. The bill passed and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

Rowing on the Schuylkill
Philadelphia rowing has historical roots dating to 1732, when two social clubs called Colony in Schuylkill and Fort St. David maintained a fleet of boats for fishing and recreation. (A monument marks their location at Sweetbriar cutoff and West River Drive.) In subsequent years, owners of large estates along the Schuylkill maintained rowing boats for transportation and amusement.

The Waterworks dam dramatically altered the river from a tidal stream to a long freshwater lake that submerged the cataract known as the Falls of Schuylkill near Midvale Avenue and Kelly Drive. This new character provided a relatively flat, calm surface that became one of the finest rowing locations in the country. Much of the history of U.S. sculling was established on this ideal stream, whose gentle current did not, under ordinary conditions, affect the outcome of a race.

The Boats
Rowing is one of humanity's oldest transportation activities using mechanical devices. By 3000 B.C., Phoenicians and Egyptians operated large trading ships propelled by oars. The ancient Greeks produced triremes, warships with up to 200 oarsmen. Greek oarsmen were freemen, but Romans and North African nations used chained slaves to pull oars. Rowing took its name from the rows of oars placed one above the other in galleys. Romans, Carthaginians, Venetians and Knights of Malta all maintained extensive fleets of rowing galleys, while the Vikings navigated northern Europe with dragon longboats. The first recorded competitive regatta occurred in Venice in 1315.

Early racing boats descended from English Thames River clinker-built boats and New York Whitehall skiffs, named after Whitehall Street at the Battery. These boats were often involved in wagered races. The first four-oared boat race took place in 1811 between the Invincible and Knickerbocker boats in Manhattan.

Riggers, first used at bow and stern to compensate for the narrowing of boats and to increase leverage, were developed by Anthony Brown in England around 1828. This allowed boats to be narrow, placed rowers directly over the keel and reduced overall boat weight. The first keelless boats and spoon-shaped oars were built by Henry Clasper of Oxford in 1848.

The swivel oarlock was invented by Mitchell Davis of Yale, while the wheeled sliding seat has been variously attributed to Dr. Schiller of Berlin, Canadian Ned Hanlan and Capt. John Babcock, the first president of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen. Sliding seats were first used in a crew boat in 1870. Walter Brown of England first raced a sliding-seat single in 1861; prior to that, rowers accomplished the same effect by greasing the seat and sliding in leather-bottomed trousers.

Some early Schuylkill boats featured staggered rowing seats with wicker ladies' seats alongside the rowers. Until this time, the largest sweep racing shells were six-person boats without coxswains, though 10- and 12-person shells were built in England. The last six-oared barge race recorded in Philadelphia occurred in 1884.

Wooden boats were standard, though pressed-paper boats were manufactured in the 1870s and aluminum boats in the 1920s. George Pocock, son of an Eton College boatbuilder, immigrated to Seattle and produced state-of-the-art wooden shells from 1920 to 1960, becoming known as the father of American rowing. Graeme King, Hugh Hudson and Ron Owen still carry on the tradition of building wooden singles.

A U.S. Naval Academy test-tank study of shell hull speeds, published in the September 1927 issue of Scientific American magazine, determined that resistance increases fourfold as speed doubles, while required power increases eightfold.

Composite, carbon fiber, kevlar and epoxy resin boats developed rapidly in the 1970s. Minimum weight requirements were introduced by the International Rowing Federation (FISA) to control spiraling costs of lightweight shells, which can cost in excess of $50,000. FISA will require all eights to be sectional starting with the 2000 Olympics to reduce shipping costs.

Training
Among the factors that determine the rate that allows a crew to go at the fastest speed possible, physical conditioning appears to be the most important. One of the first scientific studies of rowers' training and equipment was made by Prof. Yendall Henderson at Yale and published in the American Journal of Physiology. In a British study of oarsmen published by the University of Durham Philosophical Society in 1926, researchers found that oxygen consumption increased with an increasing stroke rate, and that power increased at a decreasing rate because of the buildup of lactic acid, causing fatigue. Therefore, if the rower is sufficiently conditioned, the higher stroke rate will correspond to an increase in power, and a higher speed will be realized. Also, Prof. Coleman Griffith of the University of Illinois published "The Psychology of Athletes and of Coaching," which reinforced the dictum "We learn by doing, and we set habit by repetition."

Technique
By the turn of the century, rowing style became a center of great controversy. The traditional English orthodox style featured a long, straight-backed body swing. In this conventional theory, with a boat pulling together and recovering uniformly, the shell moves faster and farther between strokes than it does while the oars are in the water; thus, a crew that can control its movement has a good chance of winning. George Pocock's adage was that "oarsmen must row with the boat," meaning they must not row faster than the boat is going; otherwise, they will rush their slides to attain a higher stroke, thereby checking and reducing the run of the boat.

In the U.S., the American “Conibear” style stroke was developed. This required a hard, quick catch, with shoulders and body vertical within 2 to 3 inches after the catch, a quick zip out of the bow with the arms at the finish, and a fast first part of the slide, slowing at the last moment of the recovery. This style was promoted by Ulbrickson at Washington; Ky Ebright at California; James Ten Eyck at Syracuse; Norm Sonju at Wisconsin; Pop Courtney and Stork Sanford at Cornell; Joe Burke at Penn; and Ed Leader and Rusty Callow at Washington, Penn, and Navy, all of whom learned from Conibear at the University of Washington. Steve Fairbairn's adage that mileage wins races was a precursor of year-round on-water training.

Beginnings of the Clubs
Rowing is considered the oldest organized sport in the world. The inscription in the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenophis II shows him rowing circa 1430 B.C. Oared barges raced on the Nile as early as 2500 B.C. In the fifth book of the "Aeneid," the Roman author Virgil described a rowing race. Greek and Roman warships had more than 50 oars. Rowing competition in England dates from the reign of Henry VII (1509-1547). The Thames professional watermen were licensed by the Crown in 1555 and regulated by the Watermen's Hall at Billingsgate fish market. Apprentices assigned to a master waterman could take an exam after two years and become a Freeman of the Thames after seven years. In 1714, Thomas Doggett, a famous Irish actor, founded the Doggett Coat and Badge boat race for professional bargemen, held over 4 miles on the Thames.

From the professional ranks, racing spread to the universities and clubs. Eton School began rowing in 1793. In 1778, the first eight race took place in London. Naval officers returning to college from the Napoleonic War continued races as they did in the Brest Blockade fleet in ship boats called "coques." Oxford established rowing in 1822 and Cambridge in 1827, and the two first raced each other in 1829. The English Henley Royal Regatta started in 1839. The first international regatta took place in 1825 between England's Thames watermen and the New York rowers in the American Star. The first international amateur race took place in 1858 between England and France. The first keelless outrigger eights were raced in 1852.

The Races
The first organized boat races in the U.S. took place in New York in the mid-1700s by professional bargemen. Amateur boat clubs were formed in Boston, New York and Philadelphia in the 1830s. University of Pennsylvania (then known as The College, Academy and Charitable School) rowing history dates to 1760, when a challenge was issued to New York to a 6-mile race. The first organized regatta sponsored by the Amateur Boat Club was held on the Schuylkill Nov. 12, 1835, in which the Blue Devil club rowed its boat of that name and seven eight-oared barges took part. Another race took place between Devil and the Imp Barge Club in 1839. The same year, two four-withs rowed from New York to race on the Schuylkill. Some sources indicate that earlier contests had taken place between the University of Pennsylvania and the Atlanta Boat Club of New York City. Rowing started at Harvard and Yale in 1843 and 1844, respectively, and they raced each other in 1852.

In 1859, the first Schuylkill Navy Regatta was held and continued every year except during the Civil War era. The first National Regatta was held in Philadelphia on Oct. 9, 1873, with three events: single, double and fours. (It is believed to be the first U.S. regatta where heats were required, and also the first time locally that an eight race was held, between Undine, Crescent and West Philadelphia boat clubs.)

The first international race was held in Philadelphia in conjunction with the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, when the Beaverwycks B.C. of New York beat Yale and London B.C. in the fours. In 1877, the first student-only race was held between University and College B.C. In 1879, the first Childs Cup between Columbia, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania was held. In 1859, a three-day regatta featured the first single championship and was won by Max Schmitt, a friend of the painter Thomas Eakins. In 1872, the first pair race in the U.S., for a $2,000 purse, was rowed over a 5-mile course from the Columbia to Girard Avenue bridges and back. The famed professional oarsmen John and Barney Biglin beat the challengers Coulter and Cavitt by nearly one minute and were proclaimed world champions. The first Dad Vail Regatta was held in Philadelphia in 1934 and was won by Rutgers.

The Distance
Boat races in Philadelphia from 1859 to 1869 were 3 miles, from Turtle Rock near the present lighthouse to the lower end of Peter's Island and back. The course was later shortened to turn below the Columbia Railroad Bridge. In 1866, the course was from William Tell Rock below Falls Bridge to Rockland at Columbia Bridge and back. In 1872, the course was reversed. From 1874 to 1895, the distance was 1 1/2 miles from Falls Bridge to Columbia. In 1896, the distance was 1 mile. From 1899 to 1910, the distance was again 1 1/2 miles. In 1911, the National Course was established at 1 1/4 miles. In 1937, the distance was 1 mile, after which it was maintained at 1 5/16 miles. In 1964, 2,000 meters became the standard distance.

The Professionals
Early rowing races were often accompanied by heavy betting, and professional rowers began to dominate rowing much as they do today in other sports. (An 1874 poster in No. 4 Boathouse Row advertised a first-place prize of $4,000.) Rowing was threatened by gamblers who saw a rowing race as a sure bet if bribery was used to fix the outcome. For example, some Philadelphia amateur crews were reinforced by hiring shad-boat fishermen from the Kensington neighborhood known as Fishtown. By the 1890s, professional rowing began to be eclipsed by the introduction of bicycles and the growing popularity of baseball, football and horse racing as spectator sports. Some professional rowers transitioned to full-time coaching for college crews, which became a significant factor in the development of American collegiate rowing. Prominent professional rowers included James Hamill of Pittsburgh; the brothers Joshua, Henry, Gilbert and Ellis Ward from Newburgh, New York; Fred Plaisted; John and Bernard Biglin; Charles Courtney; Edward Hanlan; and Frenchy Johnson, an early Black professional sculler.

The Amateurs
William Curtis, considered the father of American athletics, and James Watson issued a booklet titled "What is an Amateur?" The success of this publication established the foundation for the acceptance of amateurism in sports. The Schuylkill Navy was organized in 1858 to eliminate gambling and its associated abuses, as well as to promote amateurism on the river. The rules of the Schuylkill Navy explicitly prohibited rowers from accepting any wagered money.

The National Association of Amateur Oarsmen
In the first National Regatta in 1873 in Philadelphia, the rejection of entries because of the Schuylkill Navy's amateur rules underscored the necessity for a national organization to regulate the status of oarsmen. The Schuylkill Navy sent invitations to 350 boat clubs to attend a meeting to regulate the status of oarsmen. One hundred replies were received, and 22 clubs attended the meeting in New York, where the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen was formed and the Schuylkill Navy's amateur rules of rowing were adopted. The West Philadelphia Boat Club's delegate to the convention presented the following resolution, which was adopted Aug. 28, 1872:

"That they will be considered professionals who shall openly and publicly row any match race for money or who shall be announced as open to row any such match race with designated organizations, crews or individuals in general terms; watermen who have rowed for hire; trainers; employees of boat builders; or in any way has ever at any period of his life taught or assisted in the formation of athletic exercises as a means of livelihood."

Nonadherence led to expulsion from the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen and contributed to the extinction of professional rowing. In 1887, the secretary of the Schuylkill Navy, W.T. Wallace, and the president of the New York Athletic Club met to adapt amateur rules of rowing to track and field. The Schuylkill Navy commodore, Harry McMillan, was elected the first president of the Amateur Athletic Union. Although amateur regattas had been held since 1837 in England, the Schuylkill Navy amateur rules spread worldwide and led to the renewal of the Olympic Games in 1896. England's A.R.C. was founded in 1882. FISA was founded in 1893.

The Schuylkill Navy
Founded in 1858 by nine Philadelphia boat clubs, the Schuylkill Navy is the oldest sports governing body in the United States. Its restriction against contestant remuneration contributed directly to clarifying the distinction between amateur and professional sports.

The Navy has participated in a number of municipal functions of outstanding importance. On Nov. 11, 1872, 14 boats from the Schuylkill Navy formed a rowing escort for the funeral solemnities of Gen. George Meade, the victor at the Battle of Gettysburg, to his burial site in Laurel Hill Cemetery. In 1876, in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition in West Park, the NAAO held the first international regatta on the Schuylkill, which was the largest regatta in the country up to that time. On April 27, 1878, at the request of the commissioners of Fairmount Park, the Schuylkill Navy staged a rowing demonstration in honor of President Rutherford B. Hayes. An open regatta was held in 1882 in conjunction with the Bicentennial Celebration, and an intercity regatta was featured during Founders Week in October 1908. A demonstration titled "The Schuylkill Navy on Parade" was held alongside the Democratic National Convention in 1936. Early in the organization's history, it was customary to hold a rowing review with the annual regatta. On these occasions, all the clubs turned out in holiday attire—each with its own distinctive uniforms—and executed complicated fleet maneuvers below Girard Avenue.

The Philadelphia Boat Clubs
There was no tolerance for the elitism of their English counterparts; artisans, laborers and gentlemen rowed together. The clubs' memberships made expensive equipment available to those who could not afford it. Pleasure boating was a prominent feature of early Philadelphia boat club activities. A favorite pastime was a leisurely row up the river, pausing for a refreshing plunge in the cool, uncontaminated waters above Columbia, then proceeding to Peters Island or the mouth of the Wissahickon, or stopping at the Falls of Schuylkill near Midvale to patronize well-known resorts such as Bobby Arnold's, Tissot's, Smith's Falls Hotel, Riverside, Strawberry or Rialto House Tavern (owned by Chris Dusch) for a dinner of fried catfish, waffles and mint juleps, followed by a romantic, moonlight journey home. Bachelors Barge Club and Undine Barge Club had their own upriver clubs to overcome the lack of space and privacy at the taverns.

The old Robert Morris Hotel at Landing and Fairmount avenues was often used by the boat clubs for meetings. A short canal south of the Morris estate led east to the Morris and Tasker Iron Foundry. In the shelter of this canal, an old English sailor named Charlie maintained a boathouse and kept a score of rowboats and a medium-size sailboat for hire. In 1881, George Popp maintained a floating boathouse. Thomas Willing maintained pleasure barges for recreation.

All present boathouses were built to replace original, ramshackle boat sheds. The Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club is in the oldest building, built in 1860 in the Italianate style as a skating club. Later, four early houses were replaced with stone Victorian Gothic structures required by the Park Commission: Quaker City (No. 2), Bachelors (No. 6, now replaced by a Mediterranean-style building), College (No. 10) and Penn AC (No. 12). After this period, the park allowed architectural styles other than Victorian Gothic.

The founding member clubs of the Schuylkill Navy were Chebutco, Camilla, Falcon, Independent, Keystone (all dissolved during the Civil War), Bachelors and Undine. Later additions included Union, American, Neptune and Nautilus (all dissolved during the war); Quaker City (absorbed by Fairmount in 1932); Amateurs (absorbed by Bachelors); Pennsylvania (which became the United States Rowing Society); and Philadelphia (absorbed by University). After the Civil War, Pacific, Washington, Iona, Atlantic (all later dissolved), Crescent and Malta joined. Keystone joined in 1870 and dissolved the following year. West Philadelphia Boat Club joined in 1875; its name changed to Penn AC in 1924.

Fairmount Rowing Association (No. 2 Boathouse Row) was organized in 1870 and procured the boathouse and equipment of Pacific Boat Club in 1916. It later absorbed Quaker City Barge Club (No. 3), originally known as Camilla Boat Club. The present Georgian Revival building was built in 1904 and is connected to the Victorian Gothic Quaker house.

Fairmount had more entries in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta than any other club, totaling 343 entries and 103 victories. It won the Caldwell Trophy three times, from 1940 to 1943. Tom McDonough won the Championship Single belt in 1957–1958. The club also claims more than 50 national championships. It won the cross country trophy 15 times and the basketball championship three times. Teresa Bell finished second in the lightweight double in the 1996 Olympics.

Pennsylvania Barge Club (No. 4) was founded in 1861 and joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1865. The present building features modified Eastlake architecture. Penn Barge placed four-with crews in the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics (both fours) and a pair-with crew in the 1932 Olympics. It won the Cross Country Run in 1901, 1902, 1909, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1921 and 1924, securing five first-place finishes. Penn Barge logged 359 entries and 106 victories in Schuylkill Navy races. Hugh Sharp won the cross country race in 1946, and Penn Barge won the basketball league in 1926. After World War II, the club was unable to rebuild its membership lost to military service. The building became the United States Rowing Society headquarters in 1955.

Crescent Boat Club (No. 5) was organized in 1867, combining members of Pickwick and Iona boat clubs, and occupied space in Camilla Boat Club. It joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1916. Crescent logged 257 entries and 62 victories in Schuylkill Navy races. Mike McCreesh won the Championship Single belt in 1942. The club won the Cross Country Run in 1900, 1904, 1905, 1941, 1942, 1947 and 1948, taking three team prizes and five individual prizes. In basketball, Crescent won four league championships. From 1951 to 1960, the club was known as LaSalle Rowing Association.

Bachelors Barge Club (No. 6), founded in 1853, joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1859. It is the oldest club in existence in the U.S. today. Bachelors' founders belonged to Phoenix Fire Co. and carried over the firemen's tradition of giving nicknames to members. They kept a four-oared barge, Hesperus, at Charlie's until a lean-to boat shed was constructed in 1854 on a dock opposite Fairmount Rolling Mills, owned by Charles Smith. Their first boat was the six-oared Tholepin barge named Linda, built by Albertson & Sons for $175. A stone building was constructed in 1860, followed by the present Mediterranean-style building in 1893. The upriver Buttons Club was built in 1882. In 1866, during a tragic collision with a canal barge, the Bachelors four Echo sank, resulting in the death of Fred Goodwin. Bachelors' first recorded race was in 1859 against Quaker City and Independent Barge. Bachelors won the 3-mile race with a turn in 22 minutes. That same year, Bachelors rowed Linda through locks to the Delaware River to Trenton, then through the Raritan canals to New York, racing the Atlanta Club of New York before returning by steamer. Bachelors logged 283 entries and 78 victories in Schuylkill Navy races. Bachelors placed a four-with crew in the 1924 Olympics, placed a single sculler in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, and won the double sculls in the 1932 Olympics.

University Barge Club (No. 8) was founded in 1854 as a club for undergraduate Penn students and is considered the earliest organized athletics program at Penn. It joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1858 as a founding member. Its first boat was Hesperus, purchased from Bachelors and housed at Sailor Charlie's boathouse. This boat was lost during a dramatic rescue attempt of Sailor Charlie's sailboat, which was swept over the dam; the stern post and rudder of Hesperus were preserved at the club. Its second boat was Lucifer. Along with Undine Barge Club, University rented space from the Skating and Humane Society (now Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club). It built a semi-attached, Second Empire-style boathouse in 1870 with Philadelphia Boat Club (founded in 1862, formerly Panola Boat Club, built on the former site of Washington Boat Club). Almost all members of the racing crew entered military service during the Civil War, with two falling in action, three wounded and one held prisoner. University holds two Schuylkill Navy rowing records and logged 141 entries and 47 victories in Schuylkill Navy races.

Malta Boat Club (No. 9) was formed in 1860 and was first housed on a barge on the Delaware River at Smith's Island before purchasing Excelsior Club on Boathouse Row in 1863. It joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1865. In 1873, it erected a semi-attached, ornamental Victorian Gothic house with Vesper Boat Club. Later additions were in a modified Eastlake style. Malta won the Cross Country Run in 1931–1932 and secured 12 first-place finishes. Malta logged 431 entries and 107 victories in Schuylkill Navy races. Harold Finigan Sr. won the Championship Single belt in 1943–1946, and Frank Sheperdson won in 1942–1950. Malta holds seven Schuylkill Navy records. Malta won the cross country race 20 times and won the basketball league in 1927. Fred Duling Jr. competed in the lightweight pair at the world championships in 1996.

Vesper Boat Club (No. 10) was founded in 1865 and joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1870. Originally named Washington Boat Club until 1870, it shared a house with Pennsylvania Barge Club. With Malta, it constructed a semi-attached, ornamental Victorian Gothic building. Vesper holds the record of 580 entries and 296 Schuylkill Navy victories, holds eight rowing records, and won the Caldwell Trophy from 1946 to 1958. It produced four Championship Single belt winners: Jack Kelly Jr. (nine times), Joe McIntyre (twice), Charles McIntyre (1949) and Bill Knecht (1951). Vesper won the eight in the 1900, 1904 and 1964 Olympics, as well as the double and single in 1920. It placed a single sculler in three Olympics (1948, 1952 and 1956) and a pair-with crew in 1948. It placed second in the 1905 Royal Henley. Vesper won the single and eight in the 1955 Pan American Games. Vesper won 93 national championships and the Barnes Trophy seven times. In 1958, the Vesper eight won the nationals, Canadian and European championships. Vesper won the basketball championship 11 times, from 1945 to 1951.

College Boat Club (No. 11): Penn students at University Barge founded College Boat Club in 1872, shortly after Penn moved from Center City to West Philadelphia. It joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1875. The original ornamental Victorian Gothic section was built in 1874 by unknown architects (though it is nearly a duplicate of No. 12, West Philadelphia Boat Club, designed by Wilson Bros.), with utilitarian additions made in 1969 and 1980. College Boat Club logged 58 entries and 32 victories in Schuylkill Navy races. In 1951, Penn won the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley, went undefeated, and won Henley again in 1952. In 1953, it was defeated only by Princeton, ending a 23-race winning streak. In 1955, Penn won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley and won five subsequent races in Europe. Penn won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta in 1963.

Undine Barge Club (No. 13) was formed in 1856 and joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1858 as a founding member. Frank Furness and Evans designed the club in 1882, initiating a shift away from Gothic to more eclectic styles. Undine is named after "Undine," a book by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué about a water spirit. The club first rented ground from William Kern and erected a wooden boathouse near a cove a few hundred feet downriver from its present location. Its first boat was the four-oared barge Fawn. It sold this boat shed in 1860 for $10 and rented Keystone Boat Club. Later, it rented space in the Skating Club until 1882. The upriver Castle Ringstetten was built in 1876. Undine placed a pair-without crew in the 1932 Olympics and a double-sculls crew in 1936. Undine logged more than 588 entries and 254 victories in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta. Al Vogt won the championship belt in 1938–1940, and Jim Barker won in 1951. Undine holds 13 Schuylkill Navy rowing records, won the Cross Country Run in 1912, 1913, 1916, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1933, and finished first four times. Undine won more than 91 national championships and the Barnes Trophy six times.

Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club (No. 14) was organized in 1938 by Ernestine Bayer and other rowing "widows." The stone Italianate building was constructed in 1860 as a home for the combined Skating and Humane societies, which merged in 1861. The National Women's Rowing Association was organized in 1966, and women's Olympic rowing debuted in 1976. PGRC has won many local and national titles.

The Sedgley Club (No. 15) was organized as Zlac Club, the first women's rowing club. The present building was designed by Arthur H. Brockie, using elements of Colonial and Georgian Revival styles, and was built around a decorative lighthouse erected when the park was formed in 1867.

West Philadelphia Boat Club (No. 12), the predecessor of Penn AC, was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1873. Its first boat, Intrepid, was purchased from Crescent Boat Club for $60. The second boat was purchased new and named Minstrel. The third boat, a four-oared gig, was ordered with sliding seats for an additional $10.

The original 60-by-16-foot boathouse was built for $290 on the west bank of the lower Schuylkill River between Grays Ferry and the Willows, near the Bergen phosphate factory. Swimming in the Schuylkill was an important activity for early members. Minstrel plays and drawing-room entertainment were sponsored by the club.

In 1873, the University of Pennsylvania indicated its intention to build at the site of West Philadelphia Boat Club, leading the club to appoint a committee to confer with University Boat Club to select a new site. The club solicitor, Mr. Stuart, reported difficulty obtaining loans or mortgages from building associations. A proposal to consolidate with Woodland Boat Club was initially defeated because it required assuming Woodland's debts. At this time, West Philadelphia Boat Club prepared a charter of incorporation in Pennsylvania and joined the Schuylkill Navy. During a meeting on March 18, 1873, consolidation with Woodland Boat Club was approved; its property was purchased for $200, and its members joined West Philadelphia Boat Club. Julius Barnes, who later donated the Barnes Cup awarded to the club accumulating the highest number of points at the national rowing championships, guaranteed the mortgage on the house.

A proposal was made to purchase ground from Reading Canal Co. across from Boathouse Row; however, this would have required a bridge over the canal and towpath. An alternative proposal to merge with Pacific Boat Club fell through. In 1873, a subscription was raised with the help of the Richardson family to build a stone building costing $12,000. This ornamental Victorian Gothic 1 1/2-story building was built in 1878 and designed by Wilson Bros., who also designed the Drexel Building and Reading Terminal (and likely neighboring College Boat Club). In 1873, West Philadelphia Boat Club joined the Schuylkill Navy. In 1883, alterations were made to extend the river end of the boathouse to accommodate new eight-oared shells. In 1968, a modern, utilitarian ground-level boat bay was added, followed by a second-story locker room in 1981.

In its first recorded race, West Philadelphia Boat Club placed third in a four-oared gig race in 1872. Its first victory came in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta of 1882 in the pair-oared cup race. West Philadelphia Boat Club won this cup again in 1883, 1884, 1885 and 1891, and won the double shell race in 10:28. West Philadelphia Boat Club logged 127 entries and 26 Schuylkill Navy rowing victories. West Philadelphia placed second in an eight race in 1879. Bill Benerman won the junior single in 1882. West Philadelphia placed second in the pair-without in 1882–1883, while Benerman and L. Cottingham placed third in the double. In 1884, J. Campbell won the junior single, and Benerman and Carrigan won the pair-without. In 1885, they won the pair-without again, and the junior four placed fourth. In 1886, Tom and Harry Hurley placed second in the double. In 1887, Cottingham and Adam placed second in the pair-without, and Benerman placed second in the senior single. In 1890, West Philadelphia placed second in the junior four. In 1891, Fred Troy and Bill Meyers won the pair-without. Myers placed third in the junior single in 1892; the junior four placed third in 1892, fifth in 1893, fourth in 1894, second in 1895, and second in 1896, while A.C. Kapella placed third in the junior single. Myers and Bill Blackburn won the doubles and placed third in the junior four in 1897. R. Lockwood and W. Purvivance won the intermediate double in 1899.

In 1900, West Philadelphia's junior double placed third and the junior eight placed fifth. In 1902, W. West won the junior dash and placed third in the junior four. In 1903, West Philadelphia won the junior four; West placed second in the senior four and fourth in the senior single. In 1904, R. Dooner placed third in the dash and second in the junior eight. In 1905, E. Kieffer placed fourth in the junior dash, and J. Doyle placed fourth in the senior single. The West Philadelphia junior eight won: Walter George, E. Harris, W. Crouse, C. Parker, H. Brodhead, C. Williams, S. Wragg and L. Gorman (coxswain). In 1906, Kieffer won the junior single, the pair-without of Doyle and George placed second, and the junior eight placed second. In 1907, George placed second in the dash, while the junior double of J. Fleith and Yates Hickey won. The senior double and junior quad placed second. The junior eight won: G. Brownell, C. Doan, W. Hall, P. Ford, J. Trimble, L. Campbell, E. Doering, H. Mishenheim and G. Flood (coxswain). In 1908, Brownell placed second in the junior single; the junior eight and junior quad placed third. In 1909, the senior pair of Doyle and G. Allison won, while the junior quad placed third. The junior eight won: C. Brey, L. Hubbs, F. Williams, F. DeVoll, W. Fulmer, T. Thomsom, W. Simons, H. Lizenberg and C. Flood (coxswain).

In 1910, Doyle and H. Litzenberg placed second in the senior pair-without, and the junior quad placed third. In 1911, Doyle and Harry Weaver placed second in the senior double, and the junior quad placed fourth. In 1913, the junior double placed sixth. In 1914, Bill McCormick placed fourth in the dash; the junior eight placed fifth, the junior double placed third and the junior four placed fifth. In 1915, McCormick and McInerney placed fourth in the junior double. In 1916, the junior quad of L. Whitby, H. Spuhmer, W. McInerney and F. Williams placed second, and the junior double placed fourth. In 1918, Comber placed fourth in the junior single, while the quad of Doyle, G. Darrow, McCormick and McInerney placed second. In 1919, the junior quad placed second. In 1921, the junior four of W. Wood, J. Walsh, J. McNichols, Ray Comber and Merkhoffer (coxswain) placed second. The intermediate four of L. Barry, J. Kelly, R. Regon, A. Cunningham and A. Fitzpatrick (coxswain) won, as did the junior quad of Barry, Kelly, Regan and Cunningham; the junior eight placed fourth. In 1923, the junior four placed fourth, and the senior four of Kelley, McNicholas, Walsh and Bob Regan placed second. The intermediate four of Wood, McCormick, Ed Hefferman, Ed Deff and George Fitzpatrick (coxswain) won. In 1924, McCormick won the dash; McNicholas placed second in the senior single and won the intermediate double at the 1908 nationals. This was the last recorded race for West Philadelphia Boat Club. It logged more than 361 entries and 176 victories in Schuylkill Navy regattas. From 1895 to 1899, Gordon S. Carigan served as the first commodore from West Philadelphia Boat Club. Robert C. White was president of West Philadelphia Boat Club from 1920 to 1925.

Penn AC Is Formed
Penn AC was a downtown men's social club that wanted to promote athletics. To sponsor a boat club, it approached West Philadelphia Boat Club, which agreed to change its name to Penn AC Rowing Association. Jack Kelly Sr., who was associated with the downtown Penn AC club, left Vesper Boat Club when a faction attempted to oust his cousin Paul Costello. He switched his affiliation to Penn AC, bringing prominent coach Frank Muller and top rowers with him, and established a rowing program at West Catholic High School to serve as a feeder system for junior oarsmen at the club.

Penn AC logged 398 entries and 159 victories, holding nine Schuylkill Navy rowing records—the highest winning rate of any club. It won the Barnes national team trophy eight times. Joe Burke won the Championship Single belt four years in a row, and Art Gallagher won it in 1941.

The club qualified boats in the following Olympic Games: the winning double in 1924 and 1928; the pair-with in 1928 and 1932; the four-with in 1932 and 1936; the four-without in 1932 and 1936; two pairs and a single in 1936; every event except the straight four in the 1940 trials; the double in 1948; the straight four in 1988 and 1992; and the women's double in 1996.

Penn AC won the world championship in the eight in 1930, recognized as the fastest eight by Guinness World Records. It also won the silver medal in the straight four in 1986 and the gold medal in the women's straight four in 1996. Joe Burke, Dan Barrow and Bill Miller all won the prestigious Schuylkill Navy Championship Single belt. In cross country, Penn AC won team titles in 1950 and 1951 along with five individual titles. In basketball, it won the league championship every year from 1940 to 1957.

Many prominent Penn AC members served the rowing community with distinction. The Hon. Frank Smith was the first president of Penn AC. In 1946, Fred Plaisted died at the age of 96, after a lifetime as an oarsman, coach and rowing philosopher, who rowed until the age of 91. Another outstanding Penn AC member was Henry Penn Burke, who served as steward and chairman from 1925 to 1945. He also was president of the NAAO for 13 years. He managed and helped raise funds for the Olympic teams from 1920 to 1936. A monument to his memory stands between Plaisted Hall and Fairmount Boat Club. George Malloy and William Harmon were responsible for funding many Penn AC activities during this era. Finally, the great Big Eight coach, Frank Muller, who died in 1948, had coached Olympic teams from 1920 to 1932. For more than 30 years, Leo Keller served as chairman of the board of stewards. George Darrow was secretary during this period. Many prominent Penn AC members served as commodore of the Schuylkill Navy: Dr. Robert C. White from 1930 to 1934, John B. Kelly Sr. from 1935 to 1941, James J. Beckett, Penn AC, from 1952 to 1955, Jack Bratten in 1950, Joe Sweeney in 1985-86 and Vince Dougherty in 1987. In 1982, Jack Bratten, coach for Penn AC, St. Joe Prep and LaSalle College, died at 62. John B. Kelly Sr. died in 1960 at the age of 70. Jack Kelly had his start as a coxswain at Penn AC in 1937-38. And finally, the incredible list of winning coaches included Frank Muller, 1924-38; Tom Mack, 1939-41; Joe Dougherty, 1943-50; Tom Curran, 1951-54; Jack Bratten, 1955-59; Jack Galloway, 1960-66; Vince Simkowski, 1968-70; and Ted Nash, 1983 to present. While we point with pride to the record of our athletes, it is also the men behind the scenes who deserve our recognition. The advice and help of these "clubies" was an intrinsic part of the Penn AC winning formula.

The 1900–1904 Olympics
The 1900 Paris Games, the first Olympics with rowing, featured five rowing events. Vesper Boat Club won the eight (Roscoe Lockwood, Ed Marsh, Ed Hedley, Bill Carr, John Geiger, James Juvenal, Harry DeBaecke, John Exley and Lou Abell) in 6:09 over Belgium (6:13) and the Netherlands (6:23). This outstanding achievement by local athletes is something every Philadelphian can be proud of. In 1901, the University of Pennsylvania eight, coached by Ellis Ward, placed second at the Royal Henley.

At the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, the U.S. took first, second and third in all rowing events except the eight, which featured only the U.S. and Canada competing. Vesper won the eight (Fred Cresser, W.G. Gleason, Frank Schell, James Flannigan, Charles Armstrong, Harry Lott, Dr. Joe Dempsey, John Exley and coxswain Lou Abell) in 7:50 over Canada. Frank Greer won the single in 10:08, with James Juvenal placing second and Constance Titus placing third; all three medal winners were U.S. single scullers. William Varley and John Mulcahy won the double in 10:03, James McLoughlin and John Hoben took second, and Joe Ravanack and John Wells placed third. Again, all three double medal winners represented the U.S. The U.S. straight four of George Diets, August Erker, Albert Basse and Arthur Stockhoff won in 9:53, while the U.S. placed second with Charles Amman, Michael Begley, Martin Fromanack and Frederick Suerig.

Because of its two Olympic victories, the Vesper eight was invited in 1905 to row at the Royal Henley and finished second to Leander Boat Club, considered the best eight England ever produced. U.S. Olympic authorities offered no opportunity for rowing entries in the 1908 and 1912 Olympiads in London and Stockholm. Great Britain won the eight both times, as England won all four rowing events in the 1908 Olympics at Henley and won the eight in 1912 at Stockholm. No nationals were held in 1918.

In the 1920, 1924, 1928 and 1932 Olympiads, all oarsmen on the U.S. rowing team were from the Schuylkill Navy except for the eight, and all earned their positions by winning the trials. A superstition arose that war followed each time Harvard won the Grand Challenge, which occurred in 1914, 1939 and 1950. Jack Kelly Sr. began rowing at Vesper in 1908 and won 126 consecutive races and six national titles by 1920. He won two Olympic gold medals in the double and one in the single. He served as commodore of the Schuylkill Navy from 1935 to 1940 and as president of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen in 1954–1955. He married Margaret Major, who worked in the University of Pennsylvania physical education department.

In the 1920 Olympics
In Antwerp, Belgium, the U.S. won three of the six events. John B. Kelly Sr. won the single in 7:35, defeating Jack Beresford of England (7:36), a four-time Diamond Sculls winner, by one second. With his cousin Paul Costello from Vesper, he won the double sculls in 7:09 over Italy (7:19) and France (7:21).

The four-with from Pennsylvania Barge Club (Ken Myers, Carl Klose, Franz Federschmidt, Erich Federschmidt and coxswain Sam Hunter) placed second in the semifinals behind Switzerland, which won in 6:54. The U.S. Naval Academy won the eight by defeating Great Britain by 10 feet in 6:06. The U.S. team was supported and fed by a U.S. Navy cruiser in the harbor.

Kelly was denied entry in the 1920 Royal Henley. He vowed to beat the winner in other events and pledged to have his son win the Diamond Sculls. Kelly later defeated English Henley champion Jack Beresford and sent his green rowing cap to King George of England.

There were no entries for West Philadelphia Boat Club in the 1919 and 1920 nationals in Worcester, Massachusetts, or the 1921 nationals in Buffalo, New York. At the 1922 nationals in Philadelphia, West Philadelphia Boat Club placed third in the senior quad, second in the senior eight and fourth in the intermediate four. Walter Hoover of Undine won the Diamond Sculls.

The Philadelphia Challenge Cup
In 1922, Walter Hoover of Duluth Boat Club won the Diamond Sculls. John B. Kelly Sr.'s entry was refused by the Henley stewards because he "worked with his hands," implying he was not a gentleman. In response, Elliot Newlin, commodore of the Schuylkill Navy, raised $2,000 through popular subscription for an 18-inch-high gold challenge cup emblematic of the world single championship and awarded it to Jack Kelly Sr.

In 1922, Walter Hoover of Duluth Boat Club won the first challenge race, defeating Paul Costello of Vesper. In 1924, Costello defeated W. Garrett Gilmore. Later that year, Jack Beresford of England won the cup by defeating Gilmore at the Paris Olympics, retaining it later that year by defeating Hoover in Putney, England. The first non-bump head race was held in 1926 at Putney, England.

At the 1923 nationals in Baltimore, Penn AC won the senior four and senior double. Paul Costello placed third in the championship single and second in the senior quad. Jim Regan placed fourth in the senior single dash; the senior four and senior quad placed second, and the senior eight placed third (rowing as West Philadelphia Boat Club). James Regan placed fourth in the quarter-mile dash and fifth in the association single. In the 1923 Sesquicentennial Regatta, Penn AC won the eight. In the Middle States Regatta, Paul Costello defeated Gilmore in the single.

In the 1924 Olympics
In Paris, Jack Kelly Sr. and Paul Costello, rowing for Penn AC, repeated their achievements from the previous Olympics by winning in 6:34 over France (6:38) and Switzerland. The Bachelors Barge Club four of Henry Welsford, Ed Mitchell, Bob Gerhardt, Sydney Jellinek and coxswain Jack Kennedy won bronze. The Pennsylvania Barge Club pair-with of Leon Butler, Harold Wilson and coxswain Ed Jennings also won bronze, behind Switzerland and Italy.

In the single, W. Garrett Gilmore of Bachelors finished second in 7:54 behind Jack Beresford of England (7:49). Yale won the eight in 6:33 over Canada and Italy, featuring future physician Dr. Benjamin Spock in the bow position.

At the 1924 nationals in Springfield, Massachusetts, Penn AC won the senior lightweight double and senior four-without (rowing as West Philadelphia Boat Club). In the Olympic trials in Philadelphia, the Penn AC four placed fourth, while the single and double placed first.

At the 1925 nationals in Philadelphia, Penn AC won the Barnes Trophy by winning the lightweight double, lightweight four, senior quad and senior double, while Paul Costello won the championship single. Penn AC placed second in the senior quad and senior double, third and fourth in the senior four, and fourth in the lightweight senior double. At the 1926 nationals in Philadelphia, Penn AC's senior quad, senior eight and lightweight four won gold. Joe Wright placed second in the association single; the senior lightweight double placed second, and Paul Costello placed second and third in the senior single and senior lightweight single, respectively.

At the 1927 nationals in Wyandotte, Michigan, Penn AC won the senior lightweight four; John McNicholas placed second in the association single, and Penn AC took second in the senior lightweight eight and senior double, as well as third in the senior eight. Teams from Boathouse Row won 17 of 22 events.

In the 1928 Olympics
Amsterdam marked the first time the U.S. sent a full rowing team. 20 nations with 67 entries competed on a two-lane course over eight days, with Philadelphia representing the U.S. in five events. Penn AC took first in the double, with Paul Costello and Charles McIlvaine winning in 6:14 over Switzerland (6:51) and Austria (6:48). Costello became the first athlete to win the same event in three consecutive Olympics.

The Pennsylvania Barge Club straight pair of Paul McDowell and John Schmitt finished third in the semifinals in 7:20 behind Germany (7:06) and England (7:08). Ken Myers of Bachelors finished second in the single in 7:20 behind Australian single sculler Henry Pearce (7:11). Penn Barge's straight four of Ernest Bayer, George Healis, Bill Miller and Charles Karle finished second in the finals in 6:37 behind England, which won in 6:36. The Penn AC pair-with of Joe Dougherty, Augie Goetz and coxswain Thomas Mack was defeated by Italy and France after their borrowed boat practically disintegrated during the race. The eight from the University of California took gold in 6:03.2 over England (6:03.8) and Canada (6:05). Jim Beckett served as spare for the 1928 Olympic team and was a five-time national champion. Penn AC coach Frank Muller also served as Olympic coach.

Also in 1928, Penn AC earned 16 medals at the nationals in Philadelphia, including gold for the junior quad. Chet Turner won the senior and championship single; C. Moore placed second in the junior single, as did the junior double. A.E. Fitzpatrick placed second in the quarter-mile dash and third in the senior single, alongside the senior four-with, four-without and intermediate four. The Penn AC intermediate eight and senior eight placed fourth. C. Dietrich placed fifth in the intermediate single. In 1928, West Catholic High School began rowing out of Penn AC, with many West oarsmen becoming champions at the club; the 2, 4 and 7 seats in the big eight were filled by West Catholic alumni.

In 1929, the U.S. joined FISA. At the nationals in Springfield, Penn AC won the senior lightweight four, senior four and senior eight—defeating New York Athletic Club by five lengths—and placed second in the senior quad and third in the lightweight four. Philadelphia became known as the center of sculling and amateur rowing in the U.S. For example, at a regatta in Virginia, Philadelphia crews won 13 of 15 races.

In the 1930 nationals in Boston, A.E. Fitzpatrick won the senior dash and senior single, and Al Vogt was second in the association single. Penn AC was second in the senior four and senior lightweight eight, third in the senior lightweight four and fifth in the senior eight. Penn AC beat Columbia for the Stewards Cup.

The 1930 World Championships
Penn AC'S "Big Eight" in marked contrast with the Olympics, where the U.S. teams won every eight event, was the only U.S. eight ever to win the world championship. A boatload of Philadelphia Irishmen won the world championships at Liege, Belgium, bringing undying fame for themselves and Penn AC. The Big Eight included Charles McIlvaine in bow, Tom Curran two, Jack Bratten three, John McNichol four, Myrlin Janes five, Joe Dougherty six, Dan Barrows seven, Chet Turner stroke and Tom Mack, coxswain. After winning their trials heat in 5:18, there was considerable speculation that this might be the fastest eight ever seen. This time is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest time for an eight. However, because wind, current and other conditions vary so greatly, record times in rowing do not have the same significance as in other sports. In the finals, the Penn AC Big Eight convincingly crushed Europe's finest crews with a two-length victory over Italy, while third-place Denmark was six lengths further astern. Over the next three years, from 1929 to 1931, the "big eight" remained virtually intact, winning 31 consecutive victories, including the U.S. and Canadian championships in 1931. It was voted the greatest crew of the first half of this century by The Associated Press. In the 1931 Schuylkill Navy Regatta, a young Penn AC eight (Al Vogt, bow; Charles Dreuding two; Ed Marshall three; Tom Pierie four; Latimer Lawrence five; Chet Turner six; Harry Grossmiller seven; Frank English, stroke; Permar Richards, coxswain) challenged the Big Eight for the right to represent Penn AC. John B. Kelly Sr. described the race as follows:

"This was the greatest eight race in history. I have been watching boat races for the past thirty years, and have seen some of the most important ones, so I am qualified to say that this was the greatest boat race of all times. Before describing the race I am going to set the stage and tell you a few of the important facts leading up to and responsible for this grueling battle about a month ago Coach Muller felt that the Penn A.C. Big Eight was not moving fast enough and they were getting a little temperamental. The crew took exception to this and the result was that Muller organized a new crew from members of last year's junior eight who had developed into seniors by this time, and arranged a race with the 'big eight'. The new combination defeated the big eight three times in succession, which gave the impression that the big eight was finished, for the present season at least. We felt this crew that had established the greatest record of any eight had gone stale and needed revamping. Soon after their defeat by the junior crew, we broke up the Big Eight. However, when the entries closed for the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, we found we did not have any entry for the new senior eight. The big eight, still smarting under the lash, asked Coach Mueller if they could get the old crew together to compete against the new eight. The crews got away together with the gun and at the first quarter the big eight was leading by about 5 feet. The new eight sprinted at the first + mile point and came abreast of them. I say sprint, although it was hard to tell when a crew was sprinting, as they were both up to the limit all the time. Finally they came out from under the trolley bridge bow to bow, and even to the inch and here something started which I have never seen before in all my experience. These crews happened to be rowing the same stroke and were in stroke and the same run on their boats developed so that there was never six inches differences in the bows of the boats from the trolley bridge to the head of the island. Here McNichol, stroking the 'big eight', raised his beat a little and rowed out in front of the new eight by about 3 feet. But English raising the stroke of the new eight, was not to be denied, and he raised the stroke and they were even again at the middle of the island with an eight of a mile to row. The coxswains were urging their crews for every ounce of strength, and the two crews were straining as hard as any men who ever rowed a race. Again they were even, rowing about 42 strokes per minute, and by this time they were just out of stroke with each other. Every time one eight would take a stroke they would move ahead a couple of feet then immediately be passed by the other crew when they took their stroke. So finally it developed that it was just a question of which crew would be on the stroke at the time they hit the line. As the gun went off at the finish the big eight had just finished their stroke and the new eight was coming up for theirs, and the former finished over the line by about a one foot margin. Both crews were badly used up at the finish and they showed the remarkable time of 5:49. True, conditions were fast, but the wind had die down and the river was very calm. The last Olympic race, under similar conditions, was won in 6:03."

In the 1931 nationals in Philadelphia, Penn AC was first in the lightweight four, senior eight and lightweight eight, third in the association single and dash and the senior eight, and second in the senior four with and senior quad.

The 1932 Olympic trials were combined with the nationals and People's Regatta in Philadelphia, except for the eights trials, which were held in Worcester, Mass. The Penn AC eight had a dead heat in 6:06 with the California crew in the trials and did not make the Olympic team. There was considerable speculation that the determination of the dead heat was influenced by not having to pay the way back to the East Coast if California went to the Olympics, a major expense during the Depression. Penn AC won the straight four and lightweight four trials and was second in the four with. Bill Miller won the championship single, and Penn AC won the lightweight eight and the championship quad. Howard McGillin was second in the junior single, and the Penn AC junior eight, senior double, intermediate four gig and intermediate double also were second. The lightweight Penn AC double was third. Ed Hixon won the intermediate single, and Al Vogt was second in the quarter-mile dash.

The 1932 Olympics
At Long Beach, Calif., Philadelphia oarsmen represented the U.S. in six of the seven events, three of which were from Penn AC. This was the fourth consecutive Olympics in which the U.S. won both the eight and double. The U.S. had three firsts. In the Bachelors BC double, Ken Myers and Garrett Gilmore won in 7:17 over Germany 7:22 and Canada 7:27. In the Pennsylvania BC pair with, Joe Schauers, Charles Kieffer and Ed Jennings, coxswain, won the gold in 8:25 over Poland 8:31 and France 8:41. This was the first gold for the U.S. in that event. Penn AC's William Miller was second in the single in 7:45 to the famous Henry Pearce of Australia, in 7:44, who has never been defeated. Pearce said that Miller gave him the hardest race of his life. Pearce was awarded the Gold Challenge Cup. He forfeited the cup when he turned pro in 1933. The Penn AC straight four of E.W. Johnson, Tom Pierie, George Mattson and John McCosker was fourth by two lengths to the British, with the Germans second and Italy coming in third. The Penn AC four with of Ed Marshall, Charles Drueding, Harry Grossmiller, Frank English and Tom Mack, coxswain, racing in open seas with a strong headwind, was fourth in the repechage, and the Undine pair without of Eugene and Tom Clark was fourth in the heat. The U.S. eight won by 6:37.6 in a titanic sprint in the last 50 yards, beating Italy, 6:37.8, which was a half-length over Canada and England. This was the second consecutive win at the Olympics for the Cal eight.

Also in 1932, at the nationals in Philadelphia, the Penn AC crews won the Barnes Point Trophy with five heavyweight and two lightweight events, including the senior four, senior eight, senior four and lightweight four, and Bill Miller won the championship single. John McNichols was the coach of West Catholic for three undefeated seasons and succeeded Frank Muller as the Penn AC coach and was the Olympic coach in the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany. In the American Rowing Association Regatta in Philadelphia, Penn AC placed first and second in the second eight, Bill Miller was first in the single, and first in the four race. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC won the senior pair with and the lightweight senior four and first and second in the senior eight, second in the straight four, third in the junior eight. Al Vogt won the quarter-mile dash, Howard McGillin was third in the junior single gig, Ed Hixon won the junior single, and Bill Miller won the championship single. Herman Wohlgemuth was fourth in the intermediate single. In the Middle States Regatta in Baltimore, Bill Miller was first in the quarter-mile dash, and Latimer Lawrence won the junior single. Penn AC was first in the senior four, junior quad, senior lightweight gig four and senior four gig, and third in the junior eight.

In the 1933 nationals in Chicago, run in high winds and rough water and on a shortened course of 3/4 mile, Penn AC again won six national championships and the point trophy. The four Penn AC scullers won all five sculling championships, a national championship record. Bill Miller won the championship single in 5:21. Al Vogt won the association single in 5:20, advancing through four heats and two semifinals. A.E. Fitzpatrick won the dash. Penn AC's lightweight eight and senior eight won, the senior quad and double won in 4:37, and the double lightweight four was second to the West Side. In the American Rowing Association Regatta, Penn A.C. won the senior four and club eight in 6:53. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Harry Grossmiller was second in the junior single, Ed Hixon was second in the senior single, and Joe Dougherty was second in the association single. Penn AC won the senior eight and four and was second in the junior eight. In the Independence Day Regatta, Al Vogt won the senior dash, Bill Miller won the championship single, and Penn AC was first in the senior eight, junior four and handicap double and senior four, and second in the senior eight and senior lightweight four. In the Middle States Regatta, Dan Barrows won the association single, and Howard McGillin won the intermediate single. Penn AC won the intermediate quad and senior lightweight four and was second in the junior quad, junior eight and senior eight.

In 1934, Penn AC again won the Barnes Point Trophy at the nationals in Baltimore. Penn AC was first in the senior eight, four, four without, lightweight eight and double and second in the lightweight four, lightweight quad and senior quad. Al Vogt was second in the championship single, and Dan Barrow was fourth in the quarter-mile dash. In the American Rowing Association Regatta in Philadelphia, Al Vogt was first in the first single, Dan Barrow was second in the second single, and Penn AC was first in the interclub eight, special four and first eight and second in the first double. In the Middle States Regatta in Baltimore, Hans Jongloed won the senior single and association single, and Tom Curran won the intermediate single. Penn AC was first in the senior eight and senior four gig and second in the senior double. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Al Vogt won the quarter-mile dash, Joe Veterlein won the junior single gig, Howard McGillin was third in the association single, and Tom Kerr was fourth in the junior single. Penn AC was first in the junior eight and junior four gig, first and second in the lightweight senior four, won the

In 1935, the Schuylkill Navy held one of the largest rowing spectacles of its kind, the "Rowing Pageant," in which club boats, with Victorian uniforms, executed a spectacular series of maneuvers in front of thousands of spectators. Charles Campbell of Argonaut BC in Canada beat Winthrop Rutherford of Princeton for the Gold Challenge Cup. In the nationals in Princeton, Dan Barrow was second in the association single, Al Vogt fourth in the quarter-mile dash and third in the Philadelphia Challenge Cup, and Penn AC was first in the senior double, quad and pair and fourth in the intermediate eight. In the American Rowing Association Regatta in Philadelphia, Howard McGillin was second in the second single, Al Vogt second in the first single and first in the double. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Dan Barrow was first in the championship single, Charles Drueding was second in the junior single, and Tom Gripson was second in the junior single. Penn AC was first in the junior four gig, senior four and intermediate double. In the People's Regatta, July 4, Dan Barrow won the championship single, Al Vogt was second in the dash and Howard McGillin was second in the association single, and Penn AC won the senior eight, four and junior double, second in the junior quad and third in the junior eight. In the Middle States Regatta, H. Grossmiller was fifth in the junior single, and Penn AC won the intermediate double.

The 1936 Olympics
In Berlin, four of the seven U.S. boats were from Philadelphia, three being from Penn AC. Germany, using a national camp system and boats that averaged 50% less in weight than the U.S. equipment, won five of the seven events. The Penn AC pair with of Joe Dougherty, Tom Curran and George Loveless, coxswain, and the Penn AC straight pair of George Dahm and Harry Sharkey failed to reach the finals. The third Penn AC boat, Dan Barrow in the single, after finishing last in his heat, won the repechage and finished second in the semifinals. He took the bronze in the finals in 8:28 behind the German G. Schaefer in 8:21. Dan beat the champions of 18 other nations and also won the U.S. nationals and the Philadelphia Gold Challenge Cup. The Undine double of John Houser and Bill Dugan was fifth. The University of Washington eight, coached by Al Ulbrickson with George Pocock, won in 6:25.4 over Italy 6:26 and Germany 6:26.4. The U.S. double was fifth, the four was second in the repechage, the straight four third in the repechage, the pair with fourth in the repechage and the straight pair third in the repechage.

In the 1936 nationals and Olympic trials in Philadelphia, Dan Barrow won the championship single trials in 7:36, Penn AC won the pair with trials in 8:36 and pair without in 7:50 and was second in the championship quad, intermediate eight and straight four, third in the junior four gig and fifth in the championship double. Penn AC was second in the Barnes point system. Undine BC won the point trophy. West Catholic won the Stotesbury varsity eight. In the American Rowing Association Regatta, Dan Barrow won the single, and Penn AC won the four and doubles and was third in the eight. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Dan Barrow won the single, and Penn AC won the junior eight, senior straight four, senior double, intermediate quad and the junior four gig, and was second in the junior and intermediate double and junior lightweight quad. In the Middle States Regatta in Philadelphia, George McGee won the intermediate single in 6:14, and Howard McGillin was second in the association single. Penn AC won the junior quad and junior double and was second in the intermediate eight and intermediate quad.

In 1937, Joe Burk of Penn AC won the Diamond Sculls at Henley Royal for only the second time by an American (Ed Hanlan in 1897, Walter Hoover in 1922). At the national championships at Buffalo, NY, Joe Burk won the single in 7:00. Penn AC was second in the eight and third in the Barnes Point Trophy. In the American Rowing Association Regatta, Penn AC was first in the second eight, second in the first four and first in the double. In the first Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Art Gallagher won the junior single in 7:54, and Frank English was second in the association single. Penn AC was first in the intermediate eight and junior quad and second in the junior eight, senior double and senior four. In the Independence Day Regatta, Frank English was second in the dash, John McGillin third in the junior gig. Penn AC was first in the senior eight and senior quad, second in the senior double and third in the lightweight double. In the second Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Joe Burk won the championship single in 7:00, Art Gallagher won the association single in 7:08, Frank English was second in the dash, and Bill Campbell third in the junior single. Penn AC won the junior quad and was second in the junior eight. In the Middle States Regatta in Baltimore, Art Gallagher was second in the senior single. Penn AC won the senior double and senior quad. Philadelphia Girls RC, the first women's rowing club, was established in Philadelphia. Jack Kelly Jr. started his rowing career at Penn AC at the age of 9 as a coxswain.

In the 1938 nationals at Red Bank, NJ, Joe Burke won the championship single in 7:46. Penn AC won the quad, and the intermediate eight was third behind NYAC and Westside BC. In 1838, and third in the eight. Joe Burk won the single in the American Rowing Association Regatta and the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, and Penn AC won the senior eight and quad. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, George McGee won the association single, Frank English was third in the dash, and Charles Ford second in the junior single. Penn AC was second in the intermediate double and senior four. Penn AC won the senior eight, junior eight and senior quad and took second in the junior four gig in the Independence Day Regatta. In the second Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Art Gallagher won the junior gig, and Penn AC won the intermediate and senior double, second in the intermediate and senior four and third in the intermediate quad. In the Middle States, Art Gallagher won the intermediate single in 6:49. Penn AC won the four gig and was second in the intermediate handicap double.

In 1939, the Penn AC eight raced Cuba, finishing second after nearly swamping in the rough Caribbean Sea. Tom Mack became the head coach at Penn AC and won 41 first-place victories in NAAO-sanctioned regattas, the greatest number won by one club in a single season. At the 1939 nationals in Detroit, Penn AC won the point trophy, Joe Burke won the championship single, and Penn AC won the four, was second in the quad and pair without and fourth in the intermediate eight and double. Joe Burke won the American Rowing Association Regatta. In the spring Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC won the senior eight and senior quad. Joe Burke won the New York regatta. In the second Schuylkill Navy Regatta, James Burk won the intermediate and championship single, and Art Gallagher won the association single. Penn AC won the senior quad, intermediate four and junior eight. At the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC won the senior four, was second in the senior double and junior four and third in the junior lightweight double and junior double. Joe Burke won the Canadian Henley and the Royal Henley in England. In the second Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Joe Burke won the championship single, and John McGillin was second in the junior single. Penn AC was first in the junior eight, second in the senior four and third in the senior eight. In the Middle States Regatta, Tom Colgan was fifth in the junior single. Penn AC won the junior quad and senior four.

During the period between the First and Second world wars, Penn AC won the Barnes Point Trophy (national championships) in 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1940. Penn AC accounted for 24 individual national championship titles. It also won the Caldwell point trophy in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1935 and won 76 individual championships in this regatta. During the prewar Olympic years, the Schuylkill Navy had 24 boats on the Olympic team, winning eight medals. Penn AC had nine of these entries with two medals in four Olympics.

The summary of Schuylkill Navy victories in the Olympics: 1900, Vesper eight, gold; 1904, Vesper eight, gold; 1920, Vesper single, gold, and Vesper double, gold; 1924, Penn AC double, gold; 1928, Penn AC double, gold; 1932, Bachelors double, gold, and Pennsylvania Barge pair with, gold.

The Diamond Sculls Champion
Possibly the best single sculler the universities ever produced was another Penn AC oarsman, Joe Burk, who rowed at the University of Pennsylvania under Rusty Callow. He lost the 1936 single trials to Dan Barrow, also of Penn AC. This was the last time Joe Burk lost until 1940, after 37 victories, when he lost to Joe Angyal, a New York fireman, at the Middle States Regatta in Baltimore. Joe rowed with a very unorthodox style at an extremely high, short stroke of 40 strokes per minute for the entire race. He was a four-time winner of the U.S. and Canadian championships and won the Diamond Sculls at Henley in England in 1938 and 1939, setting the course record in 1938. Joe won the Philadelphia Gold Cup by defeating Theodore DuBois of Winnipeg in the nationals in 1940. He was voted the James Sullivan Award as the country's outstanding amateur athlete in 1939. Joe served in PT boats in the Pacific during World War II, winning the Navy Cross and the Silver and Bronze stars for heroism in action, sinking 13 enemy barges. He returned to coach the University of Pennsylvania, completing the best winning record in the school's history by breaking the University of Washington's influence and introducing weight training and high stroke ratings. His 1955 varsity won the Eastern Sprints, breaking Navy's streak of 31 consecutive wins, won the Grand at Henley and went on to beat the Germans on their own course. This crew was inducted into the Rowing Hall of Fame. The 1968 Penn varsity eight lost to Harvard in the Olympic trials in Philadelphia. The race was so close it took the judges seven minutes to decide the winner. In the 1940 nationals at Red Bank, N.J., Penn AC won the eight (Art Gallagher, Jim Lyons, John Manion, Permar Richards, Charles Ford, Paul St. Germaine, John Lyons, Frank English and Peter McCaffery, coxswain), and the Olympic four race (Art Gallagher, Jim and John Lyons and Frank English) in 7:01, and the Olympic double (Howard McGillin and James Burke) in 7:51, and the Olympic and championship single (Joe Burk) in 7:51. Penn AC was third in the lightweight eight, lightweight four, straight four and quad and won the Barnes point trophy. At the American Rowing Association Regatta in Boston, Joe Burk won the single in 8:11. Penn AC won the first four. At the NYAC Regatta, Joe Burk won the senior single in 5:07 (1 mile), and Penn A.C. won the senior four in 5:39. At the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Joe Burk won the senior single in 7:37, and Penn AC won the junior eight and the junior double. At the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC won the intermediate eight in 7:21, the senior four, the intermediate double, the intermediate eight and senior eight. The Big Eight of 1930 rowed a reunion race.

In the Olympic trials in 1940, three of the seven boats that qualified, including the eight, were from Penn AC: Joe Burke in the single; Jim Burke and Howard McGill in the double; and Frank English, John Lyons, Jim Lyons and Art Gallagher, and Hugh McCaffrey, coxswain, in the four. Unfortunately, the Olympic Games scheduled to be in Helsinki in 1940 were canceled because of the war. The Penn AC eight won the nationals ahead of Fairmount RA at Red Bank, N.J., with coach Boyd Spencer, Peter McCaffrey, coxswain, Frank English, stroke, John Lyons, Paul St. Germaine, Charles Ford, J. Permar Richards, John Manion, Jim Lyons and Art Gallagher, bow.

Despite the retirement from active competition of some of Penn AC's greatest champions and the many members who answered the call to arms during World War II, the club won three national championships in 1941 at Minneapolis. Art Gallagher won the dash, and Penn AC won the quad, with Bill Murray, Ray McDonald, James Lyons and Joe Alessi, and the intermediate eight, with Gene Shaw, Charles Sokolowski, Gilbert Sweeney, George Gowan, Frank Lyons, John Bannon, James Cashman, Bill McGinty and Hugh McCaffrey, coxswain. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Art Gallagher won the senior single, and Penn AC won the intermediate quad. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC won the junior eight and four, with silver in the junior single, senior straight four and senior double. In the Canadian Henley, Art Gallagher won the association single. In the Middle States Regatta, Art Gallagher won the senior single, and Penn AC won the senior four. Art also won the President's Cup single.

In 1943, at the nationals in Philadelphia, this wartime regatta produced close competition in the singles and doubles but was below par in the other events. Art Gallagher won all five events he entered and was the senior single champion, and Fairmount R.A. won the championship eight, senior double, senior quad and both fours and the Barnes Point Trophy. Undine won the senior double, senior lightweight quad, lightweight four and eight. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Joe Alessi won the senior dash, and Penn AC won the junior quad with C. McIntyre, J. Bannon, E. Henwood and stroke G. Gowen. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC won the intermediate double with J. Bannon and G. Gowen. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Art Gallagher won the dash, Bob O'Neil won the lightweight junior single, and Ed McCarthy was third. Bill Campbell was third in the junior single, and Art Gallagher was third in the senior single. Penn AC won the intermediate double, junior four and intermediate double with C. McIntyre and E. Henwood. There were no nationals in 1944 and 1945.

In 1944, Jack Kelly Jr., heir apparent to the throne occupied by his twice Olympic champion father, won the schoolboy single championship. He won the Independence Day Regatta and Canadian Henley singles in 1945 and, after a hitch in the U.S. Navy, came in second in the Royal Henley. For 20 years from 1938 to 1958, Penn AC averaged four victories in each Schu Penn AC was responsible to a great extent for the renewal of scholastic rowing after World War II by sponsoring West Catholic High School rowing, started by Jack Kelly Sr. and later coached by Joe Dougherty and George Mattson. LaSalle High School returned to rowing in 1948 with the help of Jack Kelly Sr. Bill Knecht was in this crew. Penn AC also sponsored Cardinal O'Hara, St. Joseph College and, for a short time, Philadelphia Community College crew.

In 1946, the first postwar National Regatta in Philadelphia, Detroit BC won the Barnes trophy. Jack Kelly Jr., returning from a close second in the Diamond Sculls, beat Penn AC's Art Gallagher in the senior single in 8:15. Art won the dash, association single and championship single. Penn AC won the senior double (Charles McIntyre and Art Gallagher) and senior quad (Bill Murray, Ed McCarthy, Charles McIntyre and stroke Art Gallagher) and was second in the lightweight double (Ed McCarthy and Bill Murray). Penn AC was fourth in the senior four and senior eight. Art Gallagher won the dash at the NYAC regatta. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Bill Murray won the lightweight senior single dash, and John Clary won the junior single. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC was second in the junior quad and intermediate four. This regatta featured races for blind and disabled veterans from the naval hospital. Art Gallagher, with Coach Tom Mack, raced Jack Kelly Jr. in the semi, and the winner, Kell, went on to the final, being defeated by the Frenchman Sephariades. In the Middle States Regatta, Lou Backe won the junior single. Penn AC was second in the senior eight, junior four and senior straight four. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Jim Becket and Jack Bratten won the vets double. Penn AC was second in the junior four and third in the senior eight. LaSalle H.S. won the City, Stotesbury Cup and National Scholastic championship eight. In 1947, Jack Kelly Jr. won the Diamond Sculls, fulfilling his father's dream.

The 1948 Olympics
At the first postwar Olympics at Henley, England, there were 27 countries and 86 entries. The U.S. won 14 of the 26 individual gold medals. The U.S. won two firsts, in the eight and four. Penn AC renewed its Olympic tradition by qualifying in the Penn AC-NYAC combination double, Art Gallagher and Joe Angyal, a fireman from New York AC, who won their heat, defeating Argentina and Hungary. In the semifinals, they drew the unprotected outside lane and finished second to Great Britain. Jack Kelly, rowing for Vesper in the single in one of the most dramatic finishes in sculling history, rowed in a merciless hailstorm and was beaten at the finish line by Risso of Uruguay. The U.S. eight from the University of California won in 6:56 over Italy 6:25 and Norway in 6:10. The U.S. four with, from the University of Washington, won the gold in 6:50 over Switzerland and Denmark. Yale's straight four was third behind Germany and Denmark; its straight pair made it to the repechage, where they led all the way, but a collision between Italy and France forced a re-row, and we did not advance. The Vesper pair with of Vince Deeney, Joe Toland and Jack McIntyre made it to the repechage.

"Kel" won the Diamond Sculls at Henley in 1947 and 1949. The U.S. won the four, was third in the straight four, and California won the eight. The Vesper pair with did not make the finals. Mervyn Wood of Australia was awarded the Philadelphia Challenge Cup in 1948. That year, the Penn AC senior eight won the Schuylkill Navy, Middle States, President's Cup and American Henley. Tom McCreesh, later to be a state senator, won two Schuylkill Navy and two national lightweight single championships. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC won the senior eight (J. Scholl, T. Down, J. Ervin, J. Gallanaugh, R. Penrose, J. Blessing, H. Curan, P. McNamara and cox J. Coughlin), second in the junior four (B. Protevi, W. Link, F. Mellet, R. Blessing and cox C. Flannigan) and second in the senior four (J. Fruin, J. Gallanaugh, B. Penrose, J. Blessing and cox A. Keenen). In the Middle States Regatta, Penn AC won the senior eight (John Sholl, Tom Dowd, Joe Wilkes, Jim Gallagher, Jake Erwin, John Blessing, Hugh Curran, Paul McNamara and cox Jack Colgan), second in the intermediate four, third in the junior eight and lightweight junior single (John Kane). In the President's Cup Regatta, Penn AC won the senior eight and junior eight. In the Independence Day Regatta, which was combined with the NAAO championship events, Penn AC was second in the intermediate double (John Wilke and John Scanlon).

In the 1949 nationals at Buffalo, West Side won the Barnes trophy. Tom McCreesh won the lightweight dash, and Penn AC was third in the senior straight pair (John Blessing and Paul McNamara) and in the pair with (Jack Sholl, Tom Dowd and Jack Colgan, coxswain). In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Tom McCreesh won the lightweight dash, and Penn AC was second in the junior double (Mike Ontemuro and James Galanugh), in the senior four (Jake Erwin, Tom Dowd, Hugh Curran, Paul McNamara and Jack Colgan, coxswain), in the junior quad (John Kane, Joe Landy, Mike Montemuro and James Galanaugh), in the intermediate double (Hugh Monaghan and Jim McHugh), the junior eight (Jim O'Kane, George Gothier, Don Rogers, Tony DelBrillo, Jack Gegan, Joe Lane, Harry Hudome, Jim Ferry and Andy Connen, coxswain) and senior pair (Hugh Curran and Paul McNamara). In the second Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Mike Montemuro won the junior single, and Penn AC won the junior four (Jim Ludlow, Jim Ferry, Joe Landy, Harry McIlhenny and Grant Bengham, coxswain). John Kane won the junior lightweight gig. In the Independence Day Regatta, Hugh Curran was third in the junior single, fourth in the junior quad (Kane, Landy, Hannon and Galanaugh) and senior double (Erwin and Curran). In the Canadian Henley, Tom McCreesh was second in the finals of the open dash. Mike Montemura was third at the Middle States in the intermediate single and fourth in the President's Cup. Kelly Jr. won the Diamond Sculls and European championships.

In 1950, a race worthy of a Greek tragedy, the famous Gold Challenge Cup race, took place on the Schuylkill River between Jack Kelly Jr., the 1947-48 Diamond Sculls champion; Mervyn Wood of Sydney, Australia, the 1948 Olympic champion; and Tony Rowe of England, the current holder of the Diamond Sculls. Wood, in 7:14, nosed out Kelly, 7:18, with Rowe third in 7:21. Kel later won the Diamond Sculls in 8:12 over Jack Trinsey.

In the nationals in 1950, the new grandstands were dedicated to the rowers who served in either world war. At the nationals in Philadelphia, no Penn AC boats were in the finals. St. Joe Prep was second in the American Rowing Association Regatta, LaSalle H.S. won the scholastic eight, and LaSalle College won the first eight. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC was third in the junior four (Tony Sylvestro, Bill Noland, John McHugh, Bill Phipps and Tom Darcy, coxswain), second in the junior double (Joe Landy and Harry McElhenny) and third in the junior eight (Bernard Boyce, Bill Savage, John Bleacher, Tom Hegarty, Ed Kelly, Tom Langen, Jake McBreer, Tony DelBrello and Andy Connen, coxswain). In the second Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC won the intermediate double (Jesse Ferry and Jim Galanaugh) and the junior double (Jesse Ferry and Martin Ludlow). Dave Cool was third in the novice gig, and Penn AC was second in the junior four. In the Independence Day Regatta, Tom Dowd won the junior single, Jim Galanaugh won the junior gig, Joe Landy and Harry McIlhenny won the junior double, and Penn AC was second in the junior quad.

At the 1951 nationals in Worcester, Mass., Penn AC did not place in the finals. The University of Pennsylvania lightweight eight won the Thames Cup at Henley, and LaSalle College won the first of eight Dad Vail championships and was second behind Harvard in the American Rowing Association Regatta. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Tom Darcy won the junior lightweight gig, and Penn AC was third in the intermediate double (Harry McElminney and Martin Lulow). Jack Scholl was second in the junior single and fourth in the junior double (Tom Keller and Dick Carroll). Roger Hull was third in the junior single. In the Middle States Regatta, Tom Darcy won the lightweight single, and Penn AC was second in the junior four. LaSalle H.S. won the scholastic championships and the Stotesbury.

The 1952 Olympics
The 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, were the first games since 1918 in which the Russians participated, along with 31 other nations, with 113 rowing entries. The only Philadelphia entry was Jack Kelly Jr., who lost in a photo finish to Tjukalov of Russia in the semifinal. The Naval Academy won the Olympic eight (for the second time) in 6:25 over Russia 6:31 and Australia 6:33. Six of the rowers were sophomores, including the stroke. This eight, coached by Rusty Callow and nicknamed the "Admirals," was honored by a "pass in review" parade, usually reserved for presidents and admirals. The U.S. straight pair, from Rutgers, called the "Cinderella team," Charles Logg and Thomas Price, won the gold in 8:20, the first time the U.S. won this event, ahead of Belgium 8:23 and Switzerland 8:32. The four-with of Carl Lovested, Alvin Ulbrickson, Richard Wahlstrom, Matthew Leanderson and Albert Rossi was third in 7:37 behind the Czechs, 7:33, and Switzerland, 7:36. Navy's straight four was second in the repechage after the officials would not allow a substitution because of an illness. The races were held in windy conditions against the current.

In 1952, Jack Kelly Sr. became the president of the NAAO. LaSalle College again won the Dad Vail Regatta. Under the magic coaching of Tom "Bear" Curran, the youngest member of the 1930 "big eight," LaSalle won six Dad Vail championship varsity eight races in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957 and 1958. Penn's lightweight eight again won the EARC. The University of Pennsylvania won the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley in 1951, 1952 and 1955. The Korean War reduced the number of competing oarsmen at Penn AC, and it was not until the 1952 graduates of the LaSalle College crew, who rowed from Penn AC, started to rebuild the ranks of the club champions. At the same time, Jack Galloway, a LaSalle grad and Dad Vail champion, returned from the Navy and Georgetown Law School to develop a base for the junior program.

In the 1953 nationals in Philadelphia, Tom McCreesh was second in the senior dash. Navy won the IRA, and LaSalle won the Dad Vail. Penn AC was fifth in the junior four at the Schuylkill Navy Regatta. Tom Keller was second in the junior single. At the Independence Day Regatta, Tom McCreesh was second in the senior dash. In the Middle States Regatta, Penn AC was fifth in the junior four, and Tom Keller was fourth in the junior single and second in the President's Cup. Jim Rice died at 83; he rowed in more than 50 professional races and coached at the University of Pennsylvania and Detroit BC.

At the 1954 80th annual nationals and Pan Am trials in Worcester, Mass., Jim Manning's Vesper team won the Barnes Trophy. Navy won its third straight IRA, Dartmouth swept the Dad Vail, and Washington-Lee won the scholastic championships. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, John Wilkes was second in the junior single and won the special four (Rich Tully, Jerry Mackle, John McHugh, Bill Henderson and Kip Tovey, coxswain). At the Independence Day Regatta, John St. Clair won the junior gig and was third in the junior double with W. Henderson and fourth in the intermediate single. In the Middle States, A. Dilverio was fifth in the junior gig, and Penn AC was third in the senior four (F. Ford, W. Henderson, W. Nolan, J. St. Clair and J. Henderson, coxswain). The Manny Flick high school races started in 1954. Rowing lost the great single sculler Maj. Joe Angyal, USMC, when his Grumman Cougar jet crashed not far from the NYAC rowing course. He flew more than 65 missions in the Pacific war and rowed with Penn AC's Art Gallagher in the 1948 Olympics. The Schuylkill Navy held a commodore's review at Peters Island to celebrate the completion of the river dredging project. A new survey of the race course was made by Albany & Doran Surveyors.

In 1955, the eastern U.S. was hit by a hurricane that damaged many rowing facilities and caused some regattas to be canceled. At the nationals in Philadelphia, Penn AC was third in the lightweight quad and in the intermediate eight. The University of Pennsylvania won the EARC and Adams Cup, and Dartmouth won the Dad Vail in a near dead heat with Rollins. Jack St. Clair and John McHugh were second in the double in the 112th Schuylkill Navy Regatta. The Penn AC junior eight was third (D. Kerry, J. St. Clair, Paul Dougherty, Tom Darcy, Dave Unger, Dick Yocum, Joe Harris, John McHugh and Jim Henderson, coxswain). They were second in the Independence Day Regatta, as was the Penn AC senior eight (J. McHugh, J. Ferry, J. St. Clair, T. Langan, J. Galanaugh, J. Wilkes, J. Harris, J. McHugh and A. Gentile, coxswain). Penn AC's junior four was second in the Middle States (Tom Darcy, Don Kerry, Jack St. Clair, John McHugh and Chris Mattson, coxswain), and second in the intermediate four (Jim Galloway, Ed Haas, John Todd, John McHugh and Chris Mattson, coxswain). St. Joe Prep, coached by Jim Manning, was undefeated and won the scholastic nationals. The University of Pennsylvania won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley. In the first postwar revival of the Pan Am Games in Mexico City, Schuylkill Navy crews won four of the seven places on the U.S. team and won two of the three gold for the U.S. and two second places. Kel won the single, the Fairmount pair of John Kieffer and Tom McDonough, Paul McArdle, coxswain, was second, the Vesper four was second, and the Vesper eight first.

The 1956 Olympics
At Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, Australia, the U.S. won three gold, two silver and a bronze. All but one of the seven U.S. entrants reached the finals. Yale racing as the United States won the eight in 6:35 over Canada 6:37 and Australia 6:39. The Stanford pair-with of Dan Ayrault, Conn Findlay and Kurt Seiffer won the gold in 8:26, West Germany second in 8:29 and Russia 8:31. The Navy pair-without of James Fifer and Duvall Hecht won the gold in 7:55, Russia 8:03 and Austria 8:11. This was the second consecutive win in the pair. The Detroit BC straight four and double were third and fourth, respectively. "Kell" took a bronze medal in 8:11 behind the Russian Ivanov, 8:02 (who also won the 1960 and 1964 Olympic single), and Australia's MacKenzie, 8:07. The Detroit BC double of Pat Costello and James Gardiner took silver in 7:32 behind Russia, which won in 7:24. The West Side (Buffalo, NY) straight four took the silver in 7:18 behind Canada, which won in 7:08. The West Side four-with was fifth in the semifinals.

In 1956, Jack Kelly Jr. won the Diamond Sculls at the Royal Henley, thus vindicating the slight given his father when he was excluded from competing at the Royal Henley in 1927.

In 1958, Penn AC won the Middle States point trophy and the junior eight, intermediate four and eight national championships. In the nationals in Philadelphia, Hugh Curran was fourth in the association single. LaSalle College won the Dad Vail. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Tom Keller won the junior single, and John McHugh, Jim Becket Jr., Jack St. Clair and Paul McNamara were second in the intermediate quad. Penn AC was second in the intermediate double, and the junior quad was sixth (J. Pritt, E. Haas, P. Delaney and L. Heine), the senior four was third (P. Grexa, P. Ignas, G. Hefferman, J. McFadden and T. Loschiavo, coxswain), and the senior eight was second (J. McFadden, G. Hefferman, P. Grexa, T. Becket, P. Ignas, R. Yocum, J. St. Clair, T. Keller and T. Loschiavo). Dan Barrow was fourth in the novice gig. In the Independence Day Regatta, Larry Heine and Franz Schneider were third in the junior double, and the junior eight won (J. McFadden, P. Grexa, T. Darcy, P. Ignace, J. Beckett, J. St. Clair, T. Keller and T. Loschivo, coxswain). Tom Keller was fourth in the junior single. The senior eight was fifth. St. Joe Prep won the scholastic championship. The great Syracuse and Penn Barge coach Ned Ten Eyck died. The Schuylkill Navy took over management of Penn Barge, No. 4 Boathouse Row.

At the 1957 nationals in Philadelphia, Jack St. Clair was third in the association single, and the Penn AC lightweight double was fifth. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Bill Johnson was fourth in the junior gig, Paul Grexa fourth in the junior single and, with Bill Henderson, third in the junior and junior lightweight double. Tom Darcy was third in the association single. Penn AC was third in the junior lightweight double. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC was second in the intermediate double, Tom Darcey was third in the lightweight dash, and Jack St. Clair was third in the intermediate single. Tom Darcy was sixth in the association single. St. Joe Prep won the junior four at the Canadian Henley and the championship eight at the Philadelphia scholastic championship. Cornell won the Grand Challenge Cup against Yale at Henley. It also won the IRA. LaSalle won the Dad Vail; Jack Galloway and Tom Loschiavo from Penn AC were in this boat.

In the 1958 nationals in Philadelphia, Gus Ignas won the championship single in 7:20, and the Penn AC intermediate eight was seventh. W&L H.S. won the Thames Cup at Henley, defeating the Harvard lightweights and the Kent School. Vesper, the University of Washington and Tom McDonough of Fairmount RA raced in Moscow. LaSalle won the Dad Vail. Penn AC was fourth in the championship eight, third in the intermediate double and fifth in the junior double in the Schuylkill Navy Regatta. The junior eight was fifth in the Independence Day Regatta. Jack Galloway won the junior lightweight single in the President's Cup for Potomac BC, and Penn AC won the junior quad. In the Middle States Regatta, Penn AC was third in the junior double and won the intermediate four (Bill Henderson, Jerry Jerome, Paul Grexa, Jack St. Clair and Jack Andrews, coxswain) and won the junior eight (Jules Cook, Chris and George Mattson, Jim Brazel, Steve Schwab, Jim Henderson, Jerry Jerome, Paul Donohue and Jack Anderson, coxswain). This boat also went on to win the intermediate eight. Penn AC's senior eight was fourth.

In the 1959 nationals at Detroit, Penn AC had no entries in the finals. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Jack St. Clair won the intermediate single, and the Penn AC junior double of Tom Lynch and Tom Mattioli was fifth. At the President's Cup, Penn AC won the junior quad (Tom Keller, Jules Clark, Chris Mattson and Jim Henderson). In the Pan Ams in Chicago, the U.S. won six of the seven events; Ted Nash was in the winning straight four. Wisconsin was a surprise winner at the IRA. Brown won the Dad Vail. Washington-Lee won the Stotesbury and scholastic nationals. Julius Barnes, the donor of the Barnes Trophy and the power in the Duluth BC, died. Harry Parker joined Vesper after graduating from Penn, winning two nationals and the Pan Ams, and was the U.S. single sculler in the Rome Olympics.

In the 1960 Olympics
In Rome, the U.S. four-without from Lake Washington Boat Club (Art Ayrault, Ted Nash, John Sayer and Rich Wailes) won the straight four, coming from behind at the first 500 meters to win in 6:26 over Italy (6:28) and Russia (6:29). The Navy eight lost for the first time in U.S. Olympic participation, finishing fifth; West Germany won in 5:57 over Canada (6:01) and the Czechs (6:04). German coach Karl Adam had studied U.S. interval training methods in track and field and applied them to rowing.

The Seattle pair-with (Richard Draeger, Conn Findlay and coxswain Henry Mitchell) placed third in 7:34 behind West Germany (7:29) and Russia (7:30). The pair-without of Ted Frost and Bob Rodgers also finished fifth. Harry Parker placed fifth in the single. The Seattle four-with did not advance through the semifinals, and the Vesper double of Bill Knecht and Jack Kelly Jr. failed in the repechages. Only one medal of any color was won by non-European crews. This relatively poor showing led to an evaluation of the selection process and a proposal to form camps and, at Ted Nash's suggestion, set realistic time standards. Nash also won gold at the Pan American Games in 1959, 1963 and 1967. California won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta, and Navy won the Eastern Sprints. Brown won the Dad Vail Regatta.

At the Independence Day Regatta, Steve Schwab placed third in the junior gig, and Penn AC placed fourth in the junior quad. In the President's Cup Regatta, Penn AC placed fourth in the junior four and fifth in the junior eight. At the Middle States Regatta, Penn AC placed sixth in the junior double, third in the junior lightweight double and third in the junior eight.

Harvard lightweights won the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley, setting a course record. John B. Kelly Sr. died at age 72; he competed from 1909 to 1925, was national single champion in 1914, 1915, 1916, 1919 and 1920, and won Olympic gold in the single once and the double twice (1920 and 1924). Coach Rusty Callow also died; he coached at the University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania and Navy, where his crews won the 1952 Olympics and achieved a collegiate record of 31 straight wins.

At the 1961 national championships, in Philadelphia, Ted Nash won the doubles with Bill Flint, rowing for Lake Washington; Penn AC did not place. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC placed second in the senior four and intermediate four. At the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC placed fifth in the junior lightweight single (Al Casale), second in the senior four and third in the junior eight. In the President's Cup, Penn AC won the junior quad (Bill Kingsmore, Bill Clark, Paul Grexa and Steve Schwab) and placed third in the junior double (Jerry Kyle and Jim Brazel). In the Middle States Regatta, Penn AC won the pair-without (Steve Schwab and Paul Grexa) and junior quad (Bill Clark, Steve Schwab, Paul Grexa and James Brazel), and placed second in the junior four, senior pair and junior lightweight single (Al Casale). Monsignor Bonner High School won the Stotesbury Cup and placed second in the scholastic nationals. California won the IRA, and Navy won the Sprints. Brown won the Dad Vail. Stuart Mackenzie of Australia won his fifth Diamond Sculls. Jim Manning, the great Vesper coach, died, and Tibor Machan took his place.

In 1962, Penn AC juniors won the President's Cup in Washington, D.C. In 1963, they repeated their victory in this regatta as an intermediate eight. George Mattson, from the 1932 Olympic straight four and coach at West Catholic High School, took over the coaching position at Monsignor Bonner High School and continued for 14 years, creating the foundation for Penn AC junior champions.

A State Department cultural exchange program brought the Russian crew to the U.S., and for the first time in 30 years a club eight (Vesper) beat the top college crews, placing second to the Russians and defeating IRA champion Cornell at the Independence Day Regatta. Vyacheslav Ivanov won the single, defeating Seymour Cromwell and winning the Philadelphia Challenge Cup.

At the nationals in Buffalo, Seymour Cromwell of Riverside Boat Club won the single for the second time; he placed third twice at the FISA World Championships. Ted Nash rowed on the winning straight four by five lengths, earning a Pan American Games berth. Bill Knecht of Vesper won in the double and made his fourth national team. Undine won the quad. Vesper placed second in the eight to St. Catharines and qualified for the Pan American Games. Detroit Boat Club won the point trophy. Cornell won the IRA. Navy, Cornell and MIT had a dead heat at the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges regatta. Georgetown won the Dad Vail. At the American Henley, Al Casale placed third in the lightweight single, and the Penn AC four placed fourth. Steve Schwab and Paul Grexa placed second in the senior straight pair at the Schuylkill Navy Regatta. At the Canadian Henley, Seymour Cromwell broke Joe Burk's 1938 record of 7:15 in the single. Ted Nash's straight four from Lake Washington won. At the President's Cup Regatta, Penn AC won the junior four and placed third in the intermediate double and junior eight. In the Middle States, Mike McHugh, George Avery, Tom Frankey and Bill McCusker won both the junior and intermediate four and placed third in the senior four. Washington-Lee High School won the scholastics.

The year 1963 was noteworthy for the visit of the German Ratzeburg eight, coached by Karl Adam, which defeated every collegiate and club crew in the U.S. and Canada. In 1960, the Germans won the Olympic eight, marking the first time a foreign crew won the Olympic eight race when the U.S. entered. Dietrich Rose from the German team moved to Philadelphia and became active at Vesper. This marked the beginning of the development of the great Vesper Olympic eight, with the arrival of the Amlong brothers, Emory Clark, Boyce Budd and Bill Stowe, along with Stan Cwiklinski and Hugh Foley from LaSalle College and Bill Knecht from LaSalle High School.

St. Catharines won the U.S. Championship Barnes Trophy in Philadelphia. In this regatta, Don Spero defeated Seymour Cromwell in the championship single, and Ted Nash rowed on the winning four-without from Lake Washington. The U.S. won four of seven Pan American Games events in Brazil: single, double and both pairs, while the eight placed fourth. Marietta College won the Dad Vail. In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC placed second in the junior gig (Dan Bell) and fourth in the junior four, junior eight and senior four. Penn AC won the junior eight at the President's Cup Regatta.

The 1964 Olympics
In Tokyo, the U.S. returned to world rowing supremacy with two Olympic gold medals, two silver, and a bronze. The Vesper club eight won the gold in 6:18 over West Germany (6:23) and the Czechs (6:25) in a much-delayed, thrilling nighttime final. Joe and Tom Amlong, Boyce Budd, Emory Clark, Stan Cwiklinski, Hugh Foley, Bill Knecht, Bill Stowe, coxswain Bob Zimonyi, and coach Al Rosenberg recaptured the winning club tradition in the Olympic eight competition for the first time since the Vesper gold medals in 1900–1904.

The U.S. pair-with of Ed Ferry, Conn Findlay, and coxswain Henry Mitchell won the gold in 8:21 ahead of France (8:21) and the Dutch (8:32). Don Spero of NYAC was sixth in the single. In the double, Seymour Cromwell and Jim Storm were second in 7:13 behind Russia, which won in 7:10. The starboard-stroked, stern-steered straight four of Geoffrey Picard, Richard Lyon, Theodore Mittet, and Ted Nash took third in 7:01 behind Denmark (6:59) and England (7:00.0). The Potomac pair-without of Tony Johnson and Jim Edmonds was third in the repechage.

In 1964, the Penn AC junior eight was undefeated and climaxed its season by winning the nationals in the intermediate eight (Andy Monaghan, Jerry Giambatista, Tom Talone, Jerry Dudley, Clem Kopf, Phil Jonik, Mike Tracey, and coxswain Greg Steffan) and the intermediate four (Mike Tracey, Clem Kopf, Phil Jonik, and coxswain Tom Fox; coached by Jack Galloway). It is of note that every boy in this group was under 16 years old. In 1965, they were compelled to row as seniors due to their previous wins, and lost all but one race to older oarsmen. Most of these young men left and never competed again as oarsmen. This was a clear indication of a general dissatisfaction with the old classification. Jack Galloway, Dietrich Rose, and Chuck Colgan from Vesper Boat Club suggested age class races similar to those held in Europe. From the inception of these youth classifications, Penn AC has consistently had winning crews. Jack Galloway was the recipient of Malta's Ulman Award for outstanding service to rowing.

Penn AC was fifth in the lightweight four at the nationals, fourth in the lightweight eight, and sixth in the lightweight four at the Canadian Henley. Penn AC won the intermediate eight and placed third in the senior eight at the NYAC Memorial Day Regatta. At the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC won the junior eight (Tom Talone, Jack Gallagher, Mike Rolle, Jerry Giambatista, Clem Kopf, Phil Jonik, Mike Tracey, and coxswain Greg Steffan), placed second in the junior double and four, third in the junior lightweight single (Mike McHugh), and fifth in the senior eight. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC was third in the intermediate eight and second in the junior four. In the Middle States Regatta, Vince Bindo was fourth in the junior gig, and Penn AC was second in the senior four and fourth in the junior four. The U.S. won five of the seven events at the Worlds in Bled. Washington-Lee won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley. Georgetown won the Dad Vail, Harvard won the Sprints, and California won the IRA.

In the nationals at NYAC, Don Spero lost the championship single on the last stroke to Detroit's Bill Maher. Vesper won the eight and both fours; Fairmount won the double and quad, with Detroit taking the majority of the other races. In the American Henley at Worcester, Massachusetts, Penn AC was second in the lightweight eight and junior double (Baxter and Harris), and third in the junior four, junior pair, junior eight, and junior four. In the 120th Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC won the senior four (Jerry Dudley, John Campbell, Clem Kopf, and Greg Steffan), was second in the junior eight, and third in the junior double and junior four; Jim Griendling was fourth in the junior lightweight single. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC was second in the junior and intermediate four and junior eight, third in the junior four, and fourth in the senior eight. In the Middle States Regatta, Penn AC took three firsts and was runner-up with 71 points. Jack Galloway coached Phil Jonik, who won the intermediate single; the senior four (Greg Steffan, Jerry Dudley, Phil Jonik, John Campbell, and coxswain Tom Fox) and senior pair (Jerry Dudley, John Campbell, and coxswain Tom Fox) also won. The senior pair-without was second, and the senior eight was third. Tabor Academy won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley. Vesper lost to Ratzeburg in Germany. Harvard won the Lucerne International Regatta. Northwestern won the Dad Vail, Harvard swept the Sprints, and Navy swept the IRA. George Hines coached the LaSalle High School eight to an upset victory in the scholastic nationals over Washington-Lee.

In 1967, junior oarsmen from Monsignor Bonner High School, rowing from Penn AC and coached by Murph Simkowski, represented the U.S. in Ratzeburg, Germany, winning the petite finals. Penn AC also won the nationals in the lightweight eight championship. Penn AC had row-over wins in the junior four and eight in the NYAC Memorial Day Regatta. At the American Henley, the Penn AC senior pair won (Ed Harris and Steve Baxter), as did the junior eight (Paul Bracken, Mark, Bob Harkins, Marty Quinlan, Bob Beatty, Leo Burt, Jim Wickersham, and coxswain Tom Rafferty). In the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Penn AC was second in the intermediate and senior four, senior pair, and senior eight, and third in the junior four. In the President's Cup Regatta, Penn AC was second in the junior four, junior double, and junior eight, and third in the senior four. Harvard won the Thames Challenge Cup, and Don Spero won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley as well as the Worlds in Bled. Marietta swept the Dad Vail Regatta. Wisconsin won the IRA. Philadelphia Girls Rowing Association won the women's nationals eight. Washington-Lee won the scholastic championship. Jack Bratten, three-seat in the world champion Penn AC eight, died at age 62. He coached Penn AC, St. Joseph's Prep, and LaSalle College, and was commodore of the Schuylkill Navy from 1949 to 1950.

The 1968 Olympics
In Mexico, John Van Blom of Long Beach was fourth in the single. West Germany's eight won in 6:07 over Australia and Russia. In the straight pair, Larry Hough and Philip Johnson were second in 7:26 behind East Germany (7:26). In the double, Bill Maher and John Nunn were third in 6:54 behind Russia (6:51) and the Dutch (6:52).

In the nationals in 1967 in Philadelphia, the New Zealand eight won in heavy rain. Penn AC won the lightweight eight (Jerry Dudley, Larry O'Malley, Andy Monaghan, Kevin O'Malley, Lou Sonzogni, Phil Jonik, Drew McKinley, Greg Steffan, and coxswain Tom Fox). The Penn AC quad (Jim Griendling, Paul Grexa, Steve Baxter, and Jim Wickersham) was third. In the lightweight four, Penn AC was sixth (Andy Monaghan, Larry O'Malley, Drew McKinley, Kevin O'Malley, and coxswain Tom Fox). In the intermediate eight, Penn AC was fifth (Dave Lewis, Vince Morelli, Mike Schell, Dave Young, Bob Gibbons, John Petro, Joe Cunningham, Dan Jordan, and coxswain Mike Cipollone). Ed Harris and Vince Bindo were fourth in the lightweight double at the Canadian Henley. Cornell won the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley. The U.S. won six of the seven events at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. The U.S. won the pair and placed second in the eight at the Worlds in Vichy, France. At the American Henley in Worcester, Massachusetts, Penn AC won the lightweight four (Andy Monaghan, Drew McKinley, Larry and Kevin O'Malley, and coxswain Tom Fox), placed fourth in the junior pair, fifth in the senior eight, and seventh in the lightweight single (Ed Harris). The Penn AC junior lightweight double won the Schuylkill Navy Regatta (Vince Bindo and Ed Harris); Vince was second in the junior lightweight single. The senior four was third. In the Philadelphia Youth Regatta, Penn AC won the cadet eight (Steve Bukata, Steve Jonik, Chuck Crawford, Jim Rowe, Chuck Baxter, Jim Powers, Mike Harkins, and coxswain Jim O'Brien) and the cadet four (Chuck Baxter, Steve Jonik, Steve Bukata, Jim O'Brien, and coxswain Mike Cipollone), and placed second in the pair-without. In the Independence Day Regatta, Penn AC was fourth in the junior four and second in the senior lightweight eight. Marietta won the Dad Vail. Harvard won the EARC, and Penn won the IRA. Washington-Lee won the scholastic championship.

The Penn AC juniors coached by Joe Sweeney represented the U.S. in Amsterdam, taking the bronze medal behind the East German eight that won the next World Championship in Moscow. This Penn AC junior eight went on to win the Intermediate Eight National Championship the following year.

In the 1969 nationals, McKibbon and Van Blom won the gold in the double, the Penn AC senior eight won, and a youth pair won in the Worlds in Greece. In 1971, a combination Penn AC and Vesper straight four won the Youth nationals and represented the U.S. in Yugoslavia. The year 1971 was the real start of the USRA camp system.

The 1972 Olympics
In Munich, the U.S. won only one medal, the silver taken by the camp eight (New Zealand won in 6:08, U.S. 6:11, East Germany 6:11). Jim Dietz was fifth in the single. Chuck Crawford, a former Monsignor Bonner and Rutgers oarsman, made the camp lightweight eight and went on to win the FISA World Championship in Germany. In 1974, Bill Belden won the lightweight single at Lucerne. In 1975, Crawford, who was coaching the St. Joseph's Prep program, began a rebuilding program with a junior eight that in 1976 made the finals in the World Junior trials at Princeton. In 1977, the junior eight finished second at the nationals in Washington, D.C., and the junior lightweight eight won the nationals and Canadian Henley. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was enforced to eliminate sex discrimination in education programs, leading to the largest increase in rowing participation in the U.S.

The 1976 Olympics
In Montreal, the first Olympics in which women participated in rowing, the U.S. women's eight was third behind East Germany and Russia. East Germany won the eight in 5:58 over England (6:00) and New Zealand (6:03). The U.S. straight pair of Calvin Coffey and Mike Stains was second in 7:26 behind East Germany (7:23); Ted Nash was their coach. Joan Lind Van Blom was second in the women's single; she also won a silver in the 1984 Olympic quad. In 1978, Dan Lyons, a second-generation Penn AC member, stroked the Naval Academy varsity eight to the IRA Championship. Dietrich Rose took the job as the Penn AC elite coach in 1978. He recruited top college oarsmen and won the elite eight as a combination Vesper and Penn AC camp boat in the nationals at Camden, New Jersey. Three Penn AC oarsmen also were in the Junior FISA Championship Eight in Yugoslavia; two were in the quad and one in the straight four.

In 1979 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the U.S. elite eight from the University of Pennsylvania graduate center coached by Ted Nash won the gold over Canada and Cuba. Bill Belden of Undine Boat Club won the world lightweight singles in 1974–1979 and silver in 1980. The Penn AC junior eight and straight four won the nationals at Occoquan, Virginia. The next year, the Penn AC junior eight—made up of St. Joseph's Prep oarsmen fresh back from a trip to the Royal Henley in England—was unchallenged at the trials and competed in the FISA Worlds in Belgium, placing ninth out of 23 entries. The difference between fifth and ninth was only two seconds.

The 1980 Olympics
In the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, the political decision to withdraw the U.S. team denied American athletes their chance for glory and plunged the Olympic system into a downward spiral of political retribution and commercialism. The East German eight won in 5:49 over England (5:51) and Russia (5:52).

In 1981, the Penn AC juniors finished third in the Independence Day Regatta. In 1982, Penn AC was designated as the Junior National Camp with Chuck Crawford as head coach. In the World Junior Championships in Italy, the camp eight came in second, losing to the West Germans by one-tenth of a second. The period from 1978 to 1982 witnessed the start of a full-fledged masters program, and Boathouse Row was at the forefront with combination boats that won masters championships in Red Bank, New Jersey; Burlington, New Jersey; and Brigantine, New Jersey. Penn AC masters were in Schuylkill Navy boats that won national championships in Boston and Miami. Gus Ignas won the Masters Worlds in Amsterdam in the double and eight in 1982.

Cross Country and Basketball
Besides this impressive record of rowing championships, Penn AC has been a traditional power in cross country and basketball. The club holds the Schuylkill Navy Cross Country team trophy five times (1907–1911), and in 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1960. Bill Clark held the course record when he won the "turkey trot" in 28:12 in 1960. Joseph Fleith won six times between 1907 and 1911. Penn AC won the Schuylkill Navy basketball championship in 1940, 1956, 1966, 1968, 1969, and 1971.

The New Boathouse
The record of Penn AC during this period was remarkable considering practically the total effort of the club was directed to building the new addition from 1964 until 1982. This project required the club to incur a $24,000 debt at the same time it lost the financial support of the downtown Penn AC, which had supported the rowing club since 1924. Only through the able financial guidance of treasurer Jake Ervin and a half-dozen members who put up collateral was the club able to stay open. Henry Backe, Steve Baxter, and others helped finance this project.

The Nash Era
In 1983, Ted Nash came to Penn AC as elite coach after 18 years as head coach at the University of Pennsylvania from 1965 to 1983. Nash had rowed in high school in California, and after serving as an Army pilot during the Korean War, returned to row at the University of Washington and was coached by Stan Pocock at Lake Washington Rowing Club. Ted Nash won Olympic gold in the straight four in 1960 at Rome and bronze in the same event in 1964 at Tokyo, plus numerous national, world, Canadian, and Pan American championships. Nash was also the first president and co-founder of the National Women's Rowing Association and started a blind rowing program in 1961. Penn AC began a meteoric rise in world competition not seen at the club level since Vesper's success at the turn of the century and in 1960, or Penn AC during the 1930 Frank Muller era. This fledgling 1983 program produced outstanding results in the nationals in the straight four and pair-with (John Walters, Kish Aausbeck, and coxswain Steve Shellens), plus the lightweight senior eight and the intermediate double and single, which took bronze. A four-with coached by Ted Nash won the Pan American Games at Caracas, Venezuela.

The 1984 Olympics
In Los Angeles, 10 Penn AC members were part of the U.S. Olympic team, including Kevin Still, Bob Espeseth, and coxswain Douglas Herland, who took bronze in the pair-with in 7:12 behind Italy (7:05) and Romania (7:11). The men's straight pair of David DeRuff and Vesper's John Strotbeck was sixth. In the double, Brad Lewis and Paul Enquist took the gold in 6:36, beating Belgium (6:38) and Yugoslavia (6:30). The women's eight won gold, beating the Romanians and the Dutch. The Romanian women won five gold medals and one silver in their six races. In the men's eight, Canada won in 5:41, the U.S. was second in 5:41, and Australia was third in 5:43. The U.S. four-with also took silver; England was first in 6:18, the U.S. second in 6:20, and New Zealand third in 6:23. Charlotte Geer was second in the women's single behind Valerie Racila of Romania. John Biglow was fourth in the men's single in 7:12. Anne Marden, Lisa Rohde, Joan Lind, Virginia Gilder, and Kelly Rickon were second in the women's quad behind Romania. The U.S. won a total of two gold, five silver, and one bronze medal at Lake Casitas. These sparse gold medal results are the more regrettable since the Soviet teams withdrew in retribution for the U.S. withdrawal from the 1980 Olympics. Several of the Olympians joined the Penn AC team to train for the next Olympics. Penn AC also won the San Diego Crew Classic. Joe Sweeney was awarded the Malta Boat Club Ulman Award.

Two Penn AC members became local heroes with their dramatic rescue attempt at the Fairmount Dam. Bill Lamb, head St. Joseph's Prep coach, and Mike Fountain, an elite sculler and former Marine, deliberately drove their launch over the falls in a heroic attempt to rescue two Brooks School coaches whose launch was swept over the dam in a spring freshet. Ms. Kennworth was saved, but Ms. McBulley's body was never found. Bill and Mike were later honored by City Council.

The year 1985 set the stage for a new level of excellence. The youth program at Penn AC excelled with wins in the junior eight at the Independence Day Regatta. The elite program with John Riley, Ted Swinford, and Dr. Steve Shellens in the pair was fifth in the finals at the Worlds in Hazewinkel, Belgium. Penn AC's straight pair of Dan Lyons and Chris Clark, replacing Dave Krmpotich who was sick, won by four lengths, beating the 1984 Olympic champions from Romania. The Shipley School started its rowing program at Penn AC with Jack Galloway and Jim Hanna as coaches.

The 1986 World Championships
The Penn AC straight four made a spectacular entry on the World Championship scene with a gold at Nottingham, England. Ted Swinford, Dan Lyons, John Riley, and Bob Espeseth came from behind to outpace the East German, West German, and Czech boats to win the first gold in this event since the 1960 Olympics, the first time since 1974 that the U.S. won a world title, and the first Philadelphia team to win a world title since 1964. Vince Dougherty was the club manager for this magnificent achievement. In the nationals, a composite Penn AC–Vesper eight won the gold. The Penn AC four-with and four-without also took first place. All the Penn AC athletes had been rejected by the National Team.

The year 1987 was a massive building year for the next Olympics. Penn AC was designated as a USRA training center. In the nationals, Penn AC won gold in the senior eight, four-with, and straight four. Both fours were manned by the same world champions of the previous year, plus a silver in the pair-with (John Kissick, Ed Ives, and coxswain John Fish). Penn AC had a silver in the lightweight single (John Pinnick) and a bronze in the lightweight four-with. Penn AC won the Hanlan Trophy at the Canadian Henley with wins in the senior eight and four-with. In the nationals, the straight pair won gold. The straight four went on to win gold in Italy and bronze at the Worlds in Copenhagen, despite Espeseth's seriously injured back. The U.S. World team had 21 Penn AC members. The Penn AC eight won the San Diego Crew Classic over two Canadian eights and other Olympic and National teams from England and France.

The year 1987 witnessed the Oxford mutiny, when Americans Dan Lyons, Chris Penny, and John Fish quit in protest over elected team coaches Dan Topolski and Mike Spracklen giving preference for a seat in the boat to English team captain Donald Macdonald over Chris Clark. The media quote "when you recruit mercenaries, you can expect some pirates" indicates their Anglo cultural xenophobia. Oxford went on to win the boat race without the Americans, and coach Topolski published a book that did not adequately represent the American position. Hopefully Dan Lyons will publish a sequel giving their view. The 1988 camp system was a difficult selection process, with the final selection—the men's and women's pair-without—not made until 11 days prior to departure for Korea. Also, the issue of substituting lightweight events for existing events highlighted the controversy of the USRA board's responsibility to represent its constituency's views or make independent, objective decisions.

The Olympic trials at Mercer County, New Jersey, provided unusual drama not normally associated with rowing. The conflict between camp and club teams reached a climax. Penn AC's insistence on open trials was vindicated in the straight four trials when the Penn AC second boat, tagged "Killer B" by the media (Rich Kennelly, Dave Krmpotich, Tom Bohrer, and Raoul Rodriguez), beat the "A" boat of Bob Espeseth, John Riley, Dan Lyons, and Ted Swinford in two out of three races. In addition, the straight pair trials had seven entries from Penn AC. The ultimate winners, Kurt Bausback and Ed Ives, had been cut from the eight camp. The second-place Penn AC pair, John Riley and Ted Swinford, became the team spares. Bob Espeseth, Dan Lyons, and coxswain John Fish captured third. At the Worlds, the U.S. camp eight won gold, the first in 30 years since Penn AC won in 1930. The women's eight took silver. Penn AC took bronze without the injured Bob Espeseth.

The 1988 Olympics
In Korea, Penn AC's Dave Krmpotich was selected as U.S. team torchbearer. Germany dominated rowing, taking 10 medals, including eight gold (four of the six women's events). The East German women won all gold medals except the straight pair, which the Romanians won. The semifinal events were delayed for five hours for NBC television scheduling. The Olympic Village reported many cases of "Seoul slows" stomach virus, which affected performances. The U.S. camp eight, coached by Chris Korzeniowski, was third after leading up to the 1,500-meter mark (West Germany won in 5:46, Russia 5:48.1, and U.S. 5:48.2). Penn AC had 12 of the 34 men's Olympic team members. The Penn AC straight four (Raoul Rodriguez, Tom Bohrer, Dave Krmpotich, and Richard Kennelly Jr.) blazed to first in their heat in 6:03, but their 6:07 in the semifinals was good for only third, while East Germany in the other race clocked 6:00. Penn AC's four took the silver medal in a brilliant duel with East Germany, which won in 6:03 (U.S. 6:05, West Germany 6:06). In the women's single, Anne Marden was second in 7:50 behind East German Jutta Behrendt (7:47). In addition to the Olympic effort, the Penn AC squad captured the Barnes Trophy in the nationals with wins in the senior eight, intermediate eight, four-with, and straight four, and third in the straight pair. Tom Bohrer was second in the Boston Crash-B Sprints. The straight four medaled in Lucerne.

If the previous year was an emotional and dramatic peak for Penn AC and the club system, 1989 produced in sheer volume of medals and number of participants a vindication of the club system. In the nationals at Indianapolis, Penn AC accounted for over 30 medals—11 gold, 10 silver, and seven bronze—and won the Barnes Trophy for the third straight year. In the pair-with, John Moore, Mike Howley, and Wehner won in 7:30; in the straight pair, Tom Bohrer and Raoul Rodriguez won in 6:45. Penn AC won the four-with, four-without, and pre-elite eight. In the Canadian Henley, they were nearly as successful with eight gold, four silver, and one bronze medal, and the Hanlan Trophy, also won for the third time in a row. Overseas, the Penn AC straight four beat 30 other national teams in 6:18 at Piediluco, Italy. In the world trials, where time standards were put into effect, the straight four set a U.S. record of 6:02 in this event. John Riley, coached by Sean Drea, also qualified in the single. At the Worlds in Bled, Yugoslavia, Penn AC was represented by one member in the eight, one in the four-with, plus the straight four (John Rusher, Raoul Rodriguez, Tom Bohrer, and Rich Kennelly). The straight four won silver behind the Germans by a deck length, even though Tom Bohrer was sick during the finals. They repeated the silver at Lucerne. At the Royal Henley, the pair-with, pair-without, and straight four all won first-place gold, presented by Princess Anne. Tom Bohrer was second in the Crash-B Sprints at Boston. Thomi Keller retired as FISA president. In 1990, 30 Penn AC elite oarsmen were represented in a building process directed toward the 1992 Olympics. In the U.S. Olympic Festival, the Penn AC eight, four, and straight pair won silver medals. At the Head of the Charles, two fours placed in the top-four event and the elite eight was first. The club took eight medals in the Head of the Schuylkill. There was disappointment over the failure of the U.S. to send the straight pair (Scott and Munn) to Tasmania because they did not make the minimum time standard. The frustration of not sending developing athletes to the world championships while the USRA office staff were sent defied all logic. The U.S. won five medals: the women's eight, pair, and lightweight double won silver, and the open double won bronze. The men's lightweight double won gold. The heavyweight men did not medal in any event. At the Goodwill Games in Russia, the U.S. women's double and pair took silver medals, and the men's quad was fourth, but the U.S. eight came from fourth to a second-place finish, losing to the Germans. Three rowers in the eight were Penn AC oarsmen: Pat Manning, Tom Bohrer, and John Riley. Twelve Penn AC oarsmen were in the Worlds but did not medal. For the fourth straight time, Penn AC won the Barnes Trophy with 10 first places in the nationals in Camden, New Jersey, rowed in scorching temperatures and high humidity. The senior intermediate eight, straight four, straight pair, and senior single were first, and the four-with was second. Tom Bohrer was first in the Boston Crash-B Sprints, beating former champions T. Briton and Steve Redgrave, both Olympic gold medal winners. In Piediluco, Italy, the straight four and four-with were second and third. Penn AC won the open eight in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991, and was second in 1986 and 1987 at the Head of the Charles. They also won the Head of the Schuylkill in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. The U.S. junior eight was third in the Junior Worlds in France behind East Germany, which won for the seventh straight time. The FISA Masters were held in Miami with a strong Boathouse Row contingent represented.

In 1991, at the nationals, Penn AC won the Barnes Trophy with a contingent of 60 rowers and won the elite eight. In the nationals at Indianapolis, the Penn AC second elite eight was third behind the pre-elites (6:26) and Vesper. In the four-with, Penn AC was second and third; the straight four, pair-without, and elite eight were first. Our Olympic-bound straight four won, beating Vesper and Canada in 6:07. In the Worlds at Vienna, Penn AC's straight four (McLaughlin, Manning, Michael Porterfield, and Tom Bohrer) was second to Austria, setting the stage for a fierce rivalry that climaxed in the 1992 Olympics. The Olympic pair-with (John Moore, Aaron Pollock, and coxswain Steve Shellens) was first ahead of other Penn AC boats (Peterson and Berkner; McCollum). In the straight pair, two Penn AC boats were first and third, and in the single, John Riley, rowing for Fairmount Boat Club, was second, and Chris McKibbon of Penn AC was third behind Mexico. The Penn AC junior eight came in second. In the Pan American Games, host country Cuba won all sweep events; the U.S. straight four with Bill Serad, Shane Peterson, Raoul Rodriguez, and Will Porterfield took silver. Martin Crew was a member of the Pan American silver eight. The pair-with (Joe Gregamwich, John Radmacher, and coxswain Peter Cipollone) won silver. The lightweight camp four-with (Kane Lorin, Rob Canavan, Chris Kerber, and Al Steffan Jr.) won gold, and the Penn AC four-with (Dave Krmpotich, Karl Bjergo, Mike Filippone, Damen Anastas, and coxswain John Fish) won silver. The St. Joseph's Prep varsity eight advanced to the semifinals at the English Royal Henley. National team coaches were named: Igor Grinko from Ukraine, the first national sculling coach, and Hartmut Buschbacher from Germany, national women's sweep coach. This occurred during the year the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet Union dissolved, and Germany reunited. From 1966 to 1990, East Germany won 153 gold, 74 silver, and 42 bronze medals, employing 200 full-time coaches.

In 1992, the Penn AC elite eight finished second at the Head of the Charles. For the previous five years, Penn AC had been first at the Head of the Charles, and first for seven years at the Head of the Schuylkill. In the Olympic trials at Mercer County, New Jersey, the Penn AC straight four and pair-with both qualified for the Olympics. John Moore, Aaron Pollock, and Steve Shellens led for 1,400 meters in the finals, finishing a strong fifth in record time in a stacked race that included all eventual medal winners.

At the Amsterdam International Regatta, the Penn AC straight four (Tom Bohrer, Doug Burden, Jeff McLaughlin, and Pat Manning) took silver behind the "Awesome Foursome" Australians who won in 5:55 in dead calm conditions; both boats broke the existing world record in flat calm water. The same four had been undefeated for more than two years until the Penn AC four defeated them in Amsterdam by seven seconds prior to the Olympics. At the Olympics in Barcelona, the camp eight (Mike Teti, Jeff Klepacki, Rich Kennelly, and coxswain Mike Moore from Philadelphia) finished fourth behind Canada, Romania, and Germany. John Riley and John McKibbon of Penn AC were in the quad, Sean Hall and Jack Rusher in the four-with, and Mark Berkner was the Olympic team spare. The U.S. women's eight finished sixth. Canada won five medals compared to the single U.S. medal won by the Penn AC straight four. Penn AC had a total of 15 athletes and two coaches on the 1992 Olympic squad. Behind this superb four, four other boats from Penn AC kept up the pressure to excel that only competition can provide. The silver straight four was awarded the Vesper Cup, as was Ted Nash the previous year. Ted Bielefeld, Mike Still, Jon Bernstein, Ken Detweiler, Jim Neul, Raoul Rodriguez, Ken Piree, Jason Honck, Sean Hall, Jonathan Brown, Don Smith, Jack Rusher, Laird Reed, Jim Pew, Scott Erwin, Tim Evans, John Fish, Alden Zechar, and Peter Cipollone were Olympic representatives from Penn AC.

The 1992 Olympics
In Barcelona, Spain, Penn AC had 15 rowers and two coaches on the team. The Penn AC men's four (Pat Manning, Tom Bohrer, Jeff McLaughlin, and Doug Burden) won silver. Burden and McLaughlin were in the bronze eight, and Bohrer in the silver straight four at Seoul in 1988. The men's pair (John Moore, Aaron Pollock, and coxswain Steve Shellens) finished first in the petite finals; in the men's four, Sean Hall and Jack Rusher, along with John Riley and John McKibbon in the quad, were second in the petite finals; in the eight, Jeff Klepacki, Richard Kennelly, and coxswain Mike Moore finished fourth; Mark Berkner was a spare. Ted Nash and Matt Diffenbach were the Penn AC coaches. This was Coach Nash's seventh time as an Olympic participant, having produced 16 medals since 1966. At the nationals in Indianapolis, the combination Penn AC and Undine elite eight was third behind Canada and the camp boat. The four-with (Bill Serad, Detweiler, Crew, Price, and coxswain Jeff Gurrola) was second behind NYAC, and the straight pair (Ken Piree and Bill Serad) won in 7:02. This year was also the first time a Penn AC eight competed in the Grand Challenge Cup race at the Royal Henley, finishing third. Will Porter, Dan Lyons, Shane Peterson, Mike Peterson, Jim Pew, Don Smith, Ted Swinford, Scott Erwin, and coxswain Peter Cipollone defeated Eastern Sprints and IRA champion Dartmouth to advance to the semifinals, where they lost to the German world champion lightweight eight. The Penn AC straight four won gold in Amsterdam, defeating defending champion Australia, which went on to win the Olympics. At the Head of the Charles, first-place Brown University was disqualified for an ineligible rower. Vesper was declared the winner and Penn AC was second.

In 1993, although Penn AC was dropped by USRA as a National Training Center and lost funding, the club produced another medal quest with 16 members and two coaches on the National Team, and a 25-person contingent of senior B athletes competing in Mexico, Florida, and at the Piediluco, Italy, international regatta, where Don Smith and Fred Honebein drove to gold in the straight pair in 6:50 over favored Slovenia, Yugoslavia, and France. They had previously won the National Team speed orders at Mercer County, New Jersey, over the entire pool of U.S. elite candidates. At the American Rowing Championships in Topeka, Kansas, the Penn AC men's intermediate was third, the men's senior straight pair placed second and third, and first place was taken in the men's senior eight, senior four, intermediate eight, and senior four. In the 1993 nationals at Indianapolis, the straight pair (Smith and Honebein) and the straight four (Jeff Klepacki, Sean Hall, Jason Scott, and Scott Munn) both won gold. The championship camp eight also included four Penn AC members: Don Smith, John Riley, Fred Honebein, and Tom Murray. Penn AC's Ingrid Klich and Andrea Thies were in the women's winning double and single.

In the World Championships at Lucerne, the U.S. won five medals, including gold in the lightweight men's four. The Penn AC straight four, with only one member from the 1992 Barcelona Olympic silver boat, won its heat and the semifinals in 5:58, upsetting Croatia (winners at Lucerne) and twice beating Poland, which had been third at the previous Olympics. The final was a hard-raced event with our team a deck up on France and closing on Poland and Canada. France won, Poland was second, and the U.S. team was third. Undine's double was third, and the camp women's quad was second. Penn AC had 18 members on the U.S. World team, including the club's straight four, which captured the bronze medal. Jeff Klepacki (recovering from a disk operation), Sean Hall, Tom Bohrer, and Jim Neil had a total of 71 workouts before the Worlds. This was the seventh World or Olympic medal in eight years, a record unequaled by any other club, university, or camp team at the time. Tom Bohrer and Pat Manning in the straight pair did not make the finals. The Penn AC women's double was third in the petite finals. At the Head of the Charles, the Penn AC eight was first; the open eight was second behind Vesper, which had four Olympians in the boat. Mammy Galloway was second in the women's club single, and Ingrid Klich was sixth in the women's championship single. Ingrid won the Catalina 24-hour open-ocean race. The Penn AC men also took first and second place in the Championship Challenge Regatta in Ohio.

In the 1994 American Rowing Championships at Topeka, Kansas, the Penn AC women's double won gold. The men's camp eight won gold at the Worlds in Indianapolis in 5:24, with Don Smith and Chip McKibben from Penn AC. The women's lightweight straight four also won gold, and the men's four took second, with coxswain Peter Cipollone. At the Head of the Charles, Ingrid Klich was fifth in the single. Penn AC won eight first-place medals in the King's Head Regatta, and six in the Navy Day Regatta. Boathouse Row lost a former Penn AC oarsman, coach, and bon vivant, Gus Ignas, who had won 17 gold medals in the U.S. nationals and many other national and international races. Dr. John Bergen died, a former commodore, NAAO president, and longtime Penn AC member. At the 1995 nationals at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, the women's Penn AC and Chattanooga combination quad (Ingrid Klich, Andrea Thies, Julia Chilicki, and Cecile Tucker) was second behind Canada, and the Penn AC eight was fifth. In the 1995 Worlds at Tampere, Finland, the U.S. won four gold medals: women's eight, heavy and light straight four, and lightweight straight pair. Ingrid Klich, who made a miraculous recovery from major surgery, and Cecile Tucker from Penn AC were in the women's quad. The men's eight was third, including Penn AC's Sean Hall, Jeff Klepacki, and Fred Honebein. At the Pan American Games in Argentina, the U.S. led with 18 medals (10 gold and eight silver). The men's eight included Jon Brown, Don Smith, Fred Honebein, and Sean Hall from Penn AC. The U.S. won the lightweight four-without, men's eight, lightweight men's four-without, women's pair, lightweight men's double, men's four, lightweight double, straight four, lightweight eight, and straight pair. At the American Rowing Championships in Syracuse, Penn AC won the senior eight and senior eight dash.

The 1995 Worlds
In Tampere, Finland, for the first time the U.S. won five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. The sweep women won medals in every event. The women's eight won in 5:50, and the men's four won in 6:37, with Penn AC's Peter Cipollone as coxswain. The women's lightweight straight pair won in 7:55 over England and Denmark; the women's straight four won gold in 7:03 over Australia and England, for the first time since 1984. The lightweight women's straight four won in 7:08 over England and Germany, and the heavyweight pair won gold. The women's straight pair was second behind Australia, the women's quad was fifth, the women's lightweight double seventh, and the heavyweight double 11th. The men's eight took bronze in 5:57 behind Germany and Holland, the quad was sixth, the straight four seventh, and the single and straight pair ninth. Penn AC's Foss Flemer was fifth in the lightweight single after protesting the repechage when a reed was found stuck on his fin. Foss was also the lightweight single representative in the Pan American Games and teamed up with Lt. Andy McMarlin, U.S. Navy, to take second in the Worlds. Lt. Dale Hurley, U.S. Navy, Don Smith, and Fred Honebein were first in the straight pair. The men's lightweight eight was fifth, the men's straight four seventh, lightweight double eighth, lightweight quad and straight pair ninth, men's lightweight straight pair 10th, and men's double 20th. Ted Nash was the lightweight men's coach.

Tom Bohrer was second in the C.R.A.S.H.-B ergometer races with a time of 7:25 for the 2,500-meter distance. In the Head of the Charles, the Penn AC masters eight (Dave Krmpotich, Dan Lyons, Jim Pew, Jon Shields, Drew Schreiber, John Moore, Chris Clark, Pete Howie, Chris Ives, Ted Swinford, Kurt Borcherding, and coxswain Wen Huang) was second, but placed first in the Head of the Schuylkill with a course record of 12:29. Ingrid Klich and Andrea Thies won the double; Tom Bohrer won the single. Penn AC finally completed the new building with the completion of women's locker and shower facilities.

In the 1996 Olympic trials in Gainesville, Georgia, 44 rowers earned places on the Olympic team. The men's straight pair and the men's and women's four-with were dropped from the Olympics this year to make room for three new lightweight events: men's lightweight four and double, and women's lightweight double. The men's and women's open double had to place in the top two slots in Switzerland because these boats did not place in the Worlds the previous year. Tom Bohrer and Pat Manning, after winning their heat by five seconds over Walker and Lewis, suffered a heartbreaking setback when, in severe rough water and a headwind, they were swamped by a referee launch. Four boats in this race did not finish. In a comedy of errors, the Vesper double protested due to sickness caused by food poisoning, and Andy McMarlin of Penn AC and Ty Bennion of Bachelors Boat Club paddled in deliberately last to save themselves for the final. They went on to qualify but did not make the requalifier race at Lucerne, Switzerland. The Penn AC Olympic women's open double (Jennifer Devine and Michelle Knox), after qualifying in the speed orders at Aikin, SC, placed first in the trials with a time of 6:52 at Gainesville, Georgia, and made the Olympic team by winning at Lucerne, Switzerland. John Riley was involved in a serious car accident and could not compete in the single trials for which he had trained so long and hard. The Penn AC assault vehicle suffered multiple tragedies, and the Olympic boats from the entire Mid-Atlantic area made it only with the infusion of cash and the assistance of state troopers and mechanics. Joe Sweeney was trial referee and starter for the Yale-Harvard-Cambridge-Oxford exhibition races. Finally, both the men's and women's eight races were unchallenged, making the concept of trials by competition serendipitous for the camps.

The 1996 Olympics
In Atlanta, Georgia, the U.S. team won three silver medals—men's quad, and women's heavyweight and lightweight double—and one bronze medal in the lightweight men's straight four. Penn AC's women's double (Jenny Devine and Michelle Knox Zaloom) was ninth, as was the lightweight men's double (Steve Peterson and Tom Auth). Fairmount Rowing Association's Teresa Bell and Lindsay Burns were second in 7:14 behind Romania (7:12). In the men's quad, Jason Gailes, Eric Mueller, Brian Jamieson, and Tim Young took silver in 5:59 over Australia (6:01); Germany won in 5:56. Karen Kraft and Missy Schwen were second in the women's pair in 7:01.7 behind Australia (7:01.3). Adam Holland and Mike Peterson were seventh in the men's pair. Ruth Davidon was sixth and Cyrus Beasley 10th in the singles. The women's quad (Julia Chilicki, Andrea Thies, Cathy Symon, and Cecile Tucker) was eighth. The men's four (Tom Murray, Jeff Klepacki, Sean Hall, and Jason Scott) was 11th. The men's lightweight four (Bill Carlucci, Marcus Schneider, Dave Collins, and Jeff Pfaendtner) was third behind Denmark (6:09) and Canada (6:10). The men's eight (Jon Brown, Jamie Koven, Ted Murphy, Porter Collins, Bob Kaehler, Doug Burden, and coxswain Steve Segaloff) was fifth. The women's eight (Jennifer Dore, Amy Fuller, Monica Tranel-Michini, Betsy McCagg, Catriona Fallon, Laurel Korholz, Mary McCagg, Anne Kakela, and coxswain Yasmin Farooq) was fourth. At the 1996 nationals, Penn AC had its best showing since 1985, with six gold, three silver, and one bronze medal. The quad (Andy McMarlin, Peter Michaud, Rob Desino, and Chris Desino) won in 5:59. In the straight four, Mat Madigan, M. Wherley, Cludden, and P. Michaud won. Zegarra, Turner, Field, and Dirksen won in both the straight four and four-with, and Jenny Devine and Michelle Knox won. Dave Lefebvre, Curt Browder, and Gherst won in the pair-with. Chris and Rob Desino won in the double. The eight, including all the above men, won gold. Andy McMarlin won bronze in the lightweight single. At the Championship Challenge, Penn AC's straight pairs took the top three spots, and the lightweight pair took first and third.

The 1996 Worlds
In Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, was the first time that the World Championships were held during an Olympic year for boats not included in the Olympics. The U.S. won two gold medals in the women's four and lightweight pair, and two bronze medals in the lightweight women's single and four. The women in the straight four, who had been discouraged from trying out for the Olympic Camp because they were considered too small and inexperienced, decided to row at Penn AC with Ted Nash.

Penn AC's "Fab Four"
Rosana Zegarra, Amy Turner, Sara Field, and Emily Dirksen, in their first international competition, pulled off a stunning upset by winning gold in 6:49, overcoming a monstrous three-second Romanian lead at the start and coming from behind in the last 250 meters at a 44-stroke rating to defeat the stern four from Romania's winning Atlanta Olympic eight and two-time world champions. Before their heat, Emily's adjustable oar handle came apart, and Ted Nash obtained a replacement oar to ensure the race was held for them. Sarah Garner won bronze behind a Romanian sculler from their winning Olympic lightweight double, leading up to the 1,500-meter mark in a strong headwind. The men's pair (Dave Lefebvre, Curt Browder, and coxswain Rich Gherst), coached by Ted Swinford and Joe Sweeney, placed a respectable eighth overall against a much heavier field. The U.S. women's lightweight straight pair (Christine Smith and Ellen Minzner) won gold in 7:56 over England. The U.S. women's lightweight four won bronze.

At the American Rowing Championships in Syracuse, Penn AC's Peter Michaud won the senior single in 7:11 and was second in the dash. Penn AC also won the men's intermediate double in 7:57. Mamie Galloway was second in the senior single dash and senior single; Penn AC won the men's senior four in 6:39 and the men's senior pair in 6:59, and was sixth in the intermediate four.

At the Navy Day Regatta, Penn AC had six wins: the World Championship women's four-with, Mamie Galloway and Mat Madigan in the singles, the men's club eight, and the high school lightweight and open eight. At the Head of the Schuylkill, Penn AC won the women's four in 15:13, the high school lightweight eight in 14:12, the high school eight in 14:22, the high school four in 15:13, the men's club eight in 13:04, Sara Garner in the women's single, Mat Madigan in the men's single, and the masters eight in a blistering time of 14:32. The Head of the Charles was washed out in a heavy storm. At the Head of the Potomac, the men's four-with (Chris Diedre, Mike Herley, Matt Prechtel, and coxswain Stu Chase) beat Navy's two boats comprising their varsity eight for 1996. Andy McMarlin in the single and Erick Nelson in the intermediate single won. Mat Madigan and Peter Michaud were second in the double, and the eight was fourth. At the Head of the Hooch in Atlanta, Penn AC was first in the men's double with Browder and Duffy, and Chris Duffy was second in the men's single and first in the men's eight. In the Head of the Occoquan in Virginia, Mat Madigan was first and Peter Michaud second in the single.

While we look with pride to the glorious achievements of past champions, we should rededicate our club to providing future generations the opportunity to compete and excel, to be their personal best.