The Eads Johnson Cup is named for Eads Johnson, Jr. and is competed for annually by the Navy and Yale MVL8s.
Photo courtesy of Yale Lightweight Crew
Eads Johnson (Yale ’34) attended Yale on a NROTC scholarship and was captain of the 1934 Yale lightweight crew that also rowed in the 1934 Henley Royal Regatta. The inaugural Eads Johnson Cup match race was won by Navy on 3 April 2004 in Mercer County, New Jersey — this match race is always rowed at a neutral site.
Prior to the Eads Johnson Cup series Navy and Yale met in 1961, 1962, and 1976 match races, which were won by Navy.
However, the first meeting of Navy and Yale lightweight eights was on Friday, 28 May 1920, in the Sixteenth Annual Regatta of the American Rowing Association. The order of finish on the day was Penn – Princeton – Yale – Navy.
Yale leads the match race series 14 – 8.
And, Yale leads the Eads Johnson Cup series 14 – 5.
Please send any additions and/or corrections to the NavyLights Staff Historian.
Match Race and Eads Johnson Cup Winning Crews
| Year | Winner | Series
N – Y |
Cup
N – Y |
| 1961 | Navy | 1 – 0 | No Cup |
| 1962 | Navy | 2 – 0 | No Cup |
| 1976 | Navy | 3 – 0 | No Cup |
| 2004 | Navy | 4 – 0 | 1 – 0 |
| 2005 | Navy | 5 – 0 | 2 – 0 |
| 2006 | Yale | 5 – 1 | 2 – 1 |
| 2007 | Navy | 6 – 1 | 3 – 1 |
| 2008 | Yale | 6 – 2 | 3 – 2 |
| 2009 | Yale | 6 – 3 | 3 – 3 |
| 2010 | Navy | 7 – 3 | 4 – 3 |
| 2011 | Yale | 7 – 4 | 4 – 4 |
| 2012 | Yale | 7 – 5 | 4 – 5 |
| 2013 | Yale | 7 – 6 | 4 – 6 |
| 2014 | Yale | 7 – 7 | 4 – 7 |
| 2015 | Yale | 7 – 8 | 4 – 8 |
| 2016 | Yale | 7 – 9 | 4 – 9 |
| 2017 | Yale | 7 – 10 | 4 – 10 |
| 2018 | Yale | 7 – 11 | 4 – 11 |
| 2019 | Yale | 7 – 12 | 4 – 12 |
| 2020 | NO RACE | 7 – 12 | 4 – 12 |
| 2021 | NO RACE | 7 – 12 | 4 – 12 |
| 2022 | Yale | 7 – 13 | 4 – 13 |
| 2023 | Yale | 7 – 14 | 4 – 14 |
| 2024 | Yale | 8 – 14 | 5 – 14 |