This short history of Navy lightweight crew was written by Gary Arthur Lundeen ’75.
Apocryphal
There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain.
Aeschylus
Real athletes row – everyone else just plays games.
Anonymous
Rowing at Navy 1
Rowing is America’s oldest intercollegiate sport, which began on 3 August 1852 with Harvard defeating Yale in an eight-oared race on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. 2
Sometime after 1852 Navy Crew was organized with intramural crews rowing in crafts similar to whale boats, and by 1869, Navy crews were rowing in four-oared racing boats with Navy challenging outside crews to races. However, Navy crews did not compete every year and raced only intermittently until 1892 when Winston Churchill, Class of 1894, took charge and decided to make crew a permanent Navy sport.
Churchill organized the purchase of Navy’s first eight-oared shell in 1893 with funds contributed by the Brigade of Midshipmen; in 1894 two more eights were purchased; and by 1897 Navy was once again rowing against outside competition. Ten years later Navy made its first appearance in the Poughkeepsie Regatta and finished third in what is today’s Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships (IRA).
In 1920 Navy’s heavyweight eight won gold at the VII Olympiad in Antwerp, Belgium. Navy’s eights returned to the Olympics twice more – winning again in 1952 and finishing fifth in 1960 – and along with the University of California at Berkeley, Navy is the only other American college to represent the U.S. in the eight-oared sweep event at three Olympic Games.
Nineteen-nineteen marks the year that men’s lightweight rowing was first introduced to Navy when on 31 May 1919 Navy entered an eight in a ‘Special Eight-Oared Shells (150 Lb. Crews)’ rowing event at the Fifteenth Annual Regatta of the American Rowing Association. the crew was made up of heavyweight oarsmen who could make weight.
Navy entered a lightweight eight in 1920 at the Sixteenth Annual Regatta of the American Rowing Association as well as in lightweight events in 1931, 1933, 1934, and 1935. These crews were all made up of heavyweight rowers who could make weight.
Navy’s present lightweight rowing program was officially introduced in 1954.
In 1978 women’s crew was introduced to Navy’s intercollegiate sports program as a NCAA sport, and Navy’s women rowers captured the Division II national championship in 1992. In 1995 they moved to Division I, and since 2005 Navy’s women rowers have swept three boat titles and the overall championship in the Patriot League.
Battalion crew was an intramural sport at Navy until 1989. Although battalion crew is rowed no more those midshipmen athletes now have the opportunity to row in the varsity programs, and today the varsities seat up to four, five, and six eights – the depth of Navy’s rowing programs has become unequaled in the nation!
Navy men’s heavyweight and lightweight programs are not members of the NCAA but are members of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA); as such, freshman rowing was kept separate from the varsity programs until 2016 when freshmen were allowed to compete in varsity events. Two thousand fifteen marked the last year of freshmen rowing in the IRA.
All of Navy’s rowing programs have a rich and interesting history with stories that deserve to be told. This article is about men’s lightweight crew, and the author encourages rowing alumni in the other programs to tell their stories.
About Men’s Lightweight Rowing
Rowing is organized into lightweight and heavyweight divisions. The men’s lightweight division has weight restrictions with individual oarsmen not allowed to weigh more than 160 pounds (72.5 kg in international competition), and the average weight of all oarsmen in a boat is not allowed to exceed 155 pounds (70 kg in international competition). Heavyweight crews have no weight restrictions.
By today’s standards, men rowing in the nineteenth century would have been considered lightweight rowers with most oarsmen weighing less than 160 pounds. But, by the early twentieth century, as nutrition, health, and training improved, people were growing taller and heavier, and bigger rowers had a competitive edge over smaller rowers – all other factors being equal, i.e. strength, conditioning, and technique, etc., a heavier crew moves a shell faster through the water. 3
In 1906 the Canadians opened a lightweight event at the Canadian Henley and lightweight rowing was born. Ten years later Canadian coach and professional oarsman Joseph Wright brought lightweight crew to the U.S. when he became the crew coach at the University of Pennsylvania. By 1919 this “father of lightweight rowing” gained the approval of the American Rowing Association to introduce a lightweight event in their annual regatta, and Navy and Penn competed in that event. In 1920, Princeton and Yale added lightweight crews to their intercollegiate sports programs, and on 28 May 1920, Penn, Navy, Princeton, and Yale rowed in the Sixteenth Annual Regatta of the American Rowing Association. 4
A Word About Rowing
A few words may be helpful for those new to rowing.
Unlike other intercollegiate sports, men’s crew chooses not to join the NCAA and is governed by rules of independent U.S. rowing associations. Under these independent rules, varsity crews consist of first varsity (1V), second varsity (2V), third varsity (3V), fourth varsity (4V), and fifth varsity (5V) classes of boats, etc., the number of classes being dependent on the depth of the team at an individual school. Until 2016 novice crews consisted of first freshmen (1F), second freshmen (2F), and third freshmen (3F) classes of boats made up of all freshmen. Again, the number of boat classes were dependent on the depth of the team. Freshmen oarsmen were not allowed to row in boats at the elite (varsity) level and upper classmen were not allowed to row in boats at the novice (freshmen) level. In 2016 that all changed, and freshmen through seniors all compete together in varsity boats.
The objective in rowing is to find that combination of oarsmen to make the first boat move the fastest, the second boat the next fastest, and so on. Each boat then competes within its class at match races, regattas, and head races.
Match Races, Regattas, and Head Races
Match Races. In the early days of intercollegiate rowing, races were organized on three-mile straightaway courses. The distance precluded heats; so, venues were required with long, wide waterways in order to accommodate a large number of crews abreast. Such venues were quite simply not readily available, and accidents and arguments were inevitable. Consequently, match races evolved in which schools challenged each other to an annual race for trophies or cups. Most match races are dual meets, but triangular meets are not uncommon. Today, match races are the mainstay of intercollegiate rowing in the spring. Crews battle for cups and trophies in match races as they prepare for championship regattas to end the season.
Regattas. Rowing regattas are organized to bring together the best crews throughout the nation. Events are organized to include preliminary heats in order to qualify crews for finals. The top finishers in the preliminary heats then go on to meet in a grand final while the remaining crews row in a petite final.
Head Races. Rowing is popular in the fall, and the fall’s most popular rowing event is the Head race. Head races have numerous events (e.g. 1x, 2-, 4+, 8, etc.) divided into men’s, women’s, and mixed age classes that allow literally hundreds of crews and thousands of rowers to race against the clock. Start-times are staggered from morning till afternoon with events spaced 15-30 minutes apart and within each event crews start one after the other at 10-15 second intervals. Unlike match races and regattas, which are typically 2,000-meter, straightaway sprints, Head races are rowed over longer distances on courses of 2-1/2 to 4 miles with bends and turns.
Championship Rowing Regattas
The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Sprints Championships (Eastern Sprints)
The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) was established in 1946 following World War II. An annual sprints championship was immediately established with boats rowing over a straight course. The distance was 1-5/16 miles for lightweights and varied between 1-3/4 miles and 2,000 meters for heavyweights until 1960 when the racing distance was standardized and fixed for all at 2,000 meters.
From 1946 through 1959 the lightweight and heavyweight championships were rowed at different venues. Of note to Navy fans is that the 1946 and 1950 heavyweight sprints championships and the 1957 lightweight sprints championships were all rowed on the upper course of the Severn River in Annapolis.
In 1960 the lightweight and heavyweight sprints championships were moved to the same venue and have remained together ever since.
The EARC annual championships are often referred to as the Eastern Sprints. Until a lightweight eight event was added to the IRA, the Eastern Sprints were considered lightweight crew’s de facto national championship.
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) was established in 1895 by Columbia, Cornell, and Pennsylvania with Syracuse joining in 1901 and Navy joining in 1907. Each year these five schools invite crews to race in the IRA championship regatta and are responsible for the regatta’s organization along with the Eastern Colleges Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The IRA is the oldest college rowing championship in the United States. Since the 1920’s the IRA has served as a de facto national heavyweight championship; however, Harvard and Yale and some of the best western crews were not always present on race day. In 1995 the University of Washington joined and in 2003 Harvard and Yale began rowing in the event, and the IRA is now credibly considered the national rowing championship for heavyweight crews in the U.S.
In 1990 the IRA added a lightweight eight event, and lightweight crews now also consider the IRA to be their annual U.S. national lightweight eight championship.
Navy Lightweight Crew Annual Cup and Trophy Races 5
Navy lightweight crews row annually for sixteen cups and trophies. Information about these trophies can be found by clicking here and scrolling down to Navy Lightweight Crew Annual Cup and Trophy Races.
A Chapter in the Story of Navy Lightweight Rowing
Navy Lightweight Crew Begins in 1919
The 1920’s was a golden decade for Navy’s heavyweight crews, but other than Navy’s 1919 and 1920 lightweight rowing debut nothing is recorded about lightweight crews again until 1931. And, even so, these were always boats with heavyweight oarsmen who could make weight.
In 1931, Navy’s lightweights won their dual match against Syracuse, lost their dual match against Penn, and placed third at the National Henley Regatta in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1933, the lightweights won their only dual match against MIT and then went on to again place third at the National Henley Regatta behind Princeton and Columbia.
In 1933, Navy won their only dual match with MIT and then went on to take third place at the National Henley Regatta in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania behind Princeton and Columbia.
In 1934, Navy won their only dual race with Columbia.
And in 1935, Navy won their dual with match Ithaca College and finished a close fourth at the American Henley Regatta in Philadelphia behind Princeton, Penn, and Columbia.
With World War II on the horizon, Navy and numerous colleges throughout the country cut many of their intercollegiate sports programs. Navy discontinued seating lightweight boats after the 1935 spring rowing season.
Navy Lightweight Crew in the Modern Era
In the spring of 1954, former Navy heavyweight oarsman John “Buck” Herzog ‘46 was an assistant coach to Navy Varsity Heavyweight Crew Coach Rusty Callow. Buck convinced Rusty to let him use a cox and eight of the lighter heavyweights to organize a lightweight eight for the 1954 Eastern Sprints in Princeton, New Jersey, and on 15 May 1954 Navy lightweight crew of the modern era was officially born. 6
The first lightweight eight was made-up of second class and youngsters, and Jack McNish ’55 was the team captain and stroke. The crew only had a few short weeks to practice and did not qualify for the grand finals, but lightweight rowing had returned to Navy to stay!
The First Full Lightweight Crew Seasons
Buck Herzog returned for the first full season in 1954/55 and Jack McNish returned as team captain rowing six. Two elite varsity boats were formed – a 1V and 2V – and one novice freshman boat was put on the water – a 1F. The 1V raced three times and the 2V and 1F each raced once.
On 23 April 1955, Navy and Penn 1Vs raced in their first dual match cup race competing for the Callow Cup. The Quakers won the inaugural cup, and the Callow Cup has been competed for annually ever since.
Next up on 7 May, Navy’s 1V traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts and led all crews to the finish with MIT, Harvard, and Dartmouth following in that order.
One week later the Navy 1V competed in their second Eastern Sprints finishing fifth behind 1-Penn, 2-MIT, 3-Princeton, and 4-Cornell but ahead of 6-Harvard.
The only races for Navy’s 2V and 1F in this first full season were against Penn with the 2V falling to a five second loss and the 1F defeating Penn by 8 seconds. While the following year the 2V would begin traveling for match races and the Eastern Sprints, Navy freshmen boats would not travel for away matches until 1970 when they began competing in the Eastern Sprints – but another fifteen years would still pass before they began traveling for match races permanently.
Hubbell Y. “Hub” Davidson ’45 was another former Navy heavyweight oarsman who returned to Navy in 1955 and followed Buck as the second Navy varsity lightweight crew coach. In Hub’s first 1955/56 season Navy swept Penn in match races and the 2V rowed to bronze at the Eastern Sprints.
Ben George ’56 was Hub’s lightweight crew manager in 1956 and a sometime starboard bow. Ben relates a story about Navy’s lightweights making weight at Cornell when in the process of doing team calisthenics by the numbers – in order for the engine room to sweat away some of those unwanted pounds – the Cornell building began to creak, crack, and shudder! The crew got out of that building “most ricky-tick” as one might say. We’re not sure if structural engineers ever inspected that building but all were safe for the moment!
In Hub’s second season, J. Darrow Kirkpatrick ’57 was team captain and as Darrow relates one of the most memorable races in 1957 was a triangular match with Princeton and Penn on the Schuylkill River. The 1V race was so close between Navy and Princeton that at the finish neither crew could tell who won. While the crews sat silently on the water waiting for the judges’ deliberations, Don Rose, Princeton’s coach, turned to Hub, in the coach’s boat, shook hands, and said, “Well you finally beat us.”
Alas, the judges said no. The margin of victory was inches – truly the winner was the crew with their oars in the water as the boats crossed the finish line. But with such a close finish, Navy was confident they could beat Princeton at the Eastern Sprints scheduled two weeks later.
On 18 May 1957, Navy hosted the Eastern Sprints for lightweight crews on the Severn River in Annapolis. All three Navy crews were favored going into the event that day and the 2V and 1F did indeed win gold; however, the 1V fell to fifth place. The 1V finish was a disappointment; however, Navy lightweights had rowed to their best overall season performance yet in their three years of rowing.
Darrow recalls two sayings that were the precept of Navy Crew in the 1950’s:
And, the writing scrawled along the seawall in that day was:
The 60’s
In the 1958 and 1959 spring seasons Navy’s 2V rowed to bronze at the Eastern Sprints and in 1960 both the 1V and 2V rowed to silver.
Charles D. “Dave” Manring ’52, the former cox of Navy’s Great Eight, became the fifth Navy varsity lightweight crew coach in 1960 and coached for one season. Bob Greenman ’62 rowed for Dave and recalls,
“Dave was a wonderful coach – he had us believing we could do anything! He was a master of encouragement but with high standards. We loved him and were influenced significantly by his leadership. Dave would tell us stories about how individually the oarsmen in the Great Eight had their quirks and differences but when they rowed as a team, together, they were a wonder to behold. They perfectly complemented each other.”
Dave’s stories paid-off!
In 1961, the 1V and 2V swept Harvard with the 1V winning the Haines Cup for the first time since the inaugural cup race in 1958 and also ending a Harvard 33-race win streak! The victory was so sweet that according to Bob, who stroked the winning boat, “The next day we all wore our unwashed Harvard jerseys under our Dress Blues to Chapel.” Both varsity boats ended the season undefeated and were gold medal favorites at the Eastern Sprints. The 1V rowed to a course record in their preliminary heat that morning but finished third in the grand finals that afternoon while the 2V indeed went on to win gold on the day.
And, in 1962, now coached by Bob White, the Navy lightweight 1V rowed in one of the greatest races of all-time – the perfect race! On 19 May at the 1962 Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Navy, Cornell, and MIT 1V eights all rowed to a three-way, dead-heat, first place tie! Unbelievable! This was the first time in the history of rowing that a race finished in a three-way tie. 7 And, Navy’s first place finish was the lightweight 1V’s first ever Eastern Sprints championship!
Ernie Fischer ’62, Navy’s 1V stroke recalls,
“The win was particularly rewarding since Navy was not seeded in the event. After the race cox Larry Yandell ’62 and I changed seats for the short row back to the dock. I was the heaviest rower in the squad at 160 pounds and Larry was the lightest at 123 pounds and everyone at the dock got a kick out of this strange combination returning. After leaving the boathouse we had one-hour between evening meal and our scheduled departure back to Annapolis, and the athletic association gave us free run of the hotel bar for a victory party.”
The oarsmen in Navy’s 1962 champion lightweight eight were: bow-Bill Kurlak ’64, 2-Lincoln Smith ’64, 3-Ernie Christensen ’64, 4-Paul Frankovich ’64, 5-John La Voo ’62, 6-Karl Kozak ’63, 7-Paul Harvey ’62, stroke-Ernie Fischer ’62, and cox-Larry Yandell ’62. 8
The 70s
After the 1962 Eastern Sprints, Navy lightweight crews would not medal again until rowing to a 2V bronze in 1969 followed by a 2V bronze in 1970, 2V silver in 1971, and 1V and 2V bronzes in 1972.
In 1970, the Navy lightweight 1F returned to the Eastern Sprints for the first time since winning the event in 1957 and rowed to a bronze medal finish. The 1F has rowed in the Eastern Sprints every year since. 9
Navy lightweights rowed their first eight in a Head of the Charles race in 1971 – but over objections from the NAAA due to costs. Coach Warren Sweetser ‘60 arranged to borrow a boat from Harvard, and the crew drove to Boston in POVs on Saturday afternoon. The first opportunity to row the boat “for size” was on Sunday morning just before weigh-in, and Coach Sweetser then had to totally re-rig the boat while the crew weighed-in and had breakfast. Rowing to the start with just ten seconds to spare the lightweights then raced to a first-place finish! The following week NAAA reimbursed Coach Sweetser for the entry fee, but the crew was still on the hook for travel expenses. 10
The oarsmen in the 1971 Head of the Charles champion eight were: bow-Steve Willats ’72, 2-Jim McGarrah ’73, 3-Carl Westfall ’74, 4-Andy Koss ’72, 5-Dick Frawley ’72, 6-Jim Snead ’73, 7-Paul Ryan ’73, stroke-Bill Comly ’73, and cox-Mark Cavallo ’73.
In 1973, Jon Eric VanAmringe, former lightweight rower Yale ’70, became the 14th Navy varsity lightweight crew coach and coached three seasons to a 68 – 27 record with his crews rowing to a 2V bronze in 1974, a 1V silver and 2V bronze in 1975, and a 2V silver in 1976. 11
In Jon’s second season the Navy 1V defeated Harvard to retake the Haines Cup for the first time since 1961. Both varsity crews continued to gain speed throughout the season and going into the Eastern Sprints the crews had reached their peaks!
In morning qualifying races at the 1975 Eastern Sprints both varsity crews held back a bit and each easily qualified for their afternoon grand finals on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, New Jersey.
The 2V grand final rowed first. Large puffs of white clouds dotted a beautiful deep, blue sky on a cool and clear afternoon. What a great Navy Day to row!
Six crews moved to the start. Et Vous Prez? Partez! [the international start command used in the 1970’s] – and the crews were off – except Navy. The entire 2V boat crabbed at the start and was down by over 12-seconds and open water before even getting underway! The Navy 2V rowed through three crews and gained back over 7-seconds but ran out of water and at the finish fell to third place 5.5-seconds behind winner Harvard and 5.2-seconds behind second place Rutgers – only three-tenths of second separated one and two. A heartbreaking finish for the 2V’s season but the 1V was yet to come!
In the 1V event Harvard, Penn, Rutgers, Navy, MIT, and Dartmouth were seeded in that order and all six teams qualified for the grand final. Navy rowed the final in the outside lane. Harvard – the defending champion that had won six of the previous seven years – rowed in lane four.
And, the 1V grand final was another exciting lightweight race on the day! The Navy and Harvard eights rowed a near perfect race and from start-to-finish both crews rowed bow ball to bow ball with Navy finishing in a gut wrenching second place five-tenths of a second behind first place Harvard and 1.9-seconds ahead of third place Dartmouth.
As that old rowing truism goes, “No one has ever experienced true physical pain unless being on the losing end of a split-second finish in rowing.”
Nonetheless, at the 1975 Eastern Sprints the Navy lightweights achieved their best team finish in Jope Cup competition to that date. Previously, Navy’s best team finishes had been three consecutive bronze medals in 1970, 1971, and 1972 and on 11 May 1975 Navy crews rowed to team silver.
In the 1976 Eastern Sprints, the 1V would finish fourth and the 2V would improve to a silver medal finish, and in the 1977 Sprints the 1V would again row to silver, but ’75 was the dream year unfulfilled.
After rowing to seven Eastern Sprints medals in the 50’s and six medals in the 60’s, the Navy lightweights rowed to twelve medals during the 70’s with medals in every year except 1973.
At the national level, in 1974 the U.S. national rowing team added lightweight crew. Two years later, Thomas P. Cook ’76 was selected to row in the 1976 U.S. national lightweight eight at that year’s World Rowing Championships. Tom was Navy’s first lightweight oarsman selected to a U.S. national rowing team, and he was the first Navy oarsman selected to row on a U.S. national team since the heavyweight Olympic eights of 1920, 1952, and 1960.
Navy Lightweights in the 80’s and 90’s
In the 80’s Navy lightweights would medal twice at the Eastern Sprints with a 1983 1V silver and a 1987 1F bronze. And, a 2V streak would come to an end – the 2V had qualified for the Eastern Sprints grand finals 28 consecutive years since first entering the event in 1956 but failed to qualify in 1984 and instead rowed in their first petite final.
However, in the 80’s three more Navy lightweight oarsmen were selected for U.S. national rowing teams: John T. Hall ’87 rowed in the U.S. national eight at the 1986 World Rowing Championships; Paul D. Montanus ’89 rowed in the U.S. national eight at the 1989 World Rowing Championships; and Dale P. Hurley, Jr. ’89 was selected for five U.S. national rowing teams in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1995 rowing in an U.S. national eight, straight four, and straight pair.
In the 90’s lightweight crews would medal three times at the Eastern Sprints with a 1995 3V gold, a 1999 2F gold, and a 2000 3V silver. In 2001 the 2F again won gold and all Navy lightweight crews have surged ever since!
Navy Lightweight Crew in the 21st Century
Rob Friedrich, former lightweight rower Rutgers ’97, became the 25th Navy varsity lightweight crew coach in 2001 and from 2002 – 2006, along with assistant varsity lightweight coach Tom Callender ’90 and Plebe lightweight coaches Nick Baker and Steve Perry 12, they combined for twenty-one Eastern Sprints medals, placed all of their eights in the 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Eastern Sprints grand finals, won their first ever Eastern Sprints Jope Cup in 2006, and at the IRA the 1V eight has medalled twice – a 2002 silver and 2004 gold. 13
In fact, the 2004 Navy lightweight 1V was the undefeated U.S. national champion lightweight eight and rowed in the 2004 Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, competing in The Temple Cup Challenge where they advanced to the Final Four before being beaten for the first time all year by DSR Proteus – Eretes from the Netherlands.
Regarding the 2004 season, Coach Friedrich had these words about the 2004 Eastern Sprints.
“In the morning heats, Navy’s varsity got off the line well, ahead of Yale, Georgetown, Rutgers, Columbia, and MIT. They maintained their lead as Georgetown rowed into second place and Yale in third, all three qualifying for the grand final.
“In the afternoon final, Navy again got off the line well with Princeton in second. After the boats settled to race pace, Navy had a few seats on everyone, but Harvard and Georgetown started to narrow the margin. It seemed like every time Harvard made a move, Navy answered it, but never led by more than a few seats during the first 1500 meters. As they entered the sprint, Navy opened up the margin and Georgetown began to close on Harvard. The midshipmen ended up winning by one length and Harvard narrowly edged out the Hoyas with Princeton, Cornell, and Yale rounding out the field.”
Concerning the 2004 IRA Coach Friedrich continued.
“Navy’s lightweight 1V capped off an undefeated season, by winning the IRA National Championship. On a dreary day in Camden, New Jersey, Navy won the lightweight eight grand final over Georgetown, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Cornell, respectively. Navy took a two-seat lead off the start and opened it up a little in the second 500, but at the 1000-meter mark Georgetown made a huge push to pull even and eventually take the lead by one seat.
“With 700 meters to go, Navy unleashed a strong move to take the lead back and continue to open up on second-place Georgetown. The eventual margin to the Hoyas was 3.6 seconds. For their outstanding season, the Athletic Department and the Navy Alumni sent the crew over to England to race in the Henley Royal Regatta.”
Finally, Coach Friedrich had these remarks about that 2004 Henley.
“A strong headwind slowed the Navy lightweights as their season came to an end with a loss in the semifinal round of the Henley Royal Regatta. Holland’s D.S.R. Proteus – Eretes crossed the finish line of the 2,112-meter course in a time of 6:57 – one boat length ahead of Navy.
“Navy led the Dutch at each of the early time markers but [in the final turn] ran into a strong headwind at the end of the course that slowed Navy. With Navy outweighed by an average of 31 pounds per oar, Proteus – Eretes rowed through the wind and the Mids to victory.
“The Mids knew they had to jump out to an early lead, which they did, but in the end their weight disadvantage going into such a strong headwind was too much to overcome. It was a courageous race by Navy.”
The oarsmen in the 2004 eight were: bow-Brian Barlow ’05, 2-William Vuillet ‘05, 3-Carlos Rivera ‘05, 4-James Smith ‘06, 5-Jay Michel ‘06, 6-Kevin Flaherty ‘04, 7-Jimmy Sopko ‘05, stroke-Hunter Washburn ‘04, and cox-Doug Fitzpatrick ‘05.
In recognition of their success, the 2004 Navy lightweight 1V was selected as the EARC 2004 Crew of the Year, the crew qualified for the Navy Hall of Fame, and Coach Rob Friedrich was voted EARC 2004 Coach of the Year.
In 2005, a fifth Navy lightweight oarsman was selected for a U.S. national rowing team with William Vuillet ’05, an oarsman in Navy’s 2004 championship eight, selected for the 2005 under-23 World Rowing Championships. William rowed in the U.S. national straight four.
Regarding dual match races with Harvard. Over the past six years including 2006, Navy lightweight crews have combined to defeat Harvard 23 times versus six losses! And, the Navy lightweight 1V has defeated Harvard four out of the past five years in their Haines Cup competition. Harvard leads the Haines Cup series 38 – 7. Navy’s three previous Haines Cup wins “in that old century” were in 1961, 1975, and 1981.
One final note, in 2002 and 2004 Navy lightweight crews were awarded the Naval Academy Athletic Director’s Cup. The cup was established in 1996 and is awarded annually to the athletic team with the best overall team performance in athletics, academics, leadership, and conduct.
Here ends one chapter in the story of Navy lightweight rowing – with other chapters still untold and future chapters yet to be written!
Navy Crew Alumni News
The oarsmen of Jon Eric VanAmringe’s crews, Classes of 1974 – 1978, remain close and have met for seven reunions–and counting.
At their second reunion in 2006 they presented and christened the Jon Eric VanAmringe eight and were joined by Hub Davidson ’45, the second Navy varsity lightweight crew coach in the modern era, and three of Navy’s first modern era lightweight oarsmen Jack McNish ‘55, Ben George ‘56, and J. Darrow Kirkpatrick ‘57.
The eight was an Intrepid manufactured by Resolute and purchased by NavyLites74-78 alumni. A Naval Academy Foundation endowment is established to keep the boat in the boathouse in perpetuity – this is the first endowed shell established for Navy lightweight crew by alumni rowers.
The Jon Eric VanAmringe 2 and Jon Eric VanAmringe 3 were christened at their Reunion IV and Reunion VI in 2012 and 2019, respectively.
In closing, a verse inspired by John Maesfield’s Sea Fever and dedicated to all Navy rowers past, present, and yet to come.
I must go down to the creeks again, to the creeks o’ my college days,
And all I ask is an eight-oared shell from one o’ Hubbard’s bays,
With a spruce wood oar at twelve foot six and a hull that’s cedar skinned,
And a bright day and a straight course and a light following wind.
I must go down to the creeks again that into the Severn flow,
On Weems and Spa and College Creeks where Navy oarsmen row;
And all I ask is a smooth slide and power tens – just one – not more,
And a clean catch and powered drive and a lightly feather oar.
I must go down to the creeks again where esprit is a way o’ life,
And camaraderie helps every oar o’ercome their every strife.
And all I ask is a cox to steer and seven fellow rowers,
And mem’ries that forever last when the Long Row is o’er.
Let’s Forever Row
Gary Arthur Lundeen ‘75
The author wishes to convey special thanks to Hub Davidson ’45, Jack McNish ’55, Ken Costilow ’56, Ben George ’56, Darrow Kirkpatrick ’57, Terry Priebe ’58, Ernie Fischer ’62, Bob Greenman ’62, Bob Kennelly ’62, Arnie Hafner ’62, Ward Bond ’63, Felix de Golian ’63, Rich Wilson ’63, Mike Longworth ’71, Jim Snead ’73, Steve Nimitz ’76, Rob Friedrich – Navy Varsity Lightweight Crew Coach, Tom Weil (Yale ’70), and Ashley Klimp – Assistant Editor, Shipmate. Without their interest and support this article would not have been possible. Any errors or omissions are the author’s.
1 The Navy Media Guide for rowing is the source of much of the crew history in this article.
2 Many sources attribute rowing as the oldest intercollegiate sport; although, the author has not found a definitive source. One source is Friends of Rowing History at: Friends of Rowing History.
3 Weil, Thomas E., Jr. (Yale ’70), One Fifty…and Counting! A brief history of men’s lightweight rowing and the HYP rivalry (2003).
4 Ibid.
5 Sources for the information about the Eastern Sprints and IRA trophies are available here and scrolling down to “Navy Lightweight Crew Annual Cup and Trophy Races.”
6 The story regarding Buck Herzog and Rusty Callow was related to the author by Hub Davidson ’45 and Jack McNish ’55.
7 In fact, the 1962 triple dead-heat, first-place tie may be the only one of its kind in rowing history.
8 The rowers in the 1962 Eastern Sprints Co-Champion eight are confirmed; however, the seating may not be correct.
9 While the 1F traveled to away match races in 1978 and 1979, travel for away freshmen races did not begin permanently until 1985.
10 Jim Snead ’73 rowed in the 1971 Head of the Charles champion eight and related this story.
11 Jon VanAmringe’s medal count was the most by Navy lightweight crews under one coach until current coach Rob Friedrich’s crews surpassed the mark in this current decade.
12 Steve Perry coached Plebe lightweight crew from 2002 – 2005. In 2005, Nick Baker succeeded Steve as Plebe lightweight crew coach.
13 Navy’s 2V won gold in 2002, the 1F won gold in 2003 and 2005, the 3V won gold in 2004 and 2006, and the 2F won six consecutive gold medals 2001-2006. In fact, the 2F won every Eastern Sprints championship it entered except its first entry in 1998 when finishing sixth. Navy did not enter a 2F in the 2000 Eastern Sprints.