Photo courtesy of Navy Lightweight Crew
The Russell Stanley Callow Cup was established by the Friends of Pennsylvania Rowing on 23 April 1955, in honor of crew coaching legend Russell Stanley (Rusty) Callow (Washington 1915). The Callow Cup is competed for annually by the Navy and Penn MVL8s.
Coach Callow was captain of the 1915 Husky crew and then coached his alma mater from 1922 – 1927. From 1927 – 1950, he was varsity heavyweight crew coach at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and in 1950 he joined Navy as varsity heavyweight crew coach where he retired following the 1959 season after being associated with rowing for more than 50 years. At Navy, Coach Callow put together the longest string of rowing victories in history. Until Navy’s loss to Penn in the 1955 Adams Cup regatta, Navy’s MV8 had won 31 straight races including the gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games.
The inaugural Callow Cup race was won by Penn on 23 April 1955 in Annapolis, and the match has been raced every year since with the exception of 1973.
There was no race in 1973, and due to a COVID-19 pandemic, there were no races in 2020 and 2021.
Navy leads the Callow Cup series 34 – 32.
Please send any additions and/or corrections to the NavyLights Staff Historian.
Callow Cup Winning Crews
| Year | Winner | Series N – P |
| 1955 | Penn | 0 – 1 |
| 1956 | Navy | 1 – 1 |
| 1957 | Navy | 2 – 1 |
| 1958 | Navy | 3 – 1 |
| 1959 | Navy | 4 – 1 |
| 1960 | Navy | 5 – 1 |
| 1961 | Navy | 6 – 1 |
| 1962 | Navy | 7 – 1 |
| 1963 | Penn | 7 – 2 |
| 1964 | Navy | 8 – 2 |
| 1965 | Penn | 8 – 3 |
| 1966 | Penn | 8 – 4 |
| 1967 | Penn | 8 – 5 |
| 1968 | Penn | 8 – 6 |
| 1969 | Penn | 8 – 7 |
| 1970 | Navy | 9 – 7 |
| 1971 | Navy | 10 – 7 |
| 1972 | Navy | 11 – 7 |
| 1973 | NO RACE | 11 – 7 |
| 1974 | Penn | 11 – 8 |
| 1975 | Penn | 11 – 9 |
| 1976 | Penn | 11 – 10 |
| 1977 | Penn | 11 – 11 |
| 1978 | Penn | 11 – 12 |
| 1979 | Penn | 11 – 13 |
| 1980 | Penn | 11 – 14 |
| 1981 | Navy | 12 – 14 |
| 1982 | Penn | 12 – 15 |
| 1983 | Navy | 13 – 15 |
| 1984 | Navy | 14 – 15 |
| 1985 | Navy | 15 – 15 |
| 1986 | Navy | 16 – 15 |
| 1987 | Penn | 16 – 16 |
| 1988 | Navy | 17 – 16 |
| 1989 | Penn | 17 – 17 |
| 1990 | Penn | 17 – 18 |
| 1991 | Penn | 17 – 19 |
| 1992 | Penn | 17 – 20 |
| 1993 | Penn | 17 – 21 |
| 1994 | Navy | 18 – 21 |
| 1995 | Penn | 18 – 22 |
| 1996 | Navy | 19 – 22 |
| 1997 | Penn | 19 – 23 |
| 1998 | Penn | 19 – 24 |
| 1999 | Penn | 19 – 25 |
| 2000 | Penn | 19 – 26 |
| 2001 | Navy | 20 – 26 |
| 2002 | Navy | 21 – 26 |
| 2003 | Navy | 22 – 26 |
| 2004 | Navy | 23 – 26 |
| 2005 | Navy | 24 – 26 |
| 2006 | Navy | 25 – 26 |
| 2007 | Navy | 26 – 26 |
| 2008 | Navy | 27 – 26 |
| 2009 | Navy | 28 – 26 |
| 2010 | Navy | 29 – 26 |
| 2011 | Navy | 30 – 26 |
| 2012 | Navy | 31 – 26 |
| 2013 | Penn | 31 – 27 |
| 2014 | Navy | 32 – 27 |
| 2015 | Penn | 32 – 28 |
| 2016 | Penn | 32 – 29 |
| 2017 | Penn | 32 – 30 |
| 2018 | Navy | 33 – 30 |
| 2019 | Penn | 33 – 31 |
| 2020 | NO RACE | 33 – 31 |
| 2021 | NO RACE | 33 – 31 |
| 2022 | Navy | 34 – 31 |
| 2023 | Penn | 34 – 32 |