Men's Rowing History
Ā
| SCARLET LETTER ARCHIVES |
A Rutgers Tradition Since 1864
āIn 1864, rowing became the first organized sport at Rutgers. Six mile races were held on the Raritan River among six-oared boats. In 1870, Rutgers held its first intercollegiate competition, against the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard, the then top-ranked amateur crew of the time. In 1876, a new floating boathouse was built for the team adjacent the Albany Street Bridge in New Brunswick, but was washed during a flood in 1882.
ļ»æ
The Class of 1914 Boathouse was built in 1950 and is located at the New Brunswick campus on the Raritan River. The boathouse consists of three bays, home and away locker rooms, a training room, and coaches offices. In 2010 the Class of 1914 Boathouse underwent extensiveĀ remodeling updating the facilities andĀ aesthetics of the historic structure.Ā The Raritan River is anĀ idyllicĀ collegiate rowing venue running right through the middle of Rutgers' campus. Ā In addition the Raritan provides endless miles of protected water without other boat traffic, making it one of the best training locations in the country.
ļ»æ
Since the start in 1864, Rutgers has built a strong crew program consisting of heavyweight and lightweight men. Ā As part of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges, Rutgers competes against the best crews in the country. TheĀ pinnacle of the season is racing at the EARC Sprint Championships,Ā the mostĀ prestigious collegiate race in the East.Ā
ā
In 1952, two Rutgers oarsmen, senior Chuck Logg and freshman Tom Price, set out on their quest for Olympic Gold. The duo trained together for only three months before entering the Olympic Trails, but against all odds won the qualification regatta to represent the United States at the Olympic Games that year in Helsinki. With their appropriately named shell, "Cinderella", the Rutgers pair realized their dream winning Olympic Gold inĀ convincing fashion, besting the field by nearly 3 seconds in the final.Ā
ļ»æ
The lightweight menās crew has had success winning several medals at the Eastern Sprints throughout the years. In 1984 and 2000, the lightweights competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in England. In 2000, the crew went as far as the semi-finals at the Henley.
ļ»æ
In 2003, the Rutgers Heavyweight Men advanced to the Final of the Henley Royal Regatta. In their race to the Final, the varsity defeated crews from Dartmouth and the Leander Club of London. In 2005, the Heavyweight Menās Four was silver medalists at the IRA Championship Regatta.
Bob Kaehler ā86 earned his way into the Gold-Medal favored Menās Eight, which has won an unprecedented three World Championships in a row leading up to the Olympic Games in Sydney. Kaehler is a ten-time national team member and three-time Olympian. He has won four World Championship gold medals in the menās eight, the most ever by an American. He was also named US Rowingās Male Athlete of the Year in 1998. At Rutgers, Kaehler graduated with a bachelorās degree in Chemistry.
Jeff Klepacki
Klepacki ā90 was also a member of the Menās Eight in Sydney and three-time Olympian. Klepacki was named the 1994 US Rowing Male Athlete of the Year after stroking the US Menās Eight to a gold medal at the World Championships. At Rutgers, he was the captain of the crew team and named MVP in 1990, while earning a degree in economics.
Sean Hall
Sean Hall ā89 was a member of the Menās Quadruple Sculls for the Sydney Olympics. He is a nine-time national team member and three-time Olympian. Hall was a member of the menās eight that won the 1994 World Championships. Sean graduated from Rutgers with a degree in Political Science.
Charlie Butt ā83 and Tom Terhaar ā91 were both named to the Olympic coaching staff. Butt coached the Menās Lightweight Double Sculls, while Terhaar headed the Womenās Quadruple Sculls. Butt was also a past rower of the Lightweight National Team.
1996 Atlanta Olympics
All four of the Rutgers athletes that participated in the Sydney Olympics also were members of the Atlanta Olympic Team, along with:
David Collins ā91 was a member of the Lightweight Menās Coxless Four. Dave became the only Rutgers oarsman to earn an Olympic medal in Atlanta, when his four won the bronze medal. Dave was a five-time national team member. At Rutgers, Dave was a member of the Lightweight Team, but won the IRA Championship in the open pair event.
Other Rutgers Olympians
Tom Price (ā55) and Chuck Logg (ā52)
Jim Neil ā90 was named one of the sweep rowing spares for the 1996 Olympics. A nine-time national team member, Jim also was a member of the 1992 Olympics in the four with coxswain. Jim won the gold medal in the pair with coxswain at the 1999 World Championships.
Fred Borchelt ā76 was a three-time Olympian (ā76, ā80, ā84), winning a silver medal in the menās eight at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Chuck Logg ā52 was a member of the only US pairs without coxswain crew to win an Olympic gold medal. Chuck, son of the Rutgers crew coach, was paired up with Tom Price a Scarlet Knight teammate of his to win the gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Tom Price ā55 was only a Rutgers freshman when he won the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Price and Logg shocked the country and the world with their win at the US trials and then the Olympics. It was fitting that their pair-oared shell was named āCinderellaā before their gold-medal run.
Rutgers has a rich Olympic and National Team history as many other Scarlet Knight rowers have made the US National Team, including:
John Bannon ā73
Max Borghard ā87
Leslie Burns-Rawley ā93
Peter Cartmell ā73 Chuck Crawford ā72
Kevin Dengel ā97
Robert Friedrich ā97
Sharon Kriz ā98
Fran McGovern ā87
Scott McKee ā82
Mike Morrison ā85
Neil OāDonnell ā97
Will Porter ā89
Peter Simone ā75
Maite Urtasun ā01
Tom West ā85
ļ»æ
The Class of 1914 Boathouse was built in 1950 and is located at the New Brunswick campus on the Raritan River. The boathouse consists of three bays, home and away locker rooms, a training room, and coaches offices. In 2010 the Class of 1914 Boathouse underwent extensiveĀ remodeling updating the facilities andĀ aesthetics of the historic structure.Ā The Raritan River is anĀ idyllicĀ collegiate rowing venue running right through the middle of Rutgers' campus. Ā In addition the Raritan provides endless miles of protected water without other boat traffic, making it one of the best training locations in the country.
ļ»æ
Since the start in 1864, Rutgers has built a strong crew program consisting of heavyweight and lightweight men. Ā As part of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges, Rutgers competes against the best crews in the country. TheĀ pinnacle of the season is racing at the EARC Sprint Championships,Ā the mostĀ prestigious collegiate race in the East.Ā
ā
In 1952, two Rutgers oarsmen, senior Chuck Logg and freshman Tom Price, set out on their quest for Olympic Gold. The duo trained together for only three months before entering the Olympic Trails, but against all odds won the qualification regatta to represent the United States at the Olympic Games that year in Helsinki. With their appropriately named shell, "Cinderella", the Rutgers pair realized their dream winning Olympic Gold inĀ convincing fashion, besting the field by nearly 3 seconds in the final.Ā ļ»æ
The lightweight menās crew has had success winning several medals at the Eastern Sprints throughout the years. In 1984 and 2000, the lightweights competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in England. In 2000, the crew went as far as the semi-finals at the Henley.
ļ»æ
In 2003, the Rutgers Heavyweight Men advanced to the Final of the Henley Royal Regatta. In their race to the Final, the varsity defeated crews from Dartmouth and the Leander Club of London. In 2005, the Heavyweight Menās Four was silver medalists at the IRA Championship Regatta.
Bob Kaehler ā86 earned his way into the Gold-Medal favored Menās Eight, which has won an unprecedented three World Championships in a row leading up to the Olympic Games in Sydney. Kaehler is a ten-time national team member and three-time Olympian. He has won four World Championship gold medals in the menās eight, the most ever by an American. He was also named US Rowingās Male Athlete of the Year in 1998. At Rutgers, Kaehler graduated with a bachelorās degree in Chemistry.
Jeff Klepacki
Klepacki ā90 was also a member of the Menās Eight in Sydney and three-time Olympian. Klepacki was named the 1994 US Rowing Male Athlete of the Year after stroking the US Menās Eight to a gold medal at the World Championships. At Rutgers, he was the captain of the crew team and named MVP in 1990, while earning a degree in economics.
Sean Hall
Sean Hall ā89 was a member of the Menās Quadruple Sculls for the Sydney Olympics. He is a nine-time national team member and three-time Olympian. Hall was a member of the menās eight that won the 1994 World Championships. Sean graduated from Rutgers with a degree in Political Science.
Charlie Butt ā83 and Tom Terhaar ā91 were both named to the Olympic coaching staff. Butt coached the Menās Lightweight Double Sculls, while Terhaar headed the Womenās Quadruple Sculls. Butt was also a past rower of the Lightweight National Team.
1996 Atlanta Olympics
All four of the Rutgers athletes that participated in the Sydney Olympics also were members of the Atlanta Olympic Team, along with:
David Collins ā91 was a member of the Lightweight Menās Coxless Four. Dave became the only Rutgers oarsman to earn an Olympic medal in Atlanta, when his four won the bronze medal. Dave was a five-time national team member. At Rutgers, Dave was a member of the Lightweight Team, but won the IRA Championship in the open pair event.
Other Rutgers Olympians
Tom Price (ā55) and Chuck Logg (ā52)
Jim Neil ā90 was named one of the sweep rowing spares for the 1996 Olympics. A nine-time national team member, Jim also was a member of the 1992 Olympics in the four with coxswain. Jim won the gold medal in the pair with coxswain at the 1999 World Championships.
Fred Borchelt ā76 was a three-time Olympian (ā76, ā80, ā84), winning a silver medal in the menās eight at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Chuck Logg ā52 was a member of the only US pairs without coxswain crew to win an Olympic gold medal. Chuck, son of the Rutgers crew coach, was paired up with Tom Price a Scarlet Knight teammate of his to win the gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Tom Price ā55 was only a Rutgers freshman when he won the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Price and Logg shocked the country and the world with their win at the US trials and then the Olympics. It was fitting that their pair-oared shell was named āCinderellaā before their gold-medal run.
Rutgers has a rich Olympic and National Team history as many other Scarlet Knight rowers have made the US National Team, including:
John Bannon ā73
Max Borghard ā87
Leslie Burns-Rawley ā93
Peter Cartmell ā73 Chuck Crawford ā72
Kevin Dengel ā97
Robert Friedrich ā97
Sharon Kriz ā98
Fran McGovern ā87
Scott McKee ā82
Mike Morrison ā85
Neil OāDonnell ā97
Will Porter ā89
Peter Simone ā75
Maite Urtasun ā01
Tom West ā85
