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Big East Conference Hoya Saxa

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A Great Second Act

August 5, 2008

In the spring of 1958, some 82 years after its first incarnation, intercollegiate rowing at Georgetown was re-born for the fourth time and thankfully, for good. Well-populated by members of the class of 1961, the future of the program was soon put in the hands of a magnetic young NASA official, Don Cadle, a rower and graduate of Yale and Oxford. As head coach, he brought all the right ingredients of inspiration, dedication, triumph, and fun to the position. He was the secret sauce that was just what the burgeoning men's heavyweight program needed.



1968 varsity lightweight squad coach by Vic Ciullo


Whit Fosburgh '84 (right), the longest-serving lightweight rowing coach on the Hilltop, led his rowers to multiple championships and medals in his 10-year tenure, including the gold at the 1989 Dad Vail regatta.

But by the fall of 1963, the world was changing: Martin Luther King had delivered his "I have a dream" speech, the second Vatican Council opened, President John Kennedy was shot in Dallas, the songs of the Beatles first hit the charts in the U.S., and N.Y. Yankee superstar Mickey Mantle had recently signed a baseball contract worth $100,000. Georgetown rowing was changing as well. Coach Don Cadle would soon depart Washington, DC to take a new job in Germany, and many of coach Cadle's first disciples had graduated. Several continued their involvement with the Crew in significant ways however. In addition to Bob Remuzzi '61 with the heavyweights, two individuals worth noting in this regard were Frank Barrett '61 and Al DiFiore '61. Through their efforts, the Georgetown lightweight program was born and the number of Hoya rowers on the Potomac quickly doubled. The young team enjoyed early success on the water and it continued throughout the decade. Hoya oarsmen Michael Driscoll`70 and Bob Schumacher `70 enjoyed an exceptional accomplishment as members of the Potomac Boat Club eight that won the lightweight eight exhibition event at the 1970 World Championships, the first lightweight event ever held at a world championship regatta.

The Lightweights would continue to achieve throughout the next four decades. Led by such coaches as Greg Carroll, Peter Bautz, Whit Fosburgh, Dan Lyons, Mike Porterfield, Andy Belden, and current coach Evans Liolin, the lightweight men have progressed to become one of the top programs in the nation, as evidenced by their fifth place finish at the 2008 IRA national championship regatta. In addition, Hoya Lightweight rower Conal Groom '95, a former member the U.S. national team and Olympic rowing team, has gone on to make the Lightweight program proud.

To hear the stories of the Lightweights and the other squads of fellow rowers, please join with the community of Georgetown Rowing next September 19-21. Come to campus to celebrate and learn about the modern era of crew during the 50th anniversary gala weekend. Online registration is now available at the following link: Never Row Weekend. For more information, contact Mara Vandlik of Hoyas Unlimited at 202.687.7159.

To read the previous blog post on the Crew 50th, go online to: View From The Hilltop and refer to the May 7, 2008 entry entitled "A Good Start."



2007 varsity lighweights at the IRA in Camden, NJ




PJM - View From The Hilltop



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