My dad dug this up in the SI Vault from 1960...
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071341/index.htm
[quote amerks127]My dad dug this up in the SI Vault from 1960...
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071341/index.htm[/quote]
Nice. Thanks. Turned out that Navy represented the US in Rome in 1960, and didn't medal while Germany won. Yale, Berkeley, Washington, and Navy crews had won the prior eight eight-oared Olympic golds.
What the SI piece didn't make clear is that Stork's crews always had a difficult time winning on Quinsigamond because the distance--1 1/4 miles at the time--was shorter than the usual two-mile intercollegiate races, and less than half the distance of the end-of-season Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships, rowed then over a three-mile course. Sanford geared his crews for the IRAs and featured a more powerful stroke at a lower stroke-count--better suited for three miles than for a 1 1/4 mile sprint. When US crews lost their dominance in the Olympics--rowed over a 2000 meter course--the distance of all intercollegiate races, except the four-mile Yale-Harvard race, was changed to 2000 meters.
Here's an SI piece on the 1963 Eastern Sprints featuring a classmate of mine, Chip Bettle, with a bit more on Sanford's rowing style: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074913/1/index.htm
As long as we're on the subject of Cornell rowing, here's an SI cover the likes of which you probably won't see again: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/7773/index.htm
Who wears short shorts?
Crew wears short shorts.
Great article. I rowed for the Freshman Lightweights in '90-'91 and loved it. Unfortunately, I had to work for the rest of my duration on the hill,so I couldn't keep it up. Some of my teammates were in the undefeated varsity boat in '92. Not that I would have been in that boat by any means, but it would have been pretty cool to be a part of the team.
Rowing is a great sport which requires the ultimate in teamwork. It is nice to get to read about it every now and then.
Darn right. 25 cents for SI? Probably about what gas cost back then as well.