In honor of the Wisconsin men's varsity eight winning the 2008 Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship, we are taking a look back at all of the Wisconsin men's rowing titles beginning today with the 1951 IRA champions.
Historically speaking, men's rowing is an interesting beast. There have been different attempts over the years to determine a 'true' varsity eight national champion. There appear to be two successful stretches in determining an official national champion to date. The first came in the form of the National Collegiate Rowing Championships, which took place from 1983-96 in Cincinnati. The second success is the current format in place since 2002 at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. Other than these two stretches, IRA Regatta conflicts with the Harvard-Yale race and various other circumstances prevented any kind of official championship. With all that in mind, Wisconsin can comfortably claim three official national championships and an additional six unofficial titles. The Badgers can argue for one more title, depending on how you spin things. Therefore, Wisconsin stakes its claim to three official national championships, and a total of either nine or 10 national championships.
Wisconsin captures 1951 IRA varsity eight title
The Wisconsin men's rowing varsity eight won its first Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta championship in 1951, upsetting defending-champion Washington on the Ohio River in Marietta, Ohio.
Racing June 16, 1951 over two miles, the Badgers clocked a time of 7:50.5 to beat the Huskies by 3.2 seconds. The course was originally set for three miles, but was shortened because of floating debris in flooded conditions.
The victory was the first for the Badgers after 31 previous trips to the IRA. The school made its first trip to the IRA in 1898. Wisconsin had come close to winning the title on numerous occasions, finishing second during five trips.
The Badgers entered the IRA having lost earlier races at home to Yale on Lake Monona on May 5 and on the road to California on the Oakland Estuary on May 26. However, as has become the signature of Wisconsin crews throughout the school's history, the Badgers improved more than any other crew as the season progressed and the Badgers defeated California, among other crews, at the IRA to take the title. Yale, which won Eastern Sprints that year, did not compete in the IRA. The Badgers did not compete at Eastern Sprints.
Making up Wisconsin's championship-winning crew were captain and senior coxswain Duane Daentl (Madison, Wis.), senior stroke Peter Wackman (Wauwatosa, Wis.), sophomore James Healy (Milwaukee), junior Robert Espeseth (Cameron, Wis.), sophomore James Moran (Madison, Wis.), sophomore Victor Stueck (Oshkosh, Wis.), junior James Schmidt (Wauwatosa, Wis.), sophomore Robert Hood (North Prairie, Wis.) and junior bow seat Delos Barrett (Lannon, Wis.).
Read much more about the 1951 race by clicking on the pdf below for rosters, results and clippings from the 1951 victory.
Also check out the small photo gallery from the event below.
Finally, click here for the Wisconsin Rowing History Web site's comprehensive take on the 1951 season.
