Rowing titles: 1973 IRA Champions
August 04, 2008 | Men's Rowing
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. Today we take a look at the 1973 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, and since 2002, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships serve in that capacity. 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 addition 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.
SWEEP! Badgers Win Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Freshmen Eight at 1973 IRA
For the first time in school history, Wisconsin swept all three major eights at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta in 1973, winning the varsity eight, second varsity eight and freshmen eight events. The sweep helped the Badgers to their second consecutive Ten Eyck Trophy as team all-points champion.
Racing June 2, 1973 on Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, N.Y., the UW varsity eight gave the Badgers their fourth IRA varsity eight title and first since 1966. It also marked the first IRA title as for head coach Randy Jablonic. He had won a title in 1959 as a rower with the Badgers.
The Badgers captured the title over third-place Northeastern, which had won the Eastern Sprints title earlier in the spring ahead of the Badgers. Brown took second in the race.
The 1973 IRA was the first missed by Washington, which passed on the event due to academic scheduling conflicts that would last over 20 years and until 1995. The normal absences of Harvard and Yale due to the annual race between the Ivy League schools also intruded. The Badgers would later defeat Washington in a best-of-three race-off in two races prior to the Royal Henley Regatta in London, while the Badgers had previously knocked off Harvard and Yale at Eastern Sprints.
Making up Wisconsin's championship-winning varsity eight was junior coxswain John Bosio (Merrill, Wis.), sophomores Jim Dyreby (Waupaca, Wis.), Lou Schueller (Milwaukee), Robert Espeseth, Jr. (Grand Blanc, Mich.), senior Jerry Phelan (Madison, Wis.), junior Loren Bartz (Suring, Wis.), sophomore Jim Ricksecker (Beloit, Wis.), junior Jim Swanson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) and senior co-captain Bob Eloranta (Owen, Wis.).
The UW athletic communications archive is missing its information from 1973, so a roster, clippings and results cannot be included with the 1973 report. Anyone with copies of such information from 1973 or addition photos, please email Paul Capobianco at phc@athletics.wisc.edu .
Check out the photo gallery from 1973 below.
Without the Trace of a Smile (Sports Illustrated ' 7/11/93)
Also, click here for the Wisconsin Rowing History Web site's comprehensive take on the 1973 season.
