Washington Rowing History

About Us

Years of History
0
Photos from Past Teams
0 +
Supported by Volunteers
0 %

The Washingtonrowinghistory.org website was launched in 2024 as a modernized version of the original Washington Rowing History published at Huskycrew.org, a website founded in 2001 by Eric Cohen (coxswain and class of ’82) in an effort to improve the communication between the Washington Rowing Stewards and the Seattle community. Top on the list in those early days was a way for alums, friends, and parents to access immediate information about the program – specifically schedules and news – instantly (this was over ten years before the advent of social media and the mainstreaming of smartphones). In the fall of 2002 (an original screenshot from 2002 is shown here), and in concert with our Centennial Celebration, the history project was initiated, with the 100-year history written and published in the spring of 2003. In the years that followed, the site grew to include race results, exclusive photos and videos, interviews, the women’s history section, and breaking news. The entirety of this website has been – and remains – volunteer driven, and done as a gift back to this exceptional program.

The growth in visitors to Huskycrew.org was steady and strong. In 2007, Huskycrew worked together with the Washington Athletic Department to bring the first global webcast of the Windermere Cup (and one of the first live streaming rowing events) to computer screens around the world. Also in 2007, thousands of visitors were online in June as Huskycrew provided the only live splits on the web of the major IRA events. In February 2008, the site changed the top-level domain from Huskycrew.com to Huskycrew.org, to better represent the non-profit status of the Stewards, the HRF, and the writing of the history.

With the advent of social media and the ease of posting real-time information, in 2015 the majority of the history content on huskycrew.org was copied to the newly launched Washington Rowing website (washingtonrowing.com), with huskycrew.org remaining as the main source for consistently updated history material, photos and collections, including the extensive addition of the women’s history in 2022. In 2024, all of the history (men and women combined) was merged into Washingtonrowinghistory.org, this new site offers an advanced interface, compatibility with smartphones, and a substantially improved user experience.

Prior to this change, all of the website development and design was done by Eric. But with the significant advancement in technology and the expanded content and viewership, the development and publishing now must be outsourced. That cost is supported by the Husky Rowing Foundation, and we welcome your support. Our photos and videos come almost entirely from alums and friends of the program throughout the decades, and all writing (except the exceptional early women’s history written by Ellen Ernst) is done by Eric Cohen.

In addition, The Husky Rowing Foundation is a registered 501(c)3, and all donations to the HRF go to support our historical research, or the UW Men’s and Women’s Rowing Teams each year. Thank you for supporting the Husky Rowing Foundation!

For questions about the HRF or the Huskycrew.org website, please contact Eric Cohen ’82 using our contact page.

Old Husky Crew Website

Meet the AUthor

Eric Cohen

Eric Cohen

The men’s history author is Eric Cohen, a 1982 graduate of the University of Washington and longtime member of the Washington Rowing Stewards. 

Eric began as a freshman coxswain in high school (Roosevelt) at Greenlake Crew in Seattle, and joined the Washington Rowing team in the fall of 1978. At the UW he coxed three years in the Varsity 8, was a three-time Pac-10 champion, 1981 consensus National Champion (competing at Henley), First Team All-Conference (1981), and Co-Captain and Inspirational (1982). He graduated from the UW Foster School of Business in 1983.

Following a career in marketing research, product development, and senior marketing at Holland America Line in Seattle, Eric co-founded the web-based on-demand printing company Directflex.com and also MyTeamBook.com. During that time, he joined the Washington Rowing Stewards (1995), founding the website Huskycrew.org (2001) and writing the 100-Year History of Washington Rowing (2003). He also co-founded the non-profit retailer Husky Crew Gear (2001), and established with classmates Al Forney and Al Erickson the Class of ’82 Endowed Scholarship for Men’s Rowing (2012). He is also a co-founder (with the late Blake Nordstrom ’82) of the non-profit Husky Rowing Foundation (2013) and continues today as an active member of the Rowing Stewards and as the historian for the UW Rowing Team.

Eric was one of the first contacts for Daniel James Brown as he researched his bestselling novel The Boys in the Boat (2013), with Eric’s commentary featured in the widely heralded PBS American Experience documentary “The Boys of ’36” (2016). Eric was an invited panel member at both the Chicago and Los Angeles pre-release screening events for the “Boys of ’36”, and was the panel host at the sold-out Meany Hall event on the UW campus in the summer of 2016.

Since 2016, Eric has continued to share the story of The Boys in the Boat, the power of trust and commitment, and the “swing” found in exceptional teams. He has presented to private audiences large and small on overcoming adversity, building a culture that values courage and commitment, and the transformative change that can happen within a team when trust and a common goal rise above self.

More About Eric and His Message
About Washington Rowing History
The Seattle launch of PBS's "Boys of '36", with Eric Cohen, Michael Callahan, Jan Harville, Margaret Grossi, Mary Carillo, and Daniel James Brown at Meany Hall

ERIC COHEN RECEIVES DAVE AND RUTH COHN ALUMNI MERIT AWARD

ALUMNI MERIT AWARD

“Rowing taught me hard work for a greater purpose, for a sum that’s bigger than the parts,” says Eric Cohen, ‘82.

Eric is the recipient of the 2016 Cohn Award for outstanding service and support to UW Athletics by a former letter-winner.

The Cohen family bleeds purple and gold. Eric’s parents met on a blind date at a Husky basketball game more than 60 years ago. They raised their family in the neighborhood abutting the UW and Lake Washington, where a young Eric would watch Husky rowers with his dad. His wife Heidi’s grandmother rowed on the UW crew team in 1918. Their daughter, Monica, attends the UW and is a pole vaulter on the UW Track Team.

“I had a strong passion for athletics and wanted to play football, but I was five-foot-four in high school and weighed 85 pounds,” says Eric. “I wanted to compete, and rowing was it.”

Living in the crew house, coxing the Varsity 8 to conference championships and making lifelong friends had such an impact on Eric that he joined The Washington Rowing Board of Stewards in 1995 where he serves as the team historian, wrote a history of the program in 2003, and created the program’s original website in 2001. He consulted on the PBS documentary, The Boys of ’36, and the famed book, The Boys in the Boat. Eric and teammate Al Forney founded Husky Crew Gear to raise money for the program, and along with teammate Al Erickson, they ultimately established the Class of ’82 Scholarship Endowment for Rowing. Eric and Heidi are longtime personal donors as well. Eric credits his teammates — and his wife — for enabling him to devote so much of his time and energy to supporting the program he loves.

“Giving back is almost a requirement after all this program gave me,” Eric says.

Congratulations, Eric, and thank you for all you do for Washington Rowing.

A Message from the Men's and Modern Women's History Author

Eric Cohen

My goal is to write a factual history that also provides an insight into the people that have shaped the sport of rowing at Washington. Thus I encourage any personal experiences or vignettes that might enhance the understanding of the events that have transpired over the years. 

The history that is written here has been researched via a number of sources: the individual sources used in any specific year or decade are documented at the end of each section. Every effort has been made to corroborate factual data via newspapers, the University yearbook The Tyee, publications on rowing, the internet, and the various writings found in the archives of the VBC.

However – that does not make everything perfectly correct! If you see something that is stated incorrectly – particularly in the years you were there – let us know by filling out our contact form.

We also want any pictures or memorabilia, especially of races or of life at the shellhouse or VBC. If you would like to make an in-kind donation please contact me at the email address below. As a licensed 501(c)3, your in-kind donations of value to the Husky Rowing Foundation may be tax deductible. Contact us for more information.

Which brings us to the question of why I decided to do this and publish it here. People have asked and it’s worth explaining. It is because it was the right place and the right time, both for the program and for me personally. The Centennial in 2003 provided the perfect backdrop. My wife, Heidi, who supported me throughout this project, needed very little convincing knowing how much the sport has given me. We had a window of opportunity in the 2002/2003 timeframe and we took it.

Also, a note of thanks to those who have helped out with this project over the years. Bob Ernst, Ellen Ernst (who wrote the detailed early women’s history), John Bolcer and all our friends at MSCUA, Stan Pocock, Bob Moch, Irma and Al Erickson (who let me dig through Dick’s attic), Paul Yount, Lisa Center and the media department at the A/D, Michael Callahan, Lee Corbin, Al MacKenzie, Nicole Klein and everyone who took the time to answer questions – thank you!

Eric Cohen ’82

“There are many times I stop and think about it. It made me fear nothing. It made me so confident. The joy of success - awesome success - and memories… unbelievable.”
Vic Fomo, 1940 and 1941 National Champion