Dad Vail Regatta
Encyclopedia
The Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta is the largest regular intercollegiate rowing
event in the USA, drawing over a hundred colleges and universities from North America
. The event has been held annually on the Schuylkill River
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, since 1953. Briefly in late 2009, it was planned that the regatta
would be held in Rumson, New Jersey
in 2010. The event has since been announced as returning to Philadelphia.
The purposes of the Dad Vail Rowing Association are: "to perpetuate the 'Dad' Vail tradition, foster and encourage intercollegiate rowing among colleges new to the sport, and promote schedules for member schools."
, for his years of coaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
The story of the Dad Vail Regatta, and of the Rowing Association, begins with two men, "Rusty" Callow, then coach at the University of Pennsylvania
, who came up with the idea, and Lev Brett, who made the idea a reality.
Callow originated the idea of promoting competition among colleges struggling to found rowing programs. These included schools too small to hope to ever compete in major races and larger institutions not yet ready for such competition. In order to create competition, Rusty created a trophy as the competition prize, in 1934, which was named in honor of Vail.
Since then, the name "Dad" Vail has become one and the same with the race. Vail's passion for rowing helped form the modern-day Dad Vail Regatta and motivate the multitudes of colleges to come compete.
as hosts. Marietta College
, coached by Ellis MacDonald won the first leg on the new trophy by finishing second to a Penn sub-varsity boat, which was an added entry. Rutgers, coached by Ned Ten Eyck, was third and Manhattan College
, coached by "Skippy" Walz was fourth.
The race in 1935 was at Marietta. With the addition of Rollins College
and Wisconsin, the order at the finish of the race was: Rutgers, Penn, Marietta, Wisconsin, Manhattan, and Rollins. There was no race held in 1937. In both 1936 and 1938, only Rutgers and Manhattan competed on the Harlem. Rutgers won both times. In February 1939, a meeting was held and the Dad Vail Rowing Association was formed in order to help promote the race and encourage schools to compete.
The growth of the regatta is pointed out by the following statistics: in the first association regatta, seven colleges sent seven varsity crews to Red Bank. At Philadelphia in 1961, twenty colleges sent forty crews to compete in varsity, JV, and freshman races. Currently, over a hundred colleges and universities from the United States and Canada compete, making the Dad Vail Regatta the largest collegiate regatta in the United States and bringing thousands of student athletes to Philadelphia.
Women competed for the first time in 1976.
The Dad Vail entered its 70th year in 2008.
College rowing (United States)
Rowing is one of the oldest intercollegiate sports in the United States. However, rowers comprise only 2.2% of total college athletes. This may be in part because of the status of rowing as an amateur sport and because not all universities have access to suitable bodies of water. In the 2002-03...
event in the USA, drawing over a hundred colleges and universities from North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The event has been held annually on the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, since 1953. Briefly in late 2009, it was planned that the regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
would be held in Rumson, New Jersey
Rumson, New Jersey
Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,122.Rumson was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1907, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on the results of a...
in 2010. The event has since been announced as returning to Philadelphia.
The purposes of the Dad Vail Rowing Association are: "to perpetuate the 'Dad' Vail tradition, foster and encourage intercollegiate rowing among colleges new to the sport, and promote schedules for member schools."
Origin of the name "Dad Vail"
The regatta was named after Harry Emerson "Dad" VailHarry Vail
Harry Emerson "Dad" Vail, was a rowing coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA. The Dad Vail Regatta, held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is named in his honor.Harry Emerson Vail was born in Gagtown, New Brunswick, Canada....
, for his years of coaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
The story of the Dad Vail Regatta, and of the Rowing Association, begins with two men, "Rusty" Callow, then coach at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, who came up with the idea, and Lev Brett, who made the idea a reality.
Callow originated the idea of promoting competition among colleges struggling to found rowing programs. These included schools too small to hope to ever compete in major races and larger institutions not yet ready for such competition. In order to create competition, Rusty created a trophy as the competition prize, in 1934, which was named in honor of Vail.
Since then, the name "Dad" Vail has become one and the same with the race. Vail's passion for rowing helped form the modern-day Dad Vail Regatta and motivate the multitudes of colleges to come compete.
History of the regatta
The first race, before the formation of the Dad Vail Rowing Association, was held in 1934 with "Rusty" and the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
as hosts. Marietta College
Marietta College
Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...
, coached by Ellis MacDonald won the first leg on the new trophy by finishing second to a Penn sub-varsity boat, which was an added entry. Rutgers, coached by Ned Ten Eyck, was third and Manhattan College
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers...
, coached by "Skippy" Walz was fourth.
The race in 1935 was at Marietta. With the addition of Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
and Wisconsin, the order at the finish of the race was: Rutgers, Penn, Marietta, Wisconsin, Manhattan, and Rollins. There was no race held in 1937. In both 1936 and 1938, only Rutgers and Manhattan competed on the Harlem. Rutgers won both times. In February 1939, a meeting was held and the Dad Vail Rowing Association was formed in order to help promote the race and encourage schools to compete.
The growth of the regatta is pointed out by the following statistics: in the first association regatta, seven colleges sent seven varsity crews to Red Bank. At Philadelphia in 1961, twenty colleges sent forty crews to compete in varsity, JV, and freshman races. Currently, over a hundred colleges and universities from the United States and Canada compete, making the Dad Vail Regatta the largest collegiate regatta in the United States and bringing thousands of student athletes to Philadelphia.
Women competed for the first time in 1976.
The Dad Vail entered its 70th year in 2008.
Winners of select events
| Men's HW 8+ | Men's LW 8+ | Men's JV 8+ | Men's Frosh 8+ | Men's FLW 8+ | Women's HW 8+ | Women's LW 8+ | Women's FLW 8+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Brock | Mercyhurst | Drexel Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees... |
St. Joseph's | Michigan St. Michigan State University Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,... |
Sacramento State | UMass University of Massachusetts This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst... |
|
| 2009 | Michigan | Delaware | Temple | Michigan | MSOE | Grand Valley | Bucknell | Michigan St. Michigan State University Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,... |
| 2008 | Purdue Purdue University Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and... |
Fordham | Grand Valley | Delaware | Delaware | California-Davis | Central Florida | |
| 2007 | Purdue | Georgia Tech | Temple | Bucknell | Florida Tech | Purdue | Ohio State | |
| 2006 | Marietta | Georgia Tech | Temple | St. Joseph's | St. Joseph's | Saint Joseph's Gillin Boat Club Gillin Boat Club is the rowing program for St. Joseph's University Rowing and St. Joseph's Prep Rowing. It is situated at the 1,000-meter mark of the Schuylkill River race course in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... |
Dayton | |
| 2005 | Michigan | Boston College Boston College Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early... |
St. Joseph's | Purdue | St. Joseph's | U. Connecticut | Dayton | |
| 2004 | Temple Temple University Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional... |
Boston College | Temple | Marietta | St. Joseph's | Sacramento State | Purdue | |
| 2003 | Temple | Delaware | Temple | St. Joseph's | St. Joseph's | Massachusetts | Bucknell | |
| 2002 | Dowling | Fordham Fordham University Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St... |
Marietta | Marietta | Massachusetts | Delaware | ||
| 2001 | Temple | Villanova Villanova University Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States... |
Temple | Marietta | Santa Clara | Boston College | Delaware | |
| 2000 | Temple | Purdue | RIT | Villanova | Georgia Tech | Villanova | Massachusetts | |
| 1999 | Temple | Saint Joseph's | RIT | Villanova | Georgia Tech | Villanova | Delaware | |
| 1998 | Temple | Florida Tech | Temple | Purdue | Villanova | Purdue | Villanova | |
| 1997 | Temple | Saint Joseph's | Drexel | Drexel | Purdue | Western Ontario | Villanova | |
| 1996 | Temple | |||||||
| 1995 | Temple | SUNY Buffalo | Central Florida | |||||
| 1994 | Temple | Marietta | Central Florida | |||||
| 1993 | Temple | |||||||
| 1992 | Temple | Navy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
Navy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States... |
|||||
| 1991 | Temple | Rochester University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The... |
Marietta | Central Florida | ||||
| 1990 | Temple | |||||||
| 1989 | Temple | Georgetown | Western Ontario | |||||
| 1988 | Florida Tech | Massachusetts | Central Florida | |||||
| 1987 | Temple | |||||||
| 1986 | Temple | |||||||
| 1985 | Temple | |||||||
| 1984 | Temple | |||||||
| 1983 | Temple | Marietta | ||||||
| 1982 | Florida Tech | |||||||
| 1981 | Coast Guard | Trinity College | Trinity College | |||||
| 1980 | Massachusetts | Trinity College | Trinity College | |||||
| 1979 | Coast Guard | Ithaca | ||||||
| 1978 | Marietta | Wesleyan University | ||||||
| 1977 | ||||||||
| 1976 | Coast Guard | Marietta | Marietta | Ithaca | ||||
| 1975 | Coast Guard | -- | -- | |||||
| 1974 | Massachusetts | -- | Massachusetts | Marietta | ||||
| 1973 | Massachusetts | Marietta | Marietta | Marietta | ||||
| 1972 | -- | Marietta | -- | |||||
| 1971 | Georgetown | Marietta | Marietta | Marietta | ||||
| 1970 | St. Joseph's | -- | -- | |||||
| 1969 | Georgetown | -- | Marietta | Marietta | ||||
| 1968 | Georgetown | -- | Marietta | Marietta | ||||
| 1967 | Marietta | -- | Marietta | |||||
| 1966 | Marietta | -- | Marietta | Marietta | ||||
| 1965 | Northeastern | -- | Northeastern | Northeastern | ||||
| 1964 | Georgetown Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States... |
-- | Marietta | |||||
| 1963 | Marietta | -- | -- | |||||
| 1962 | Georgetown | -- | -- | |||||
| 1961 | Brown | -- | -- | |||||
| 1960 | Brown | -- | -- | |||||
| 1959 | Brown | -- | -- | |||||
| 1958 | La Salle | -- | -- | |||||
| 1957 | La Salle | -- | -- | |||||
| 1956 | La Salle | -- | -- | |||||
| 1955 | Dartmouth | -- | -- | |||||
| 1954 | Dartmouth | -- | -- | |||||
| 1953 | La Salle | -- | -- | |||||
| 1952 | La Salle | -- | -- | |||||
| 1951 | La Salle | -- | -- | |||||
| 1950 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1949 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1948 | Boston U. Boston University Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers... |
-- | -- | |||||
| 1947 | Boston U. Boston University Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers... |
-- | -- | |||||
| 1946 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1945 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1944 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1943 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1942 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1941 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1940 | -- | -- | ||||||
| 1939 | Marietta | -- | -- | |||||
| 1938 | Rutgers | -- | -- | |||||
| 1936 | Rutgers | -- | -- | |||||
| 1935 | Rutgers | -- | -- | |||||
| 1934 | Marietta | -- | -- |