Charles E. Courtney
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Courtney (November 13, 1849 – July 17, 1920) was an American rower and rowing coach from Union Springs, New York
. A carpenter
by trade, Courtney was a nationally known amateur rower. Courtney never lost a race as an amateur and finished a total of 88 victories.
In 1877, he moved from an amateur to a professional rower, a decision that Courtney would later regret. His professional career was marred by controversy and accusations including cowardice and race fixing. His professional career was best remembered for his controversial losses to Ned Hanlan. Some believe that the controversies surrounding the Hanlan and Courtney races caused a public backlash against professional rowing that eventually led to its unpopularity in the United States
.
As his rowing career wound down, Courtney became involved in coaching at Cornell University. He coached Cornell’s rowing team from 1883 to 1920. His crews won 14 of 24 varsity eight-oar titles at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Championship Regatta. He kept his position until he died in the summer of 1920.
, a small town on the north end of Cayuga Lake
at the time noted for pleasure and racing
yacht
s. Courtney's father
died when he was six. From about the age of seven, he was rowing on the lake and would race other local children.
At 12, Courtney built his first boat out of hemlock
boards and two inch planks that he had found. Due to his poor workmanship he plastered yellow clay on his boat to keep it water-tight. Once on the water the clay would eventually be washed away. This did not stop him and his friends from racing the boat. They would take turns to see who row it the farthest before it sank.
After graduating from high school, Courtney went to work as a carpenter
. After working for several local carpenters and architect
s, he went started his own carpentry business with his brother John called Courtney Brothers.
’s “Rob Roy” canoe
that MacGregor used on a trip through England
, Scotland
and other parts of Europe
. Cozzens had found a description of the canoe in a magazine
article and talked Courtney into building a similar craft. Their boat (24 inches wide, 9 inches deep, and 16 feet long) was eventually outfitted with oars that Courtney and Cozzens also made themselves.
Shortly after the canoe was finished, Courtney entered a single scull
race in Aurora, New York
. He raced in his modified canoe that weighed 80 lb (36.3 kg), while several of his competitors raced in 30 lb (13.6 kg) racing shells. Even with the weight disadvantage, Courtney won the 3 miles (4.8 km) race by nearly half a mile.
. It was Courtney's opinion that this slow stepping-down in width allowed him to master control of each new boat. By the time he raced in Syracuse, New York
on June 25, 1873, he was using a 23-feet long, 19-inch wide lap-streak boat that he bought in Geneva, New York
. Courtney won the 3 miles (4.8 km) race by a quarter mile over a field that included noted New York City
rowers Charles Smith and William Bishop.
After the Syracuse race, Courtney finally bought a racing shell. The 35-feet long, 12-inch wide, 30-pound shell cost $126. At the time, Courtney was only making $1 a day as a carpenter. Courtney and his friend raised the money from the residents of Union Springs. They came up short, so a local doctor wrote a note for the last $40.
In September 1873, Courtney entered a race in Saratoga, New York
with his new racing shell. He won the 3 miles (4.8 km) race against 12 other competitors by over a quarter of a mile. His time of 14 minutes and 15 seconds was a whole minute better than the then professional record held by Josh Ward
.
in New Jersey
. Both men were considered the best amateur
rowers at that time. Both had announced that after the race they would be turning professional
. The 36 year old Courtney came into the race undefeated and had beaten Riley twice before in the summer of 1875. These victories came in Riley’s first two competitive single scull races. One of Courtney victories was only by a quarter boat length. Since that time, the 29 year old Riley had rowed 13 races (winning only 8), but did have the fastest time on record. A large crowd was expected to be on hand to watch the scullers. The Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway added extra trains to meet the demand of rowing fans that wanted to witness the event.
Before the race, Courtney drank a glass of ice tea that was laced with a drug, and was unable to race. A little after noon on the day of the race, Courtney sat down for a meal at a local inn. After the meal, he asked the waitress for ice tea. The waitress went to make the tea but was stopped by the owner of the inn, who told her he would make the tea humself. Courtney experienced a strange sensation of being too hot, and then, too cold. He went up to his room by himself. Eventually, his throat started to burn and his fingers became numb and cold. He began to ache and soon began to vomit. Riley was informed of the situation and went to visit Courtney. After the visit and consulting with the doctors treating his opponent, Riley decided that Courtney was in no condition to row that day. Riley did however row the course for time. Even without competition, he was able to do the 3 miles (4.8 km) course in a time of 20 minutes and 47.5 seconds, which was a new record.
The incident created a sensation throughout the country. The ice tea was never analyzed so the exact drug was not known. There was speculation that tartar emetic or arsenic
was the poison
. There were also rumors that Hoboken, New Jersey
gamblers knew in advance that Courtney would be poisoned. Betting on the race changed from Courtney being a slight favorite to Riley becoming a heavy favorite on the day of the race.
Courtney became a professional rower after the canceled race with Riley. The decision to move into the professional ranks was one Courtney would later regret. When asked later in life why he became a professional, he responded, "Because I was a fool, I had no more business in the professional line than I had of being a preacher."
Even though he did not become a professional until 1877, this did not mean he hadn’t profited from being an amateur rower. Courtney admitted that he was given $450 after he won the Grand National Amateur Regatta at Saratoga in 1873 by local gamblers that profited from his victory. That sum was more than a year's salary as a carpenter. In the race versus Riley where he was poisoned, Courtney and his brother had bet over $1,000 on his victory in the race. He also stated that before the race was canceled, he expected to receive half the grandstand receipts.
A large crowd of over 10,000 spectators
showed up came to watch the race. Courtney had the inside (West) position with Paisted in the middle and Riley on the outside (East). When the word "go" was given, all three sculls started moved off the line at the same instant. Courtney stayed down the middle of the course while his competitors moved closer to the East shore. At the quarter mile, Plaisted was a boat length ahead of Riley and almost two lengths ahead of Courtney. By the half mile mark, Courtney had passed both of his rivals. Plaisted retook the lead mile into the race. Riley made a move and passed Courtney, and moved even with Plaisted. Riley and Plaisted’s racing sculls almost collided; this allowed Courtney to take very small lead just before the turning stake. Riley was able to take the lead back on the turn, but soon lost it to Courtney. Plaisted dropped out around the 2 miles (3.2 km) mark due to cramps. Courtney did not give up the lead and won by five boat lengths in a time of 20 minutes and 45.75 seconds. Courtney's time was off the record mark set by Riley by a quarter of a second. After the race, Riley was very disappointed, complaining about Plaisted's coming across his path at the beginning and almost hitting his boat at the turning stake.
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Courtney's first loss came on October 3, 1878, when he lost to Canadian champion Ned Hanlan
in a very close 5 miles (8 km) single scull race near Lachine, Quebec
with about 20,000 spectators for a $10,000 prize. Hanlan had won the professional single scull title at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia when Courtney had won the amateur title, and was considered one of the best professional rowers of the time. For the first four miles (6 km) the lead changed hands several times, but as they entered the last mile, Hanlan slowly but surely went to the front and was leading by three lengths at the 4-mile mark. Near the finish, both Hanlan and Courtney had to deal with a group of boats that had wandered inside the racing lane. Both rowers paused for a moment, then Hanlan shot around them and over the finish line. Before the race there were rumors that Courtney had agreed to throw the race for a guaranteed percentage of the prize. The New York Times investigated and could not find any truth to the rumors, calling him the "most unjustly accused man in the country today." Courtney reported that he lost $1,350 of his own money
betting on the race. Because of the effect of the rumors on his reputation and family, Courtney stated he didn’t know if he would row again.
Courtney did return to rowing, however, and the next year a rematch was scheduled at Lake Chautauqua, New York, for a $6,000 prize. To accommodate the expected crowds, a temporary grandstand was built along with a special rail line to carry spectators to the site. The morning before the race, Courtney's racing shell was sawed in half, and he declined offers of other boats. What actually happened to the boat is unknown. Some thought that Hanlan's supporters had destroyed the boat, but others suspected Courtney had done it himself to avoid another loss. Courtney claimed Hanlan was out on the town the night before the race and his supporters were concerned they would lose their money they wagered on him. He would also claim that Hanlan’s supporters offered Courtney the entire $60,00 prize to fix the race. Courtney was latter reported as saying in response to the offer, "Gentlemen, the race will be raced tomorrow, and whoever wins it will have to row for it." Courtney's backers believed that Hanlan's backers sneaked into Courtney's boathouse and destroyed his boat. Another version of events was that Courtney did not want to row unless the race would be fixed in his favor. Hanlan's friends agreed that Hanlan would lose. Hanlan and his friends did not have any intention of living up to this promise to Courtney and bet heavily on Hanlan to win. Courtney's supporters learned of the double-cross and destroyed Courtney's boat.
In 1880, the two finally met again. The race took place on the Potomac River
in Washington, DC. Up to 100,000 people were estimated to have attended the race including President
Rutherford B. Hayes
. The race was considered so important that the United States Congress
adjourned so members could watch. Robert Emmet Odlum
, who would later be killed jumping off Brooklyn Bridge
, swam the entire course before the race, and was surprised to learn from Hanlan and Courtney that neither could swim. Hanlan took an early lead, causing Courtney to quit. Courtney turned his boat around to return to the start/finish line before Hanlan reached the turning post. Many spectators thought Courtney was winning, but Hanlan passed him before the finish line.
and James A. Ten Eyck
. Hanlan withdrew before the race because he was out of condition, so a rematch did not take place. Courtney finished third in the single scull race, with Ross winning and being crowned unofficial world champion. On September 1, 1882, he beat George W. Lee in a three mile (5 km) race on Canadarago Lake
, finishing the course in a record time of 19 minutes and 31½ seconds. In 1885, Courtney and his partner P. H. Conley defeated the team of Hosmer and Gaudaur for the double scull championship of the world. Shortly after the race, Courtney’s old rival, Ned Hanlan, and his partner George W. Lee
challenged them to a race. Later that year in Albany, New York, Courtney and Conley lost to Hanlan and Lee by less than 10 seconds.
After 18 years of competitive rowing, both as an amateur and a professional, Courtney finished his rowing career with only 7 losses in 137 races and regattas.
rowing team. Courtney’s crews never finished below third and won 14 of 24 varsity eight-oar titles at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Championship Regatta. In seven of the regattas, his team won all the events, including the varsity eight, varsity four, and freshman eight. During Courtney's tenure as coach, no other school would sweep every event in the regatta. Before becoming coach, Courtney did have a history with Cornell University. In 1872, he participated in the first Cornell rowing regatta as a member of the Union Springs Boat Club. Courtney’s four-oared crew from Union Springs beat Cornell, but helped build excitement at the college for rowing. Courtney also won a two mile (3 km) single scull race on the same day.
In 1883, Courtney was hired for 10 days to help train the Cornell University four-oared varsity crew for their 1 mile race against Wesleyan College
, University of Pennsylvania
, and Princeton University
at the Lake George
Regatta. Princeton and Penn were favored since they both had beaten several of the top rowing clubs in America. He was hired again by Cornell in 1884, which drew criticism because of his past controversies during his professional career. The New York Times, which editorialized, "If college boys cannot learn to row without associating with persons like Courtney..., perhaps they would be quite as well off if they devoted a little more time to classics and mathematics and a little less to rowing." Because of the help he gave during the 1883 season that allowed Cornell to defeat rivals at Lake George, Cornell overlooked his ethics and hired him on for his extensive rowing knowledge. Courtney coached the four-oared crews at Cornell over the next few years and consistently won. Notable victories included winning the Childs Cup over Pennsylvania in 1885 and 1887, and winning the Downing Cup in The People’s Regatta at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in 1888.
To gain some respect, in the fall of 1888, it was decided that the 1889 Cornell crew would switch from a four-oared varsity crew to an eight-oared varsity crew. Courtney was hindered by a lack of equipment. He had to coach from the bank of the lake since Cornell did not have a launch. The practice shell was weak and in poor condition, and the team did not receive their eight-man shells until they arrived in New London for the first race. Courtney's Cornell crew easily beat Pennsylvania and Columbia University
at New London
, and then a few weeks later broke the world record for an eight-oared 1½-mile race versus Pennsylvania at the Schuylkill
in Philadelphia. These victories created great enthusiasm for the rowing program at Cornell.
The Courtney-coached crews over the next few years were very similar to the 1889 team. All the crews were comparatively light weight that rowed with a rapid stroke. This style usually led to victories. One notable win was over Columbia and Penn in 1891. In this race at New London, Courtney's crew broke the world record for an eight-oared 3 miles (4.8 km) race with a time of 14 minutes 27½ seconds.
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In 1895, Courtney and his Cornell varsity crew competed in the Grand Challenge Cup
at the Henley Royal Regatta
in England
. At the time, the Grand Challenge Cup was regarded as the most important race in the rowing world. Around 100,000 people would watch the event annually. The Regatta was rowed against a slow current river, was wide enough for two boats, was done in heats. In 1891, the Leader Club, one of the most powerful clubs in England set the one mile (1.6 km) and 550 yards (502.9 m) course record of 6 minutes and 51 seconds. Before traveling to England, Cornell's crew did the Cup distance in 6 minutes 56 seconds in still water.
Courtney and the team left New York on May 29, 1895 on the Steamship Paris for the race. The early departure would allow his team to practice in England for 5 weeks. Courtney, however, was not able to watch any of the races due to an illness.
Cornell’s first heat was versus the Leander Club
crew of London
, England coached by Rudolph C. Lehmann
. The members of the Leander Club were composed almost of entirely of former Oxford
and Cambridge
oarsman. They had won the Cup seven times and were the four-time defending champion. Leander was considered the best crew in England, and was the favorite to win the Cup in 1895. The race was a contrast of rowing styles. Cornell rowed the Courtney stroke which was short and choppy compared to the Leander’s long and sweeping stroke. The heat was marred by controversy right from the start. Cornell and Leander crew took up their positions at the starting point. When the umpire asked if the crews were ready, F. D. Colson
, the Cornell coxswain, answered "yes". The Leander crew insisted two members shouted "No" and C. W. Kent, the crew’s stroke, held up his hand. The umpire insisted that someone from the English crew answered that they were ready and then gave the command to start the race. Both crews shot out from the starting line. Cornell rowed with strong even strokes, but only half of the Leander club was rowing. At that point, Leander stopped rowing, and C. F. Beggs and C. W. Kent, the Leander coxswain
and stroke
respectively, protested to the umpire. When the umpire did not tell Cornell to stop or return to the start, Cornell continued rowing at a leisurely pace, followed by the referee’s boat. Cornell finished the course of one mile (1.6 km) and 550 yards (502.9 m) in 8 minutes and 11 seconds. This was more than a minute over the time they were rowing in practice. When they crossed the finish line they were declared the winner of the heat by the umpire. The Leander crew protested the Cornell victory stating that they notified the umpire before he gave to the notice to start the race. They appealed it to the "steward" who met at the end of the day but they ruled in favor of Cornell victory. They adopted the following resolution: "Resolved, That the committee, while deeply regretting the most unfortunate misunderstand, feel that they must abide by the laws of boat racing and cannot review the decision of the umpire or starter."
Cornell moved to the semifinals of the Grand challenge cup by defeating Leander. In its second race against Trinity Hall
from Cambridge, things did not go well for Courtney’s crew. Cornell came off the line fast pulling 24 strokes in a half minute. Cornell took the lead by a few feet. At the quarter mile, they had a third of a boat length lead and increased it to a half a length at the half mile mark. Trinity surged and by the time the boats reached the mile mark, they had passed Cornell. Shortly after Trinity took the lead a sudden collapse occurred in the Cornell boat. The blades of the oars went flying, Hager (No. 3) and Fennell
(No. 5) missed the water with their oars and almost fell out of the boat. Trinity continued the last 300 yards (274.3 m) to victory by seven lengths. Fennell had caught a crab and the handle of his oar struck his side inflicting injury including bruising his groin. Despite the pain, he continued to row even though he showed signs of exhaustion. After the race, Fennell was placed in doctors' care. Trinity Hall would go on and win the Cup that year.
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With two controversial races, the trip to England generated both bad feelings and bad press for Courtney and the Cornell rowing team. The controversial first heat with Leander caused ill will in England with many considering that Cornell acted in an unsportsmanlike
manner. Courtney believed he received good treatment from the fans at Henley, and was mistreated by the English press
. Courtney also had to contend with bad press back home. Courtney believed that part of the problem was the rivalry between competing wire services. C. S. Francis, a Cornell alumni who helped raise money for the trip to England was also the editor of the Troy Times, which was associated with United Press. Francis stayed with the Cornell team and helped out United Press reporters with information about the team. The Chicago Associated Press
wanted to have their own representative. When this was denied, Courtney claimed that they tried to get even. Courtney insisted that several things that Chicago Associated Press reported, such as troubles and disagreements between members of the team and Mr. Francis' saying the drawing of the Leander rowing club was fixed, were fabrications. After the Regatta, the members of the Cornell rowing team released a statement to the press to address the matter of the Leander race. It stated that it was their understanding that under the rules if they stopped they would have been disqualified. They also said they would consider another race with Leander if they would have won.
While Courtney was in England, Fred R. White of Cleveland, Ohio
, a senior in Law School
at Cornell and manager of both the football team and the freshman rowing team, took a team to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta in Poughkeepsie. Cornell was also defeated at this race. Columbia won the race that was marred by rough water. The Pennsylvania boat was swamped while the Cornell boat was filled with water as it crossed the finish line.
Even with the success that Courtney and his Cornell varsity rowing team was having, both Harvard University
and Yale University
refused to race. It was believed that the snub was because Cornell was a relatively young school and was not considered up to the class or academic standards. Others speculated that Courtney’s crews were too fast and losing to them would be unbearable. The snub had its history dating back to the collapse of the Rowing Association of American Colleges
. After repeated losses to what they thought were lesser schools, including losing to Cornell at the 1875 National Rowing Association of American Colleges Regatta, Yale and Harvard virtually stopped rowing against any one other than each other. Yale pulled out of the association before the 1876 regatta while Harvard waited until the following year. The loss of these two schools caused the association to collapse. Both schools decided to concentrate on meets between each other based on the Cambridge
and Oxford
model in England
.
In the late 1890s, Courtney's Varsity team was finally able to compete against both Yale and Harvard due to events unrelated to rowing. After a very violent football
game in the fall of 1894, the faculty of Harvard suspended all athletic relationships with Yale, effective at the end of the 1894-95 school year. This included their annual regatta, which dated to 1852. In the summer of 1896, the first year that Harvard and Yale did not meet due to the ban, Yale sent its Varsity to the Henley Royal Regatta
in England.
That year, Harvard sent its varsity team to Poughkeepsie to race Cornell, Pennsylvania, and Columbia in the annual Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. Courtney’s team beat all three schools with a time of 19 minutes and 22.9 seconds for the four mile (6 km) course. The next year, Harvard and Yale ended their dispute when Walter Camp
representing Yale agreed to Harvard's demands for the next five years. One of Harvard’s demands was that they meet in all athletics that each school sponsored. Yale had wanted to be selective on which teams played each other. As part of an agreement between the two schools, their rowing teams were to meet in Poughkeepsie, New York during the 1897 season. Since Harvard had already agreed to meet Cornell they were also included. Even given their past success, Courtney and his crew were given little chance to win a race against Harvard and Yale. The coaches of both of his opponents were on record that they both would beat Cornell. Gamblers and bookmakers made Cornell a heavy underdog. Newspaper writers before the meet said that Cornell was not in the same class as Harvard and Yale. They also criticized Cornell’s stroke as weak and in bad form. Even with the odds stacked against Cornell, Courtney believed his team could win, especially after seeing his competition row in practice. Courtney believed that losing would mean the end of Cornell's fight for recognition.
The 1897 Cornell crew that raced Harvard and Yale was very different to the other two school’s rowing teams. First, Courtney’s crew was both lighter and shorter than their competition. The Cornell team came in 100 pounds
less than Yale and 72 pounds less than Harvard. The other major difference was that Harvard and Yale used a stroke that was influenced by English rowing while Courtney taught his crew his very American stroke. Harvard, coached by Rudolph C. Lehmann, used a typical English stroke that was long and sweeping with the rowers stretching as far as possible on the catch to drive the water hard. Yale, coached by Bob Cook
, used a modification of the English stroke, using a much longer slide. Cornell's stroke featured a long stride with little back motion.
A large crowd showed up, representing all three schools that included several members of high society, including J. Pierpont Morgan
and August Belmont, Jr.
. An estimated 15,000 fans watched the race, including 4,000 people who bought tickets on the open-air 50-car observation train
. The observation train sold out at $15 a seat, which was considered a very high price for the day. Scalpers
were selling tickets for seats on the train at even higher prices.
In the race, Harvard took the early lead out of the gate with Yale second. Both of the leaders’ strokes were long and slow while Cornell stuck to its stroke. At the half mile mark, Yale edged in front of Harvard but could not hold the lead form a surging Cornell who took a half boat lead by the end of the first mile. The Courtney-coached crew continued to build on their lead while Harvard sputtered and fell well behind Yale. Throughout the race, Cornell’s coxswain, Freddie Colson, motivated his fellow teammates by reminding them of what their critic had said about then before the race. About a half mile from the finish, Yale tried to make a move but it was too late—Cornell won by 3 lengths.
The victory was not only seen as Cornell dominance in American college rowing, but the superiority of America and the American stroke over the English stroke. Newspapers across the nation proclaimed the superiority of the Courtney’s American stroke. The Philadelphia Inquirer
wrote that "there is another thing in Cornell’s victory to rejoice over, and that is that her's was the distinctly American stroke. We feel sorry for Mr. Lehmann but must admit we did not look for his stroke to triumph." The Minneapolis Tribune wrote that "the splendid victory...was not more a tribute to the superior muscle and methods of the Ithacans than it was a rebuke to the all too prevalent practice of going abroad for our manners."
Even with a victory, both schools continued to see Cornell as inferior. A Yale professor was quoted as saying, "In the future, let us play with people in our class.” The following year, Cornell would beat both schools again, this time in New London, Connecticut
. After that defeat to Cornell, Yale and Harvard decided to return to meets against only each other.
After beating Yale and Harvard in 1897 at Poughkeepsie, New York
, Cornell rowed and beat its traditional Intercollegiate Rowing Association rivals, Penn and Columbia, little over a week later on the same course. Cornell tried to have both Columbia and Penn as part of the regatta of 1897 but Yale declined. Once again, Cornell won the regatta, this time by 10 boat-lengths over Columbia. Penn did not finish the race because their boat was swamped 2½ miles into the 4 miles (6.4 km) race. These two victories left little doubt who was the best American college crew. It also quieted Courtney's critics that said his crew was outclassed by Harvard and Yale, and questioned his conditioning methods.
The next year, Courtney attempted to have his crew repeat its victories over Harvard and Yale and then win Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta a few days later. The major difference was that the two regattas were in two different locations in 1898. The first race was in New London, Connecticut
and the second was on Saratoga Lake. After beating Harvard and Yale, Cornell lost to Pennsylvania. They were able to beat Columbia as well as University of Wisconsin–Madison, who was completing in first IRA Championship Regatta. Courtney’s crew was unable to overcome fatigue of a hard race in New London as well as the travel and the intense summer heat. This race proved to be a turning point in American college rowing, breaking Cornell’s domination of the sport. Penn, coached by Ellis Ward
, would go to win the 1899 and 1900 Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships. In both 1899 and 1900, Cornell finished third, losing even to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
In 1901, Cornell returned to championship form when it won the Varsity eight-oared race at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. By this time, Cornell had to compete with more college crews. With the addition of Georgetown University
in 1900 and Syracuse University
in 1901, the eight-oared varsity race had grown to 6 colleges. Courtney’s crew won the four mile (6 km) event in world record time of 18 minutes 53 1/5 seconds. From 1901 to 1916, Courtney’s Cornell team won 11 of 16 Intercollegiate Rowing Association varsity eight-oared championships, with Columbia winning in 1914 and Syracuse winning in 1904, 1908, 1913, and 1916. During that same time, his freshman eight-oared crew won 10 IRA championships.
, former Syracuse
rowing coach, the assistant coach position at Cornell. Sweetland had just left Hamilton College where he was employed as the football coach. Courtney wanted Sweetland to replace F. D. Colson
, who had moved on to become coach at Harvard. While negotiations were still pending, the Rowing Committee of the Cornell Athletic Council announced that they hired C. A. Lueder
for the position. This caused a power struggle between Courtney and the Athletic Council for control of the rowing program. The conflict was resolved when the Rowing Committee canceled the job offer to Lueder. In addition, the Athletic Council limited their interference with the rowing team by giving Coach Courtney the power to pick members of the crew and designate the oarsmen positions. Sweetland, however, did not become Courtney's assistant because in the time it took resolve the conflict, he was offered and accepted the position as head football coach at Ohio State University
. With Sweetland out of the picture, Courtney hired Lauder as his assistant rowing coach
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Courtney suffered a skull
fracture
on June 12, 1915 while traveling by train with his team to the 1915 Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Championship Regatta. The train lurched and his head struck one of the berths. At first he did not think anything about the incident, but he started hemorrhage from his nose and mouth. He refused to consult a doctor and continued to get his team ready for the regatta
. On race day, he was confined to bed and returned to Ithaca, New York
where the skull fracture was diagnosed. Courtney would sue New York Central for $75,000 for his injuries.
The accident increased speculation that Courtney would retire from coaching, or at least move to a more advisory capacity. At the time of the accident, he had one more year left on his contract. Jim Rice
, coach of the Columbia
crew, was considered the leading candidate to replace Courtney.
After several months under a physician’s care, Courtney returned to coach Cornell. Under the close supervision of a nurse, he guided his team to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta in 1916. Before the race, it was announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Even with the announcement, there was still speculation that he would remain with the team in some advisory capacity, but with some authority.
Due to World War I
, college rowing competitions were suspended in 1917. Cornell resumed rowing in a limited fashion in 1918, but the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta did not return until 1920. Courtney and his Cornell team returned for this regatta with his freshman and junior varsity teams winning national championships while his varsity came in second, losing to a Syracuse University
team coached by James A. Ten Eyck
by a boat length.
at his summer cottage on Farley’s Point on Cayuga Lake
, New York
near his boyhood home. After taking a morning row on the Lake, he returned to the cottage. Around 11:00 am, he was found losing consciousness by his wife. She went for help, returning with Hart Carr, but he was already dead. This was confirmed by Dr. E. G. Fish of Union Springs, New York. After nearly three decades as coach, John Hoyle replaced Courtney as coach of Cornell crew.
. This style of rowing would become known as the Courtney Stroke. The most evident trait of the stroke is the positioning of the back
. The back is always kept in a very straight position. Courtney is quoted as saying, "No kink in the back if I have anything to say about it." He kept the back straight to allow the lungs to work without difficulty with no strain on the abdominal muscles. His idea was influenced by watching famous professional rower Harry Coulter in 1870 at Buffalo, New York
.
The basic philosophy of Courtney stroke is to keep the oar
s (sculls or sweep) in the water as long as possible and in the air as short as possible. To do this, Courtney taught his rowers to sharply lower the hands to the lap when the preceding stroke is finished. This forced the blade
of the oar out of the water perpendicular to the surface. Then he required his rowers to quickly shoot their arms forward moving the blade back to start another stroke. He emphasized that the blade should be as close as possible to the water. He wanted the blade to enter the water at slight inclined to the surface of the water to allow it to enter cleanly. Once the blade entered the water, he taught his rowers to immediately start the stroke. During the stroke he wanted the blade to always be covered but not sunk too deep.
or used any form of tobacco
. He also had strong views against alcohol and tobacco use by his rowers because he believed it would effect their ability to work
. Courtney summed up his view: "I have found in my experience that young men are much better off, and do better work, without alcoholic stimulants than with them, and they are, therefore, absolutely prohibited in our training. As to tobacco, I believe young men do better work when not using tobacco than when using it, and it is prohibited in our training here at Cornell University.” This went against old traditional rowing practice of drinking beer
instead water
during training. It was believed that alcohol would strengthen the body while water would weaken the body.
The impact of Charles Courtney's career as a rowing coach was also very far-reaching. When Charles Courtney started his college coaching career at Cornell, few colleges in America were active in rowing other than Cornell; Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Pennsylvania were the only other schools to have significant programs. Several of his former rowers would help expand the number of rowing schools by starting or developing rowing programs across the country. In 1900, Edwin Sweetland, who rowed varsity for Courtney in 1899, became the first rowing coach at Syracuse University
. Mark Odell, who rowed Varsity for Cornell in 1897, was instrumental in establishing the rowing program at the University of Washington
. In addition, The University of Wisconsin–Madison rowing program was started with the help of the University President Charles Kendall Adams, former President of Cornell during the beginning of Courtney's tenure. From his experiences with Courtney at Cornell, Adams knew how a strong athletic program could increase his University’s national reputation. In the spring of 1894, Adams hired Amos W. Marston
, who rowed for Courtney from 1889 to 1892, as the first Wisconsin Badgers
rowing coach.
Courtney was also instrumental in American college sports in the transition of power away from the students to the head coach. He helped transform the head coach into the dictatorial coach seen throughout the 20th century. When he was first hired, it was common practice for the captain of any team to hire the coach and the captain decided on whether the coach stayed on. Since the captain was a student, they would change from one year to the next, and there was no job security. Unlike other 1890s college coaches, Courtney signed a multi-year contract, starting in 1895. He used his job security to demonstrate his power when he overruled team selection of the team captain for the Henley Regatta that same year. Another illustration of his authoritative power that he had gained was in 1897 when he kicked out most of team for eating strawberry
shortcake
before the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. He would instead take a crew made up of mostly substitutes to victory.
Union Springs, New York
Union Springs is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was at 1,074 people at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the mineral springs near the village....
. A carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
by trade, Courtney was a nationally known amateur rower. Courtney never lost a race as an amateur and finished a total of 88 victories.
In 1877, he moved from an amateur to a professional rower, a decision that Courtney would later regret. His professional career was marred by controversy and accusations including cowardice and race fixing. His professional career was best remembered for his controversial losses to Ned Hanlan. Some believe that the controversies surrounding the Hanlan and Courtney races caused a public backlash against professional rowing that eventually led to its unpopularity in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
As his rowing career wound down, Courtney became involved in coaching at Cornell University. He coached Cornell’s rowing team from 1883 to 1920. His crews won 14 of 24 varsity eight-oar titles at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
Championship Regatta. He kept his position until he died in the summer of 1920.
Early life
Courtney was born the fifth of six children on November 13, 1849 to Mr. and Mrs. James Thomas Courtney in Union Springs, New YorkUnion Springs, New York
Union Springs is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was at 1,074 people at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the mineral springs near the village....
, a small town on the north end of Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
at the time noted for pleasure and racing
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s. Courtney's father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
died when he was six. From about the age of seven, he was rowing on the lake and would race other local children.
At 12, Courtney built his first boat out of hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
boards and two inch planks that he had found. Due to his poor workmanship he plastered yellow clay on his boat to keep it water-tight. Once on the water the clay would eventually be washed away. This did not stop him and his friends from racing the boat. They would take turns to see who row it the farthest before it sank.
After graduating from high school, Courtney went to work as a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
. After working for several local carpenters and architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s, he went started his own carpentry business with his brother John called Courtney Brothers.
Introduction into competitive racing
In the late 1860s, Courtney and his childhood friend, William Cozzens, built a small boat based on John MacGregorJohn MacGregor (sportsman)
John MacGregor , nicknamed Rob Roy after a renowned relative, was a Scottish explorer, travel writer and philanthropist. He is generally credited with the development of the first sailing canoes and with popularising canoeing as a middle class sport in Europe and the United States...
’s “Rob Roy” canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
that MacGregor used on a trip through England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and other parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Cozzens had found a description of the canoe in a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
article and talked Courtney into building a similar craft. Their boat (24 inches wide, 9 inches deep, and 16 feet long) was eventually outfitted with oars that Courtney and Cozzens also made themselves.
Shortly after the canoe was finished, Courtney entered a single scull
Single scull
A single scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand....
race in Aurora, New York
Aurora, Cayuga County, New York
Aurora is a village and college town in Cayuga County, in the Town of Ledyard, north of Ithaca, New York, United States. The village had a population of 720 at the 2000 census, of which more than 400 were college students....
. He raced in his modified canoe that weighed 80 lb (36.3 kg), while several of his competitors raced in 30 lb (13.6 kg) racing shells. Even with the weight disadvantage, Courtney won the 3 miles (4.8 km) race by nearly half a mile.
From canoe to racing shell
Courtney continued to race at local events. As he got better at racing, he used boats with smaller and smaller widths, and eventfully raced in a regular racing shellRacing shell
In watercraft, a racing shell is an extremely narrow, and often disproportionately long, rowing boat specifically designed for racing or exercise. It is outfitted with long oars, outriggers to hold the oarlocks away from the boat, and sliding seats...
. It was Courtney's opinion that this slow stepping-down in width allowed him to master control of each new boat. By the time he raced in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
on June 25, 1873, he was using a 23-feet long, 19-inch wide lap-streak boat that he bought in Geneva, New York
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
. Courtney won the 3 miles (4.8 km) race by a quarter mile over a field that included noted New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
rowers Charles Smith and William Bishop.
After the Syracuse race, Courtney finally bought a racing shell. The 35-feet long, 12-inch wide, 30-pound shell cost $126. At the time, Courtney was only making $1 a day as a carpenter. Courtney and his friend raised the money from the residents of Union Springs. They came up short, so a local doctor wrote a note for the last $40.
In September 1873, Courtney entered a race in Saratoga, New York
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
with his new racing shell. He won the 3 miles (4.8 km) race against 12 other competitors by over a quarter of a mile. His time of 14 minutes and 15 seconds was a whole minute better than the then professional record held by Josh Ward
Ward Brothers (rowers)
The Ward Brothers were four members of one family who rowed as a team and sometimes individually. They were declared World Champions after a four-oared race in 1871.-Ward family:...
.
Undefeated amateur champion
Courtney would never lose as an amateur rower and finished with a total of 88 victories in single and double scull races. Among his major victories was The National Association single sculls championship in 1875 at Saratoga where he beat four competitors in the final heat, including noted rower of the day James Riley. In 1876, he won the two amateur rowing championships at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He won the single scull championship in a time of 10 minutes and 48½ seconds on a 1-mile straightaway course. A few days later, he won the double scull championship (with partner Frank E. Yates) in a time of 9 minutes and 52½ seconds over the same distance.Last amateur race
On July 14, 1877, Courtney was to race against James E. Riley at Greenwood LakeGreenwood Lake
Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately seven miles long, straddling the border of New Jersey and New York. It is located in West Milford, New Jersey and Greenwood Lake, New York ....
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Both men were considered the best amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
rowers at that time. Both had announced that after the race they would be turning professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
. The 36 year old Courtney came into the race undefeated and had beaten Riley twice before in the summer of 1875. These victories came in Riley’s first two competitive single scull races. One of Courtney victories was only by a quarter boat length. Since that time, the 29 year old Riley had rowed 13 races (winning only 8), but did have the fastest time on record. A large crowd was expected to be on hand to watch the scullers. The Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway added extra trains to meet the demand of rowing fans that wanted to witness the event.
Before the race, Courtney drank a glass of ice tea that was laced with a drug, and was unable to race. A little after noon on the day of the race, Courtney sat down for a meal at a local inn. After the meal, he asked the waitress for ice tea. The waitress went to make the tea but was stopped by the owner of the inn, who told her he would make the tea humself. Courtney experienced a strange sensation of being too hot, and then, too cold. He went up to his room by himself. Eventually, his throat started to burn and his fingers became numb and cold. He began to ache and soon began to vomit. Riley was informed of the situation and went to visit Courtney. After the visit and consulting with the doctors treating his opponent, Riley decided that Courtney was in no condition to row that day. Riley did however row the course for time. Even without competition, he was able to do the 3 miles (4.8 km) course in a time of 20 minutes and 47.5 seconds, which was a new record.
The incident created a sensation throughout the country. The ice tea was never analyzed so the exact drug was not known. There was speculation that tartar emetic or arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
was the poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
. There were also rumors that Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
gamblers knew in advance that Courtney would be poisoned. Betting on the race changed from Courtney being a slight favorite to Riley becoming a heavy favorite on the day of the race.
Professional rower
Even though he did not become a professional until 1877, this did not mean he hadn’t profited from being an amateur rower. Courtney admitted that he was given $450 after he won the Grand National Amateur Regatta at Saratoga in 1873 by local gamblers that profited from his victory. That sum was more than a year's salary as a carpenter. In the race versus Riley where he was poisoned, Courtney and his brother had bet over $1,000 on his victory in the race. He also stated that before the race was canceled, he expected to receive half the grandstand receipts.
Victory over Riley
Courtney's first professional race was the makeup race with Riley on August 28, 1877. Courtney and Riley agreed to a single scull race over a three mile (5 km) course with a turn (stake race) on Saratoga Lake, and a purse of $800 to the winner. Also included in the race was noted professional rower Frederick Plaisted. Fred Plaisted had been at Greenwood Lake when Courtney was poisoned and was unable to race Riley. He had planned to challenge the winner of that race. To make the race even, all three competitors had to row in identical racing sculls. Both of Courtney’s rivals did have an advantage over him. Courtney had not fully recovered from the after-effects of the poisoning and planned to take it slow at the beginning of the race so he would be able to have a strong finish. Courtney was also using shorter oars than he usually used.A large crowd of over 10,000 spectators
Spectators
Spectators is the fourth full album of the German synthpop duo Wolfsheim. As with all of their commercially available albums, this album is bilingual, although most tracks are in English...
showed up came to watch the race. Courtney had the inside (West) position with Paisted in the middle and Riley on the outside (East). When the word "go" was given, all three sculls started moved off the line at the same instant. Courtney stayed down the middle of the course while his competitors moved closer to the East shore. At the quarter mile, Plaisted was a boat length ahead of Riley and almost two lengths ahead of Courtney. By the half mile mark, Courtney had passed both of his rivals. Plaisted retook the lead mile into the race. Riley made a move and passed Courtney, and moved even with Plaisted. Riley and Plaisted’s racing sculls almost collided; this allowed Courtney to take very small lead just before the turning stake. Riley was able to take the lead back on the turn, but soon lost it to Courtney. Plaisted dropped out around the 2 miles (3.2 km) mark due to cramps. Courtney did not give up the lead and won by five boat lengths in a time of 20 minutes and 45.75 seconds. Courtney's time was off the record mark set by Riley by a quarter of a second. After the race, Riley was very disappointed, complaining about Plaisted's coming across his path at the beginning and almost hitting his boat at the turning stake.
Hanlan-Courtney rivalry
Ned Hanlan
Edward "Ned" Hanlan was a World Champion professional sculler, hotelier, and alderman from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Early life:...
in a very close 5 miles (8 km) single scull race near Lachine, Quebec
Lachine, Quebec
Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.-History:...
with about 20,000 spectators for a $10,000 prize. Hanlan had won the professional single scull title at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia when Courtney had won the amateur title, and was considered one of the best professional rowers of the time. For the first four miles (6 km) the lead changed hands several times, but as they entered the last mile, Hanlan slowly but surely went to the front and was leading by three lengths at the 4-mile mark. Near the finish, both Hanlan and Courtney had to deal with a group of boats that had wandered inside the racing lane. Both rowers paused for a moment, then Hanlan shot around them and over the finish line. Before the race there were rumors that Courtney had agreed to throw the race for a guaranteed percentage of the prize. The New York Times investigated and could not find any truth to the rumors, calling him the "most unjustly accused man in the country today." Courtney reported that he lost $1,350 of his own money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
betting on the race. Because of the effect of the rumors on his reputation and family, Courtney stated he didn’t know if he would row again.
Courtney did return to rowing, however, and the next year a rematch was scheduled at Lake Chautauqua, New York, for a $6,000 prize. To accommodate the expected crowds, a temporary grandstand was built along with a special rail line to carry spectators to the site. The morning before the race, Courtney's racing shell was sawed in half, and he declined offers of other boats. What actually happened to the boat is unknown. Some thought that Hanlan's supporters had destroyed the boat, but others suspected Courtney had done it himself to avoid another loss. Courtney claimed Hanlan was out on the town the night before the race and his supporters were concerned they would lose their money they wagered on him. He would also claim that Hanlan’s supporters offered Courtney the entire $60,00 prize to fix the race. Courtney was latter reported as saying in response to the offer, "Gentlemen, the race will be raced tomorrow, and whoever wins it will have to row for it." Courtney's backers believed that Hanlan's backers sneaked into Courtney's boathouse and destroyed his boat. Another version of events was that Courtney did not want to row unless the race would be fixed in his favor. Hanlan's friends agreed that Hanlan would lose. Hanlan and his friends did not have any intention of living up to this promise to Courtney and bet heavily on Hanlan to win. Courtney's supporters learned of the double-cross and destroyed Courtney's boat.
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
in Washington, DC. Up to 100,000 people were estimated to have attended the race including President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
. The race was considered so important that the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
adjourned so members could watch. Robert Emmet Odlum
Robert Emmet Odlum
Robert Emmet Odlum was an American swimming instructor. He was the brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith. Odlum was the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, and was killed doing so.- Early life :...
, who would later be killed jumping off Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
, swam the entire course before the race, and was surprised to learn from Hanlan and Courtney that neither could swim. Hanlan took an early lead, causing Courtney to quit. Courtney turned his boat around to return to the start/finish line before Hanlan reached the turning post. Many spectators thought Courtney was winning, but Hanlan passed him before the finish line.
Later years
Courtney continued rowing after the losses to Hanlan. Courtney and Hanlan almost met again when Toronto, Canada held an international regatta on September 12, 1881. Both Hanlan and Courtney entered along with other famous scullers of the day, including Wallace RossWallace Ross
Wallace Ross was a professional rower who was considered to be the greatest sculler to come out of Saint John, Canada. He was a champion who nearly won the World Champion single sculls title.-Early life:...
and James A. Ten Eyck
James A. Ten Eyck
James A. Ten Eyck was a crew coach at United States Naval Academy and Syracuse University. He was born in Tompkins Cove, New York and is the father of Edward H. "Ned" Ten Eyck, who coached crew for the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1907 to 1910, and took over coaching duties at Syracuse...
. Hanlan withdrew before the race because he was out of condition, so a rematch did not take place. Courtney finished third in the single scull race, with Ross winning and being crowned unofficial world champion. On September 1, 1882, he beat George W. Lee in a three mile (5 km) race on Canadarago Lake
Canadarago Lake
Canadarago Lake is the second largest lake in Otsego County, New York, USA, lying to the west of and parallel to the larger Otsego Lake.The lake's name is also spelled "Candajarago Lake" or "Caniadaraga Lake".- Bordering areas :...
, finishing the course in a record time of 19 minutes and 31½ seconds. In 1885, Courtney and his partner P. H. Conley defeated the team of Hosmer and Gaudaur for the double scull championship of the world. Shortly after the race, Courtney’s old rival, Ned Hanlan, and his partner George W. Lee
George W. Lee
George W. Lee was an African American civil rights leader, minister, and entrepreneur. He was a vice president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership and head of the Belzoni, Mississippi branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People...
challenged them to a race. Later that year in Albany, New York, Courtney and Conley lost to Hanlan and Lee by less than 10 seconds.
After 18 years of competitive rowing, both as an amateur and a professional, Courtney finished his rowing career with only 7 losses in 137 races and regattas.
Coaching career
In 1883, Charles Courtney took over as coach of the Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
rowing team. Courtney’s crews never finished below third and won 14 of 24 varsity eight-oar titles at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
Championship Regatta. In seven of the regattas, his team won all the events, including the varsity eight, varsity four, and freshman eight. During Courtney's tenure as coach, no other school would sweep every event in the regatta. Before becoming coach, Courtney did have a history with Cornell University. In 1872, he participated in the first Cornell rowing regatta as a member of the Union Springs Boat Club. Courtney’s four-oared crew from Union Springs beat Cornell, but helped build excitement at the college for rowing. Courtney also won a two mile (3 km) single scull race on the same day.
Early years
Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college located in Macon, Georgia, United States.-History:The school was chartered on December 23, 1836 as the Georgia Female College, and opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed Wesleyan Female College in 1843...
, 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...
, and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
at the Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
Regatta. Princeton and Penn were favored since they both had beaten several of the top rowing clubs in America. He was hired again by Cornell in 1884, which drew criticism because of his past controversies during his professional career. The New York Times, which editorialized, "If college boys cannot learn to row without associating with persons like Courtney..., perhaps they would be quite as well off if they devoted a little more time to classics and mathematics and a little less to rowing." Because of the help he gave during the 1883 season that allowed Cornell to defeat rivals at Lake George, Cornell overlooked his ethics and hired him on for his extensive rowing knowledge. Courtney coached the four-oared crews at Cornell over the next few years and consistently won. Notable victories included winning the Childs Cup over Pennsylvania in 1885 and 1887, and winning the Downing Cup in The People’s Regatta at 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...
in 1888.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
at New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, and then a few weeks later broke the world record for an eight-oared 1½-mile race versus Pennsylvania at the Schuylkill
Schuylkill
Schuylkill may refer to the* Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, United StatesPlaces:* Schuylkill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, neighborhood in South Philadelphia* Schuylkill Expressway, portion of I-76 in Philadelphia* Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania...
in Philadelphia. These victories created great enthusiasm for the rowing program at Cornell.
The Courtney-coached crews over the next few years were very similar to the 1889 team. All the crews were comparatively light weight that rowed with a rapid stroke. This style usually led to victories. One notable win was over Columbia and Penn in 1891. In this race at New London, Courtney's crew broke the world record for an eight-oared 3 miles (4.8 km) race with a time of 14 minutes 27½ seconds.
1895 Henley Royal Regatta
Grand Challenge Cup
The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and most prestigious event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs...
at the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the time, the Grand Challenge Cup was regarded as the most important race in the rowing world. Around 100,000 people would watch the event annually. The Regatta was rowed against a slow current river, was wide enough for two boats, was done in heats. In 1891, the Leader Club, one of the most powerful clubs in England set the one mile (1.6 km) and 550 yards (502.9 m) course record of 6 minutes and 51 seconds. Before traveling to England, Cornell's crew did the Cup distance in 6 minutes 56 seconds in still water.
Courtney and the team left New York on May 29, 1895 on the Steamship Paris for the race. The early departure would allow his team to practice in England for 5 weeks. Courtney, however, was not able to watch any of the races due to an illness.
Leander Club
Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. It is based in Remenham in the English county of Berkshire, adjoining Henley-on-Thames...
crew of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England coached by Rudolph C. Lehmann
R. C. Lehmann
Rudolph Chambers "R.C." Lehmann was an English writer and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1910. As a writer he was best known for three decades in which he was a major contributor to Punch as well as founding editor of Granta magazine.Lehmann was born in...
. The members of the Leander Club were composed almost of entirely of former Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
oarsman. They had won the Cup seven times and were the four-time defending champion. Leander was considered the best crew in England, and was the favorite to win the Cup in 1895. The race was a contrast of rowing styles. Cornell rowed the Courtney stroke which was short and choppy compared to the Leander’s long and sweeping stroke. The heat was marred by controversy right from the start. Cornell and Leander crew took up their positions at the starting point. When the umpire asked if the crews were ready, F. D. Colson
F. D. Colson
Frederick D. Colson was a nationally known American amateur rower, rowing coach and lawyer. As a student at Cornell University he rowed for Coach Charles E. Courtney in several of the Cornell Navy’s most noted races. During his coaching career he was Courtney’s top assistant coach at Cornell as...
, the Cornell coxswain, answered "yes". The Leander crew insisted two members shouted "No" and C. W. Kent, the crew’s stroke, held up his hand. The umpire insisted that someone from the English crew answered that they were ready and then gave the command to start the race. Both crews shot out from the starting line. Cornell rowed with strong even strokes, but only half of the Leander club was rowing. At that point, Leander stopped rowing, and C. F. Beggs and C. W. Kent, the Leander coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
and stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
respectively, protested to the umpire. When the umpire did not tell Cornell to stop or return to the start, Cornell continued rowing at a leisurely pace, followed by the referee’s boat. Cornell finished the course of one mile (1.6 km) and 550 yards (502.9 m) in 8 minutes and 11 seconds. This was more than a minute over the time they were rowing in practice. When they crossed the finish line they were declared the winner of the heat by the umpire. The Leander crew protested the Cornell victory stating that they notified the umpire before he gave to the notice to start the race. They appealed it to the "steward" who met at the end of the day but they ruled in favor of Cornell victory. They adopted the following resolution: "Resolved, That the committee, while deeply regretting the most unfortunate misunderstand, feel that they must abide by the laws of boat racing and cannot review the decision of the umpire or starter."
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
from Cambridge, things did not go well for Courtney’s crew. Cornell came off the line fast pulling 24 strokes in a half minute. Cornell took the lead by a few feet. At the quarter mile, they had a third of a boat length lead and increased it to a half a length at the half mile mark. Trinity surged and by the time the boats reached the mile mark, they had passed Cornell. Shortly after Trinity took the lead a sudden collapse occurred in the Cornell boat. The blades of the oars went flying, Hager (No. 3) and Fennell
Tom Fennell
-External links:...
(No. 5) missed the water with their oars and almost fell out of the boat. Trinity continued the last 300 yards (274.3 m) to victory by seven lengths. Fennell had caught a crab and the handle of his oar struck his side inflicting injury including bruising his groin. Despite the pain, he continued to row even though he showed signs of exhaustion. After the race, Fennell was placed in doctors' care. Trinity Hall would go on and win the Cup that year.
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Unsportsmanlike conduct is a foul or offense in many sports that is not necessarily a violation of the respective sport's rules of play, but violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sportsmanship and/or participant conduct...
manner. Courtney believed he received good treatment from the fans at Henley, and was mistreated by the English press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
. Courtney also had to contend with bad press back home. Courtney believed that part of the problem was the rivalry between competing wire services. C. S. Francis, a Cornell alumni who helped raise money for the trip to England was also the editor of the Troy Times, which was associated with United Press. Francis stayed with the Cornell team and helped out United Press reporters with information about the team. The Chicago Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
wanted to have their own representative. When this was denied, Courtney claimed that they tried to get even. Courtney insisted that several things that Chicago Associated Press reported, such as troubles and disagreements between members of the team and Mr. Francis' saying the drawing of the Leander rowing club was fixed, were fabrications. After the Regatta, the members of the Cornell rowing team released a statement to the press to address the matter of the Leander race. It stated that it was their understanding that under the rules if they stopped they would have been disqualified. They also said they would consider another race with Leander if they would have won.
While Courtney was in England, Fred R. White of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, a senior in Law School
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at Cornell and manager of both the football team and the freshman rowing team, took a team to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta in Poughkeepsie. Cornell was also defeated at this race. Columbia won the race that was marred by rough water. The Pennsylvania boat was swamped while the Cornell boat was filled with water as it crossed the finish line.
Harvard and Yale: The fight for respect
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
refused to race. It was believed that the snub was because Cornell was a relatively young school and was not considered up to the class or academic standards. Others speculated that Courtney’s crews were too fast and losing to them would be unbearable. The snub had its history dating back to the collapse of the Rowing Association of American Colleges
Rowing Association of American Colleges
The Rowing Association of American Colleges is considered to be the very first collegiate athletic organization in the country. Upon organization by the captains of the leading crews of the day, they devised a primary rule of eligibility: that only undergraduate students should be eligible to...
. After repeated losses to what they thought were lesser schools, including losing to Cornell at the 1875 National Rowing Association of American Colleges Regatta, Yale and Harvard virtually stopped rowing against any one other than each other. Yale pulled out of the association before the 1876 regatta while Harvard waited until the following year. The loss of these two schools caused the association to collapse. Both schools decided to concentrate on meets between each other based on the Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
model in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In the late 1890s, Courtney's Varsity team was finally able to compete against both Yale and Harvard due to events unrelated to rowing. After a very violent football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game in the fall of 1894, the faculty of Harvard suspended all athletic relationships with Yale, effective at the end of the 1894-95 school year. This included their annual regatta, which dated to 1852. In the summer of 1896, the first year that Harvard and Yale did not meet due to the ban, Yale sent its Varsity to the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
in England.
That year, Harvard sent its varsity team to Poughkeepsie to race Cornell, Pennsylvania, and Columbia in the annual Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. Courtney’s team beat all three schools with a time of 19 minutes and 22.9 seconds for the four mile (6 km) course. The next year, Harvard and Yale ended their dispute when Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
representing Yale agreed to Harvard's demands for the next five years. One of Harvard’s demands was that they meet in all athletics that each school sponsored. Yale had wanted to be selective on which teams played each other. As part of an agreement between the two schools, their rowing teams were to meet in Poughkeepsie, New York during the 1897 season. Since Harvard had already agreed to meet Cornell they were also included. Even given their past success, Courtney and his crew were given little chance to win a race against Harvard and Yale. The coaches of both of his opponents were on record that they both would beat Cornell. Gamblers and bookmakers made Cornell a heavy underdog. Newspaper writers before the meet said that Cornell was not in the same class as Harvard and Yale. They also criticized Cornell’s stroke as weak and in bad form. Even with the odds stacked against Cornell, Courtney believed his team could win, especially after seeing his competition row in practice. Courtney believed that losing would mean the end of Cornell's fight for recognition.
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
less than Yale and 72 pounds less than Harvard. The other major difference was that Harvard and Yale used a stroke that was influenced by English rowing while Courtney taught his crew his very American stroke. Harvard, coached by Rudolph C. Lehmann, used a typical English stroke that was long and sweeping with the rowers stretching as far as possible on the catch to drive the water hard. Yale, coached by Bob Cook
Bob Cook
Robert Arthur "Cookie" Cook is a retired ice hockey right winger. He played 72 games in the National Hockey League with four different teams. Cook last played for the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League during the 1974–75 season.-Minor league hockey:Cook began play with the London...
, used a modification of the English stroke, using a much longer slide. Cornell's stroke featured a long stride with little back motion.
J. P. Morgan, Jr.
John Pierpont "Jack" Morgan, Jr. was an American banker and philanthropist.-Biography:He was born on September 7, 1867 in Irvington, New York to John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. and Frances Louisa Tracy. He graduated from Harvard in 1886, where he was a member of the Delphic Club, formerly known as the...
and August Belmont, Jr.
August Belmont, Jr.
August Belmont, Jr. was an American financier, the builder of New York's Belmont Park racetrack, and a major owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.-Early life:...
. An estimated 15,000 fans watched the race, including 4,000 people who bought tickets on the open-air 50-car observation train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
. The observation train sold out at $15 a seat, which was considered a very high price for the day. Scalpers
Ticket resale
Ticket resale is the act of reselling tickets for admission to events. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and are then sold for a price determined by the individual or company in possession of the tickets. Tickets sold through secondary sources may be sold for less or more than their face...
were selling tickets for seats on the train at even higher prices.
In the race, Harvard took the early lead out of the gate with Yale second. Both of the leaders’ strokes were long and slow while Cornell stuck to its stroke. At the half mile mark, Yale edged in front of Harvard but could not hold the lead form a surging Cornell who took a half boat lead by the end of the first mile. The Courtney-coached crew continued to build on their lead while Harvard sputtered and fell well behind Yale. Throughout the race, Cornell’s coxswain, Freddie Colson, motivated his fellow teammates by reminding them of what their critic had said about then before the race. About a half mile from the finish, Yale tried to make a move but it was too late—Cornell won by 3 lengths.
The victory was not only seen as Cornell dominance in American college rowing, but the superiority of America and the American stroke over the English stroke. Newspapers across the nation proclaimed the superiority of the Courtney’s American stroke. The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
wrote that "there is another thing in Cornell’s victory to rejoice over, and that is that her's was the distinctly American stroke. We feel sorry for Mr. Lehmann but must admit we did not look for his stroke to triumph." The Minneapolis Tribune wrote that "the splendid victory...was not more a tribute to the superior muscle and methods of the Ithacans than it was a rebuke to the all too prevalent practice of going abroad for our manners."
Even with a victory, both schools continued to see Cornell as inferior. A Yale professor was quoted as saying, "In the future, let us play with people in our class.” The following year, Cornell would beat both schools again, this time in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
. After that defeat to Cornell, Yale and Harvard decided to return to meets against only each other.
Decline and revival of championship form
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
, Cornell rowed and beat its traditional Intercollegiate Rowing Association rivals, Penn and Columbia, little over a week later on the same course. Cornell tried to have both Columbia and Penn as part of the regatta of 1897 but Yale declined. Once again, Cornell won the regatta, this time by 10 boat-lengths over Columbia. Penn did not finish the race because their boat was swamped 2½ miles into the 4 miles (6.4 km) race. These two victories left little doubt who was the best American college crew. It also quieted Courtney's critics that said his crew was outclassed by Harvard and Yale, and questioned his conditioning methods.
The next year, Courtney attempted to have his crew repeat its victories over Harvard and Yale and then win Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta a few days later. The major difference was that the two regattas were in two different locations in 1898. The first race was in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
and the second was on Saratoga Lake. After beating Harvard and Yale, Cornell lost to Pennsylvania. They were able to beat Columbia as well as University of Wisconsin–Madison, who was completing in first IRA Championship Regatta. Courtney’s crew was unable to overcome fatigue of a hard race in New London as well as the travel and the intense summer heat. This race proved to be a turning point in American college rowing, breaking Cornell’s domination of the sport. Penn, coached by Ellis Ward
Ellis Ward
Ellis Ward was an American rower and coach best known for his time as the coach of the University of Pennsylvania rowing team...
, would go to win the 1899 and 1900 Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships. In both 1899 and 1900, Cornell finished third, losing even to 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...
.
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...
in 1900 and Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1901, the eight-oared varsity race had grown to 6 colleges. Courtney’s crew won the four mile (6 km) event in world record time of 18 minutes 53 1/5 seconds. From 1901 to 1916, Courtney’s Cornell team won 11 of 16 Intercollegiate Rowing Association varsity eight-oared championships, with Columbia winning in 1914 and Syracuse winning in 1904, 1908, 1913, and 1916. During that same time, his freshman eight-oared crew won 10 IRA championships.
Battle for control
For the 1904 rowing season, Coach Courtney offered Edwin SweetlandEdwin Sweetland
Edwin Regur Sweetland was a coach and athletic administrator at several American universities. During his coaching career he was head coach of many sports including basketball, track and field and crew, but the majority of for his coaching work was in football. Though mainly known for football, he...
, former Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
rowing coach, the assistant coach position at Cornell. Sweetland had just left Hamilton College where he was employed as the football coach. Courtney wanted Sweetland to replace F. D. Colson
F. D. Colson
Frederick D. Colson was a nationally known American amateur rower, rowing coach and lawyer. As a student at Cornell University he rowed for Coach Charles E. Courtney in several of the Cornell Navy’s most noted races. During his coaching career he was Courtney’s top assistant coach at Cornell as...
, who had moved on to become coach at Harvard. While negotiations were still pending, the Rowing Committee of the Cornell Athletic Council announced that they hired C. A. Lueder
C. A. Lueder
-External links:...
for the position. This caused a power struggle between Courtney and the Athletic Council for control of the rowing program. The conflict was resolved when the Rowing Committee canceled the job offer to Lueder. In addition, the Athletic Council limited their interference with the rowing team by giving Coach Courtney the power to pick members of the crew and designate the oarsmen positions. Sweetland, however, did not become Courtney's assistant because in the time it took resolve the conflict, he was offered and accepted the position as head football coach at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. With Sweetland out of the picture, Courtney hired Lauder as his assistant rowing coach
Train accident and retirement speculation
Skull fracture
A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the bones in the skull usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact...
fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
on June 12, 1915 while traveling by train with his team to the 1915 Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
Championship Regatta. The train lurched and his head struck one of the berths. At first he did not think anything about the incident, but he started hemorrhage from his nose and mouth. He refused to consult a doctor and continued to get his team ready for 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...
. On race day, he was confined to bed and returned to Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
where the skull fracture was diagnosed. Courtney would sue New York Central for $75,000 for his injuries.
The accident increased speculation that Courtney would retire from coaching, or at least move to a more advisory capacity. At the time of the accident, he had one more year left on his contract. Jim Rice
Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989...
, coach of the Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
crew, was considered the leading candidate to replace Courtney.
After several months under a physician’s care, Courtney returned to coach Cornell. Under the close supervision of a nurse, he guided his team to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta in 1916. Before the race, it was announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Even with the announcement, there was still speculation that he would remain with the team in some advisory capacity, but with some authority.
Due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, college rowing competitions were suspended in 1917. Cornell resumed rowing in a limited fashion in 1918, but the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta did not return until 1920. Courtney and his Cornell team returned for this regatta with his freshman and junior varsity teams winning national championships while his varsity came in second, losing to a Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
team coached by James A. Ten Eyck
James A. Ten Eyck
James A. Ten Eyck was a crew coach at United States Naval Academy and Syracuse University. He was born in Tompkins Cove, New York and is the father of Edward H. "Ned" Ten Eyck, who coached crew for the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1907 to 1910, and took over coaching duties at Syracuse...
by a boat length.
Death
On July 17, 1920, Courtney died of apoplexyApoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
at his summer cottage on Farley’s Point on Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
near his boyhood home. After taking a morning row on the Lake, he returned to the cottage. Around 11:00 am, he was found losing consciousness by his wife. She went for help, returning with Hart Carr, but he was already dead. This was confirmed by Dr. E. G. Fish of Union Springs, New York. After nearly three decades as coach, John Hoyle replaced Courtney as coach of Cornell crew.
Coaching philosophy
Courtney Stroke
Both as a rower and as a rowing coach, Courtney was known for his distinctive strokeAnatomy of a rowing stroke
The two fundamental reference points in the anatomy of a rowing stroke are the catch where the oar blade is placed in the water, and the extraction where the oar blade is removed from the water...
. This style of rowing would become known as the Courtney Stroke. The most evident trait of the stroke is the positioning of the back
Human back
The human back is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck and the shoulders. It is the surface opposite to the chest, its height being defined by the vertebral column and its breadth being supported by the ribcage and shoulders...
. The back is always kept in a very straight position. Courtney is quoted as saying, "No kink in the back if I have anything to say about it." He kept the back straight to allow the lungs to work without difficulty with no strain on the abdominal muscles. His idea was influenced by watching famous professional rower Harry Coulter in 1870 at Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
.
The basic philosophy of Courtney stroke is to keep the oar
Oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...
s (sculls or sweep) in the water as long as possible and in the air as short as possible. To do this, Courtney taught his rowers to sharply lower the hands to the lap when the preceding stroke is finished. This forced the blade
Blade (disambiguation)
A blade is a sharp cutting part, for instance of a weapon or tool.Blade may also refer to:* Bladed weapon, especially a sword* Razor blade, used for shaving* Blade , a type of stone tool...
of the oar out of the water perpendicular to the surface. Then he required his rowers to quickly shoot their arms forward moving the blade back to start another stroke. He emphasized that the blade should be as close as possible to the water. He wanted the blade to enter the water at slight inclined to the surface of the water to allow it to enter cleanly. Once the blade entered the water, he taught his rowers to immediately start the stroke. During the stroke he wanted the blade to always be covered but not sunk too deep.
Rower selection
When Courtney was deciding which men to put on his Cornell crew, he would pick men of high moral character and strong in their studies, not just for their athletic ability. He would also try to ascertain their disposition and temperament. Courtney preferred men that were methodical and systematic. It was his view that if one of the rowers was a disturbing element he would have trouble producing a fast crew. Courtney also maintained absolute control of the crew, and would remove and substitute anyone if he believed it would help the crew succeed.Views on alcohol and tobacco
Personally, Courtney never drank an alcoholic beverageAlcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
or used any form of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. He also had strong views against alcohol and tobacco use by his rowers because he believed it would effect their ability to work
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
. Courtney summed up his view: "I have found in my experience that young men are much better off, and do better work, without alcoholic stimulants than with them, and they are, therefore, absolutely prohibited in our training. As to tobacco, I believe young men do better work when not using tobacco than when using it, and it is prohibited in our training here at Cornell University.” This went against old traditional rowing practice of drinking beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
instead water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
during training. It was believed that alcohol would strengthen the body while water would weaken the body.
Legacy
The impact of Charles Courtney career's as a competitive rower was very profound. During his professional career, rowing was at the height of its popularity in the United States, and was considered one of the major sports in America. Some believe that the controversies surrounding the Hanlan and Courtney single scull races in 1878 and 1880 caused a public backlash against professional rowing that eventually led to its loss of popularity. The American public lost confidence in the integrity of the sport, assuming that the races were fixed. By the late 1890s, professional rowing had all but disappeared in the United States with only a few exceptions.The impact of Charles Courtney's career as a rowing coach was also very far-reaching. When Charles Courtney started his college coaching career at Cornell, few colleges in America were active in rowing other than Cornell; Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Pennsylvania were the only other schools to have significant programs. Several of his former rowers would help expand the number of rowing schools by starting or developing rowing programs across the country. In 1900, Edwin Sweetland, who rowed varsity for Courtney in 1899, became the first rowing coach at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. Mark Odell, who rowed Varsity for Cornell in 1897, was instrumental in establishing the rowing program at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. In addition, The University of Wisconsin–Madison rowing program was started with the help of the University President Charles Kendall Adams, former President of Cornell during the beginning of Courtney's tenure. From his experiences with Courtney at Cornell, Adams knew how a strong athletic program could increase his University’s national reputation. In the spring of 1894, Adams hired Amos W. Marston
Amos W. Marston
Amos W. Marston was an lawyer, amateur rower and rowing coach. He was a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with a B.L. in 1892 and an LL.B. in 1893. After leaving Cornell he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he practice law.- Amateur rower :...
, who rowed for Courtney from 1889 to 1892, as the first Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers Crew
The Wisconsin Badgers Crew is the rowing team that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Rowing at the University dates back to 1874.The women's openweight team is a NCAA Division I team...
rowing coach.
Courtney was also instrumental in American college sports in the transition of power away from the students to the head coach. He helped transform the head coach into the dictatorial coach seen throughout the 20th century. When he was first hired, it was common practice for the captain of any team to hire the coach and the captain decided on whether the coach stayed on. Since the captain was a student, they would change from one year to the next, and there was no job security. Unlike other 1890s college coaches, Courtney signed a multi-year contract, starting in 1895. He used his job security to demonstrate his power when he overruled team selection of the team captain for the Henley Regatta that same year. Another illustration of his authoritative power that he had gained was in 1897 when he kicked out most of team for eating strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
shortcake
Shortcake
Shortcake is a sweet biscuit .Shortcake is typically made with flour, sugar, baking powder or soda, salt, butter, milk or cream, and sometimes eggs. The dry ingredients are blended, and then the butter is cut in and mixed until the mixture resembles cornmeal...
before the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. He would instead take a crew made up of mostly substitutes to victory.