Dick Dreissigacker was a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Olympic

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 rower and is a founder of Concept2

Concept2

Concept2 is a manufacturer of rowing equipment based in Vermont, USA. It is best known for its air resistance indoor rowing machines , which are considered the standard training and testing machines for competition rowers and can be found in most gyms...

 (a manufacturer of rowing

Rowing exercise

In strength training, rowing is a form of muscular resistance training exercise that shares many characteristics of rowing a boat without involving water or a boat...

 equipment). While studying engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 at Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

 he took up rowing and went on to represent the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics

1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

.

He coached rowing at Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

, where he introduced his brother Pete

Pete Dreissigacker

Pete Dreissigacker is a founder of Concept2 . He founded the company with his brother, Dick Dreissigacker, who was an Olympic rower. Pete was introduced to the sport of rowing by his brother whilst at Stanford University. He trained for the 1976 US Olympic team, but he failed to be...

 to the sport. While training for the 1976 US Olympic team the brothers modified their oars with carbon fibre. After failing to be selected they started selling oars and started the company that is now Concept2

Concept2

Concept2 is a manufacturer of rowing equipment based in Vermont, USA. It is best known for its air resistance indoor rowing machines , which are considered the standard training and testing machines for competition rowers and can be found in most gyms...

.

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2007/janfeb/dept/erging.html