Temple University Athletics
Keeping the Streak: Temple Men’s Crew Cruises in 1994
5.6.19 | Men's Crew
Temple men's crew head coach Gavin White couldn't sleep.
It was the night before the finals of the 1994 Dad Vail Regatta, the 19th of his career. His Owls had won five-straight Dad Vail heavyweight varsity eight races and were favored to win a sixth, but still, the same butterflies appeared.
"It's our home course and our pride and joy," said White to the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1994. "We're favored here a lot, but you still can't sleep the night before the race. I couldn't sleep last night. The kids couldn't sleep."
The Dad Vail was always the most important race of the season for the Owls, the one that mattered. White famously said that they could lose every race but win the Dad Vail and it would be considered a successful season.
Pressure mounted on the Owls as this team came in with a streak of five straight wins, tying the 1983-87 Owls, as well as Rutgers (1938-42) and Coast Guard (1975-79 for the Dad Vail record of five straight heavyweight eight wins.
Despite his nerves, White knew his crew was prepared. He said in the 1994 season outlook, that "on paper, this is one of the fastest crews I have ever had."
His crew backed it up. Despite the overwhelming pressure to keep the Temple streak intact, the actual racing proved to be the simple part.
Temple easily raced through the heats. And in the final race of the 1994 Dad Vail Regatta, the Owls, once again, finished first.
Temple's time of 5:47.10 was no match for the field. They outpaced second-place George Mason (5:58.60) and Delaware (6:01.38)
Seniors Scott Brodie, Tom McLaughlin, and Michael Pricer each won their fourth Dad Vail gold medals. And now, it was Temple alone at the top of the Dad Vail record book.
Normally, that would be the end of the story. The Owls win the Dad Vail and close the season on top of the Philadelphia racing world.
However, this year, a rival regatta lured some of the top talent away from the shores of the Schuylkill. The Champion International Regatta would feature typical Dad Vail competitors in George Washington, Georgetown, and Miami the day after the Philadelphia event.
So, less than 24 hours after winning it all at the Dad Vail in Philadelphia, the Owls drove the 150 miles down to Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax, Va., to compete at the Champion International Regatta.
And they did there, what they did at home, and what they'd done for six straight years. They won.
In fact, they won by a larger margin than they did at the Dad Vail. Temple finished the 2,000-meter course in 5:33.13, more than 13 seconds faster than the silver medal winning Miami boat.
The 1994 Temple Owls left no doubt.
It was the night before the finals of the 1994 Dad Vail Regatta, the 19th of his career. His Owls had won five-straight Dad Vail heavyweight varsity eight races and were favored to win a sixth, but still, the same butterflies appeared.
"It's our home course and our pride and joy," said White to the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1994. "We're favored here a lot, but you still can't sleep the night before the race. I couldn't sleep last night. The kids couldn't sleep."
The Dad Vail was always the most important race of the season for the Owls, the one that mattered. White famously said that they could lose every race but win the Dad Vail and it would be considered a successful season.
Pressure mounted on the Owls as this team came in with a streak of five straight wins, tying the 1983-87 Owls, as well as Rutgers (1938-42) and Coast Guard (1975-79 for the Dad Vail record of five straight heavyweight eight wins.
Despite his nerves, White knew his crew was prepared. He said in the 1994 season outlook, that "on paper, this is one of the fastest crews I have ever had."
His crew backed it up. Despite the overwhelming pressure to keep the Temple streak intact, the actual racing proved to be the simple part.
Temple easily raced through the heats. And in the final race of the 1994 Dad Vail Regatta, the Owls, once again, finished first.
Temple's time of 5:47.10 was no match for the field. They outpaced second-place George Mason (5:58.60) and Delaware (6:01.38)
Seniors Scott Brodie, Tom McLaughlin, and Michael Pricer each won their fourth Dad Vail gold medals. And now, it was Temple alone at the top of the Dad Vail record book.
Normally, that would be the end of the story. The Owls win the Dad Vail and close the season on top of the Philadelphia racing world.
However, this year, a rival regatta lured some of the top talent away from the shores of the Schuylkill. The Champion International Regatta would feature typical Dad Vail competitors in George Washington, Georgetown, and Miami the day after the Philadelphia event.
So, less than 24 hours after winning it all at the Dad Vail in Philadelphia, the Owls drove the 150 miles down to Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax, Va., to compete at the Champion International Regatta.
And they did there, what they did at home, and what they'd done for six straight years. They won.
In fact, they won by a larger margin than they did at the Dad Vail. Temple finished the 2,000-meter course in 5:33.13, more than 13 seconds faster than the silver medal winning Miami boat.
The 1994 Temple Owls left no doubt.
Ep. 29: Last Episode of First Semester from David & Amelia
Wednesday, December 17
MBB Press Conference vs. Saint Francis (Adam Fisher)
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MBB Press Conference vs. Saint Francis (Derrian Ford & Gavin Griffiths)
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Ep. 28: Vice President/Debbie & Stanley Lefkowitz '65 Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson
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