The Boston University Athletic Department must have known the value it was getting by hiring men’s rowing coach Thomas Bohrer. Now everyone does.
Capping an impressive set of accomplishments that includes two Olympic silver medals and three World Championship medals in rowing, Bohrer was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame on March 20-21 in Mystic Seaport, Conn. Bohrer’s induction places him among the greats in BU rowing history, alongside Ted Nash ’54 and John McKinlay ’59, both of whom were stellar performers in the Olympics.
Bohrer’s legacy at BU, however, has just begun. The Hall of Famer is in his second year as head coach of the Terriers, and his arrival has already boosted the program in very tangible ways. In 2008-09, Bohrer’s first season behind the megaphone at BU, the Terriers showed resiliency and determination, qualities that had clearly rubbed off of their new coach. They sent both of their varsity eight-boats to the Grand Final races of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. It was the first time in BU’s history that each varsity team had made the championships in the same season.
During its run to the final races, BU knocked off No. 2 Brown University for the first time since 1987, and No. 4 University of Wisconsin as well. The team received the Clayton Chapman Award as the most improved team in the country.
This season, the team remains strong having graduated only two seniors after its 2009 campaign. They are currently ranked sixth after the first U.S. Collegiate Rowing Poll of the spring, and are coming off of a strong performance in the San Diego Crew Classic, having finished fourth in the Grand Final.
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