The wonder crew: the untold story of a coach, Navy rowing, and Olympic immortality

Abstract

The Wonder Crew is the fascinating story of how the fiery coach of the Annapolis crew team, Coach Richard Glendon, seized the sport of rowing first from the Ivy League schools and then the imposing British, with a new style both uniquely American and very much his own. He took a group of young midshipmen with humble origins and dominated a sport once the domain of the privileged.After stunning the Ivy Leagues in race after race, the U.S Naval Academy team won a shot at the Olympics. Their task was nearly impossible: for hundreds of years, the British Navy ruled the world and their supremacy of the seas naturally made them dominant in the sport of rowing. With the hopes of a nation, Navy went into the heart of Europe and in thrilling fashion defeated the heavily favoured Brits to win the gold medal in 1920. With Glendon's new American style, the U.S. won Gold for forty straight years, the longest winning streak in any single sport in Olympic history.Rich in history, with brave characters, American ingenuity, and dramatic training and competition, The Wonder Crew is the first comprehensive account of the 1920 Olympic Navy crew team and their inspirational coach who forged the dramatic story of their quest for Olympic gold.