Hero of the Week 80

 Welcome back viewers

This week will honor a team of heroes

They are...

The 1936 American Rowing team, AKA: the Boys in the Boat

The Boys in the Boat were a group of 9 young men who were into the sport of rowing. After joining the crew-team at the University of Washington (Huskies), they began training to compete on the country's national rowing team at the upcoming Summer Olympics of 1936. What followed would be one of the most legendary underdog stories in sports history.

By the month of August, nearly 4,000 athletes from around the world traveled to Berlin. The atmosphere at the games in Nazi Germany was very edgy due to the country's new race laws and it's worsening foreign policy. For many nations, these games were both a break and a chance to prove a point. In the diving, track and field events, the American athletes (many of whom were African-American) had far superior results than the ones from Germany (much to Hitler's embarrassment).

However, when it came to the sport of rowing, the German oarsmen successfully outclassed nearly all of their opponents. They won the gold medal in five of the first six events (the double sculls event was won by Great Britain). The final event of the regatta, was the men's eight. Many were braced for another win for the Germans.

When the race started, the Americans quickly fell half a boat length behind the other teams. The first 1,000 meters of the race seemed to be a contest between the German and the Italian crews. But with about 800 meters remaining, the Americans quickly began gaining on the leaders. When there were 300 meters left, they had pulled even to the Germans and Italians. All three teams began struggling to push their bows in front of the other. When they crossed the finish line, it was too close to call at first. The final times were announced minutes later: USA 6:25.4, Italy 6:26.0, Germany 6:26.4. 

Although the boys from the University of Washington were exhausted from their effort they quickly paddled their boat to the dock to receive their gold medals. When the Olympics ended, they received a hero's welcome upon their return to the United States. Their story continues to inspire many Americans in the sport of rowing today.

The Boys in the Boat:

(bow to stern)

Herbert Morris

Charles Day

Gordon Adam

John Watie 

James McMillan 

George Hunt

Joe Rantz

Donald Hume

Robert Moch (coxswain)

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2012/07/_1936_olympics_rowing_the_greatest_underdog_nazi_defeating_american_olympic_victory_you_ve_never_heard_of_.

htmlhttp://www.huskycrew.com/Husky%20Crew%201936%20-%20The%20Boys%20In%20The%20Boat.htm

https://www.historylink.org/File/700