THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICAN ROWING ican collegiate crews whose techniques also included a prominent arc of the back and “holding on to the water as long as possible” included Cornell, Syracuse, Washington and 1920 Olympic Champion Navy under Rich- ard Glendon, 1924 Olympic Champion Yale under Ed Leader, 1928 Olympic Champion California under Ky Ebright and Philadelphia neighbor Pennsylvania under Rusty Callow. These crews grew out of the American Ward-Courtney-Conibear tradition first seen in Philadelphia in the 1890s and paralleled the Classical Technique of Steve Fairbairn. All this eventually led to the GDR ap- proach1935 in the 1960s through ‘80s and, as pointed out by Charlie McIntyre, to the pre- sent-day technique of Mike Spracklen’s Canadian men.1936 It may also be seen in the 2004 Olympic Champion American Men’s Eight.1937 So there was nothing revolutionary in Frank Muller’s approach to rowing and sculling. His place was at the center of one of the two modern branches of the genealog- ical tree of world rowing technique. The success of Jack Kelly, Paul Costello and Muller’s later crews seems to have been based entirely on superb preparation and execution. The Move to the Penn A.C. In 1923, Muller was hired for the season by Harvard University in an attempt to match Yale’s new coach, Ed Leader. Muller coached the Harvard crews from his single, occasionally rowing in one of the eights to make a point, but he found the large squad more challenging than his club teams in Philadelphia had been. According to historian Mendenhall, without a college 1935 See Chapter 119. 1936 See Chapters 151 and 159. 1937 See Chapter 156. education, Muller also never learned to live with the political machinations of the Har- vard Rowing Committee.1938 He was let go after Ed Leader’s Yale crews decisively swept the Harvard squad in New London, the Varsity winning by six lengths. Muller immediately returned to Phila- delphia to a different club. After a faction tried to oust cousin Paul Costello from Ves- per Boat Club,1939 Jack Kelly moved his en- tire entourage, including Frank Muller, up the Row to the Penn Athletic Club. The Penn A.C. became Kelly’s club, un- der his total control and largely subsidized by his burgeoning personal fortune. Kelly soon started a rowing program at West Catholic High School to act as a talent feeder for the Penn A.C. crews, and he set the club on a clear path to become the prem- ier competitive rowing organization in North America. 1924 Olympics At the 1924 Olympics in Paris and now representing the Penn A.C., “Jack Kelly and Paul Costello successfully defended their Olympic double sculls title with three lengths to spare over France. Switzerland was third, four lengths further back, and Brazil fourth, another three lengths in the rear. The Americans took the lead from France and after the half-way mark gradual- ly increased their margin up to the fin- ish.”1940 The U.S. single sculler was William Evans Garrett Gilmore (1895-1969) of Bachelors Barge Club on Boathouse Row. McIntyre: “Gilmore was another very good sculler. He was very smooth, a lot like Costello. Muller had coached them both. 1938 Mendenhall, Harvard-Yale, pp. 335, 339 1939 Sweeney 1940 United States Wins by One Point, Associated Press, July 17, 1924 521