THE LONG ECLIPSE OF AMERICAN ROWING 103. The Legend Grows Harry Parker and the 1972 Olympics “The victorious Harvards returned to the boathouse, And the people were gathered, And Harry walked amongst us, And Harry said it was good, and it was good. And we all asked . . . ‘Who is this man they call King of the Crews?’” - Eric Sigward As the ‘60s went by, Parker’s crews ruled the American collegiate scene, and the reputation of this young coach with the voice of God became the stuff of legend. Don Spero4752 remembers training on the Charles before the 1964 Olympics: “I saw Harry go by the other way once or twice and didn’t think he even noticed me, and in the boathouse he said, ‘How do you feel, Don?’ “I said, ‘Not great. Not yet. I’ll get there.’ “He said, ‘Yeah, you looked a little uncomfortable, a little tight at the release, like maybe your oar handles are a little too close to your chest. If you have room on your slide, try moving you footboards one notch toward the bow tomorrow.’ “And bingo, that was it. I started to move.”4753 Rowing News: “Starting in 1963 with the Harvard-Yale Race, Harvard would not lose another race against intercollegiate competition until 1969.”4754 Pre-Race Talks Like his mentor, Joe Burk, Harry Parker has always been a man of few words. Curt Canning ‘68: “Before our first race sophomore year, Harry gathered us around, and he folded his arms like he always did, and he turned his eyes up like he used to do . . . and he said, ‘You’re well trained. I think it’ll come down to whoever rows the best race.’ “Then he walked away.”4755 Charlie Hamlin: “My one indelible memory about pre-race talks was the emotion we all felt when Harry stood before his hushed Varsity Crew prior to the 1969 Eastern Sprints. This was the same crew that had lost two weeks earlier to Penn on the Schuylkill, the first loss for a Harvard crew in five years! “It was also the first and only time that I can remember Harry ever giving us a race 4752 See Chapter 87. 4753 Spero, personal conversation, 2009 4754 Ed Winchester, Deconstructing Harry, Rowing News, December, 2004, p. 50 4755 Canning, 1968 Harvard 40th Reunion, 2008 1319
