THE SPORT OF ROWING coach with Cleveland high school and junior college teams. “‘But,’ he said, ‘my heart still belonged to rowing. I wanted to coach an American crew . . . ‘ “After the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he wrote Jack Kelly a letter on the future of rowing in the United States. Kelly, who knew MacHan’s reputation, invited him to succeed retiring Vesper coach Jim Manning. “‘That was a great thing,’ MacHan said. ‘I’ve always had a fixed idea that American oarsmen can be the best in the world.”4952 Cleveland Press (1960): “The U.S. Olympic Committee, concerned about our drooping performances in many sports at Rome, has embarked on an intensive campaign to bolster America’s showing when the 1964 Olympiad rolls around at Tokyo. One of the men who may well make a difference is Tibor G. Machán, an employee of the City Recreation Department since 1956. “Machán is a 51-year-old Hungarian who has just accepted the post of rowing coach at the famous Vesper Boat Club of Philadelphia. This is the club which includes among its officials Jack Kelly, Jr., veteran of four Olympiads and brother of Princess Grace of Monaco. “The U.S. showing at rowing events at Rome was disappointing, particularly in our specialty, the eight-oared crew. There we finished fifth. “‘I think we should be able to do something towards a better showing at Tokyo,’ said Machán. ‘My basic theory is that the (slow) 32-beat is obsolete. Particularly in the shorter events, the beat should get up to about 38. But the faster beat won’t come about overnight. It 4952 Jack Ritter, The Boss of Vesper’s Oarsmen, The Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin, April 14, 1963 requires harder training and dedicated men with the necessary willpower. “‘I hope to get some good college oarsmen from the eights and convince them they should stay in training, especially for the Olympics, in fours and in pairs rowing,’ he said. “After the Rome Olympiad, Machán wrote his ideas on rowing techniques to a Spanish sportsman he had met while coaching that country’s 1952 Olympic Crew. A copy of the letter he sent to Kelly, whom he has known for many years. “With retirement this winter of the Vesper Club’s old coach, Jim Manning, a spot for Machán became open. Kelly hired him, and his new duties will begin February 1 [1961].”4953 John Aitken: “Tibor was the rowing coach at Vesper in 1961 when I rowed out of there in my days at St. Joe’s Prep and as a Vesper club member. “His rowing style was new at the time, and we struggled with it. Tulip blades, knees apart and hyperextension at the catch. He also had some Italian [Donoratico] boats we called banana boats because of the shape of the hull on the water. Difficult to set up, but they moved well if everyone kept the balance and all eight cylinders fired.”4954 Bob Madden, St. Joe’s Prep: “Our eights were rigged as Italian with buckets at 2/3, 4/5 and 6/7. He would often have us row up to Connelly Containers.4955 Tibor would refer to rowing to ‘Con nell ee.’ When we rolled up the blades at the catch they were to be just beyond ‘per pend dicler.’ He really could murder the English language, but under Tibor we won the 3rd Eights at the Stotesbury Regatta,4956 4953 Jack Clowser, Clevelander Tackles Job of Reviving U.S. Rowing, Cleveland Press, November 1960 4954 Aitken, personal correspondence, 2009 4955 4 mi. 7k above Boathouse Row. 4956 purportedly the world’s oldest and largest high school rowing competition, founded in 1382