The University of Oregon Rowing Team is located in Eugene, Oregon, and practices at Dexter Reservoir nearby. The team was founded in 1967 and has operated continuously under the guidance of the University. At Oregon, men's and women's teams practice together and compete against other teams regionally and nationally in a number of regattas each year. Even before the passage of Title IX in 1972, the team received national attention for Coach Don Costello's controversial use of female coxswain Victoria Brown in crew, in a previously all-male sport.

Since 2011, the team has raced annually at the end of May in the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championship.

The University of Oregon Boathouse is located next to the Oregon Association of Rowers (O.A.R.) at Dexter Reservoir. Each year, O.A.R. hosts the Covered Bridge Regatta which is the home regatta for both programs. In 2013, Dexter Lake was named one of the top racing venues in the United States by Row2k.

History

1967–1972: The Founding Crew, Don McCarty, and Victoria Brown

Efforts to build a rowing program at Oregon reappeared in 1967 under the direction of university administrators Don McCarty and Ken Abbey and a founding crew of twenty-two oarsmen.

Oregon State Head Coach Karl Drlica loaned two rowing shells, and McCarty rented a number of shells from Stanford coach Conn Findlay, at cost of $1500 per year.

By 1969 the Oregon Rowers regularly competed in varsity races. The Register-Guard reported, "the University of Oregon had officially elevated crew to varsity status on a one-year provisional basis making it the 10th intercollegiate sport at the school."

Initially an all men's group, because of Oregon's mixed status it was exempt from the new regulations of Title IX in 1972. Despite this, the Oregon Women's Crew was founded in 1973 and the team received significant national attention surrounding coxswain Victoria Brown, one of the first female coxswains to compete in men's collegiate rowing. Traditionally, men's crews relied on male coxswains, and Brown's presence on the Oregon team stirred controversy.

1973–1980: Oregon's First Women's Crew

1973 marked an important year for the Ducks because it was then University-sponsored women's rowing. Ralph Neils and Marti Abts had taken over for the men's and women's programs with Mike Napier and Bill Lioio as assistant coaches.

According to the Register-Guard, "The $350 spent on Oregon's first women's crew this year was apparently well spent. The U of O lightweights finished second to Washington in the recent Northwest championships in Seattle. And so did a heavyweight pair, Zanne Pratt and Debbie [Sprecher]."

In the next season, Reed Adler took over as men's coach for the Ducks, and he was followed by Chuck Knoll in 1976. Coach Brian Cole entered the 1968 Long Beach Rowing Trials, finishing two spots shy of an Olympic berth and earning a bronze medal.

Between 1976 and 1980, the Oregon Women's Crew grew. Paul Schultz (Ithaca College '77) coached for two years, amazed at the strength, size and talent that showed up for rowing in the fall of '77. An over-six-foot Olympic-level skier whose career-ending injury on the slopes landed her at five and a woman reflecting her drive at six, there was a boat that won on Green Lake (tho- disqualified for a lane violation) and won in Corvallis. They were all novices, rowing against varsities and JVs, including were Carolyn McCloskey (rowed in high school) and Robin Riordan (rowed in the Pan-Am Games a few years later).

The Oregon Daily Emerald noted, "The University of Oregon varsity crew came up with two surges to hand Oregon State University a defeat... on Dexter Lake Saturday. With Lance Baughman at stroke and Russ Ward at coxswain, the Ducks held the Beaver eight, composed entirely of heavyweights (160 pounds and up) at bay over the remainder of the estimated 2,200-meter course, crossing the finish line in 7 minutes flat to 7:05 for OSU."

1980 to 1988: Our first owned shells, the emergence of the lightweight dominance and a National Championship

In 1980, the men and women's crew was coached by Lance Baughman and competed in many of the traditional west coast races. The men competed at the Pac 10 championship at Redwood Shores in a Freshman 8, Lightweight 8 and an Open 4. Most notable, the men's Freshman 8 broke a rigger disabling the shell at about the exact same time MT. ST. Helens erupted.

In 1981, the women were not able to field a team and the men fielded a Lightweight 8 and an Open 4. Lee Wilder coached the men's team and was one of the 1st women coaches of a men's team in NCAA history. The men's Open 4 took 3rd at the Pac 10 Championship with Dane Nickerson at stroke, Joe Meier at 3, Ted Kraines at 2 and Jeff Levikow at Bow.

At the Portland Regatta, The Ducks won every race entered. This included a 2 shell open water deficit at the start of the men's varsity 8 when our 4 man lost his seat and caught a crab. He quickly got everything back in place and the crew powered back into the race with the coxswain calling out the deficit rather negative at start and then becoming more positive and screaming excitement as the crew powered by all crews to win going away. The Oregon Journal published the photo at the finish.

At the Northwest Regionals, the lightweight 4 (Jim Petrosich at stroke, Tim Meier at 3, Scott Chestnut at 2 and Kirk Krasheul at bow with Brenda Thornton at cox) and heavyweight 4 overtook "all twelve of their competitors in the preliminary heats... to win the Championship in each of those events. For the first time in the crew team's history, they beat the Huskies in a varsity rowing event [!]" The women took silver in their light 4. The men's Open 4 qualified to compete for a spot in the National Sports Festival. Despite the light 4's win and faster time at Regionals, there was not a Light 4 event at the Festival.

The men's Open 4 western race was set as a duel between UCLA to be held at Redwood Shores.

Leading up to the final race of the season against a dominant and undefeated UCLA boat, the crew earned the nickname Cinderella.

In an article titled, "It's an unlikely row to anywhere," the Register-Guard reported, "The key to the success of the four seems to be Hugh Watson, the 32-year-old Australian... 'I was rowing before Sietske (Folkens) was born,' said [stroke seat] Watson. [In addition, Sietske Folkens] rows No. 2. The No. 3 man is John Bigelow... the bow is Bryan Andressen... and the coxswain is Brenda Thornton."

Hugh Watson sought out the help of graduate school dean and University vice-provost Dick Hersh. "Hersh... was an old-timer in the world of competitive rowing. After four years on the Syracuse crew, Hersh had been coxswain on the U.S. team at the 1966 world championships in Yugoslavia. He then coached at Harvard and coached two of seven Olympic rowing teams at Mexico City in 1968." When Watson approached him, Hersh was skeptical, "I think he thought that nobody in Oregon could be competitive on a national level. He came out for one row and was surprised at our standard. He's been out for every row since." Hersh explained, "I told them that I felt I could make them six or seven seconds faster than they were, and that they needed to do 2,000 meters in six minutes, forty five seconds to beat UCLA. Well, they did six forty-six and won."

"Oregon crew out-rows UCLA," The Register-Guard reported, "The University of Oregon crew team beat UCLA in a dual race Saturday to qualify for the National Sports Festival in Indianapolis, Ind., July 23–27", adding, "The Ducks completed the 2,000 meter course in 6:46.3. UCLA finished in 6:50.3".

Hugh Watson said, "They were a lot bigger than us, and certainly more experienced. It was quite an upset. It is the most remarkable thing the Oregon crew has ever won." The Ducks were just shy of a medal against "five larger teams from schools that offer rowing scholarships, and four teams from the national Olympic camp."

In 1983, Mike Holcomb took over as coach for both the men's and women's team. Pursuing a loan from the Student Union, the team was able to purchase our 1st 8. Due to lack of trailer, the shell was able to be split into 2 halves and be transported on top of our bus. At the Northwest Regionals in Seattle, we were able to officially christen the shell the Victoria Brown. Victoria was the 1st woman coxswain of a men's crew in NCAA history. The team continued to win many races with our new equipment and had a heated rivalry with OSU's light men's 4 that heated up with the Oregon Crew being cut off by another OSU light 4 crew at the Corvallis regatta. Oregon protested and it was agreed by both coaches that the medals for both races would be settled at the Tri-Cities Regatta the following week. The Daily Barometer, which was OSU's student paper reported the OSU team was seeking their revenge on the Ducks. With 3 lengths of open water at the finish, Oregon smashed the Beavers at WSU.

In 1984, Mike Holcomb coached the men and Tim Meier Coached the women's team. The women's team had a great year in winning many races in both the novice 8 and 4, lightweight 8 and 4. At the Tri-Cities regatta, OSU only beat Oregon by 1 point in the team standings. The Lightweight women won the Pac 10's in Sacramento and came in second at the National Collegiate Championship in Seattle. 3 Oregon women (Gayle Johnson, Teresa Hukari and Marge Kuenne) from the lightweight 8 were invited to train all summer in Seattle for the World Championships in Montreal. Gayle Johnson's 4 took 6th in her event.

1n 1985, Mike Holcomb coached the men and women's team. the lightweight women's team continued their dominance by winning the Pac 10's and placing second in the National Collegiate Rowing Championships.

In a June 4, 1985 article The Register-Guard reported: "In the best finish ever for a University of Oregon crew team, the women's 'lightweight eight' team finished second Sunday in the Women's National Collegiate Rowing Championships. The Oregon unit, coached by Mike Holcomb, lost to Radcliffe, which covered the 1,750 meter course in 5:48.6. Oregon's team clocked 6:08.1... The Oregon crew was Robin Hendricks, Julie Martinson, Teresa Bujacich, Sasha Stone, Margie Bernards, Gayle Johnson, Cate Renfrew, Teresa Hukari and coxswain Lisa Woodworth."

In 1986, Dave Baugh coached the women's team and they again won the Pac 10s and took home the gold medal at the Women's National Collegiate Rowing Championship. The 1st NCAA championship for the Oregon. Teresa Hukari stroke, Kris Sternberg, Sasha Stone, Teresa Bujacich, Kitty O'Doherty, Marge Kuehn, Gayle Johnson, Robin Hendricks and Lisa Woodward - cox.

1986–1991: Jeff Moag and Marty Billingsley

Sasha Stone join the coaching staff in 1988.

Jeff Moag was the team's coach in 1990–1991. Coach Moag said Marty Billingsley's time was "comparable to the times of rowers in other categories, not only the best in the master's division but among the world's top times." He added, "It's probably a top 10 finish out of everybody in the world." She was Oregon's first World Champion (Indoor) Rower.

1991–1996: Crews under Emerich, Borton, and Busse

Morgan Emrich coached from 1992 to 1993, Joe Borton coached from 1993 to 1994, and Phil Busse from 1994 to 1996. Susan Belcher and James Mcqueen were assistant coaches in these years.