Harry Parker, Harvard Rowing Coach, Dies

The head men's heavyweight crew coach at Harvard for 51 years died at age 77.

Harry Parker

The word “legend”gets applied almost indiscriminately to sports figures these days, but Harry Parker, head coach of heavyweight mens’ crew at Harvard for 51 years, was the genuine article. He may be the most successful coach in the history of American college sports: across the decades, his crews’ overall winning percentage was in excess of .800; they won 16 official and unofficial national championships, and never had a losing year. Even at age 77, Parker was still at the peak of his powers: his last three crews went undefeated in the regular season.

He did this while coping with a rare form of blood cancer that took his life on June 25. Many oarsmen regarded him as their most important teacher at Harvard. (For more on Parker, see this issues's Letters section, and the online report, “Harry Parker, Legendary Crew Coach, Dies.”)

Related topics

You might also like

What Does the $2.8b NCAA Settlement Mean for Harvard?

Athlete-payment case will change little for Ivy League athletes.

Filmmaker John Armstrong’S Adventure Documentaries

Filmmaker John Armstrong’s “outdoor adventures” find the human spirit.

The Woman Who Rode Horses Into the Water

Scrapbooking a woman who rode horses into the sea

Most popular

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Explore More From Current Issue

Brandon Terry, wearing a blue suit, standing before The Embrace, a large bronze sculpture of intertwined arms in Boston Common.

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

David McCord in suit reading a book at cluttered wooden desk in office filled with framed art and shelves.

The Pump Celebrates Its 85th Birthday

Giving Harvard traditions their due 

Nineteenth-century prison ruins with brick guardhouse surrounded by forest.

This Connecticut Mine Was Once a Prison

The underground Old New-Gate Prison quickly became “a school for crime.”