“Though only 5-foot-1 and 115 pounds, and born with a spine that didn’t develop properly, Mr. Hartigan had the competitive drive of an athlete. His powerful voice, sidesplitting humor, and uncanny ability to push rowers to peak performance launched him into decades of top competition.”
-The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 5, 2020
Many years ago, I was commissioned by the Steve Neczypor Foundation to interview several members of the rowing community in Philadelphia, in a series to be titled The Legends of Boathouse Row. Only one pilot episode, an interview with the famed coxswain John Hartigan, has been produced to date. Hartigan was driven, funny, and an inspiration to all who knew him. Here is that episode.
John Hartigan (1940-2020) was a coxswain at the University of Pennsylvania (Class of 1963) and two-time U.S. Olympian. Blessed with an outsize personality, a burning desire to win, and a big voice, John was famous in the American rowing world as a colorful raconteur. In recent years, the Boathouse Row community hosted an annual "Breakfast with Hartigan," where teammates and friends would gather to tell stories. Yet despite his impressive record, he was always the first to laugh at himself. This half-hour interview captures several of his best stories, as well as his indomitable spirit and zest for competition.
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