Robert "Bob" Cook

Yale's Crew Coach 1873-1898

Cook was a student at Yale, captain of their varsity crew, when he took a semester off to learn "how to row" from the universities in England.  When he returned in 1873,  he brought with him a modified version of the traditional English stroke and his experience paid off as Yale saw a victory in the RAAC Regatta.  From 1873 to when he graduated in 1876, he acted unofficially as coach of Yale's crews.  Upon his graduation, he officially became coach though his time with them was limited to weekends and other days off from his full time job in Philadelphia.  Cook's crews continued to win in their contests despite his limited time to train them.  In the late 1880s and early 1890s as Cornell asked to be included in Yale and Harvard's varsity race, Cook was vehemently opposed to their participation.

Cook's stroke was a major landmark in the history of college rowing as it was a milestone in the development of the American stroke.  Cook was also indirectly responsible for the creation of the IRA, which formed as a result of Yale's refusal to allow Cornell to race against them.

Sources about Cook:

The Sport of Rowing (Chapter 27-28) by Peter Mallory

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