James "Jim" Rice

Columbia's Crew Coach 1906-1923

Pennsylvania's Assistant Crew Coach 1924-May 1925

Pennsylvania's Crew Coach May 1925-June 1925

Born in Scotland, James "Jim" Rice was a professional sculler and pupil of Edward "Ned" Hanlan.  He competed in 50 races between 1890 and 1898, when he retired from professional rowing.  During this time he also gained renown as a coach starting with the Toronto Rowing Club in 1893.  He then went on to coach the Detroit Boat Club (1899-1904), and the Weld Boat Club at Harvard (1904-1906) until he was hired with a 1 year contract by Columbia University in 1906.  Rice's first varsity crew lost the Poughkeepsie Regatta in 1907 by 3 feet.  This near victory sold Columbia on his skill as a coach and they retained him.  Rice was a strict teacher and pushed oarsmen to do things his way, but he was also an adaptable coach, adapting technique to the individual rower and crew.  He philosophy including teaching his crews the principles of sculling, convinced that these skills made for better sweepswingers.

His methods paid off and Columbia's crews improved by leaps and bounds with Columbia winning the IRA varsity race in 1914.  After this victory, Columbia was not as successful at Poughkeepsie and in 1923, Columbia released him.  Rice was not discouraged and became an assistant coach under Joe Wright at the University of Pennsylvania in early 1924.  In May 1925, Joe Wright resigned suddenly before the Child's Cup over a disagreement with the crew captain and chair of the rowing committee at the University of Pennsylvania.  Rice was called on to take over as head coach.

Rice continued as head coach in 1925 until a week before the Poughkeepsie Regatta when a disagreement arose between Rice and his crew captain.  Rice wanted to remove a member of the crew, known for having medical issues, from the varsity 8.  The captain of the crew and the crew manager disagreed as the crew member was one of their strongest rowers.  The chairman of the rowing committee backed the captain and manager, which caused Rice to submit his resignation to take effect as soon as the rowing season ended, after the Poughkeepsie Regatta. 

Pennsylvania would be the last university crew that Rice coach, but he did not retire from coaching.  He returned as coach for the Detroit Boat Club from 1927-1931 and again from 1936-1939.  He would also coach the Hamilton Leander Boat Club (Ontario, Canada) from 1932-1935, the Wyandotte (Michigan) Boat Club 1940-1942,  and the Ecorse (Michigan) Boat Club from 1942-1947.  He retired from coaching in 1947 due to ill health.

He passed away in August 1953 at the age of 82.

Rice was widely thought to be a great crew coach by his peers and was considered one of the top rowing coaches in America.

Writings by Rice:

 “Making a Varsity Crew.” Outing 62, no. 3 (June 1913): 313-319. 

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