When the original history was published in 2003 for the UW Rowing Centennial, it was written as a continuing story, each year different but each year consistent and built on the same foundation created by Hiram Conibear and the men and women of those earliest years. Our goal has been to continue the theme that Washington Rowing is unique in many ways, but particularly in the consistent values that drive the program, and these values continue today in our coaches and student-athletes that row at Washington.

This timeline does not touch on the human stories that define the program, and I urge anyone reading this summary to read the more in depth history. We have one book – The Boys in the Boat – that covers a small timeframe in the life of the men's program, and yet every year and generation has similar stories, and students, and coaches and leaders.  And every year could be a book. Some do not end as successfully on the water as the 1936 men's team, but ask any Washington alum at their fiftieth reunion and the response will be the same: an enduring gratitude for what rowing at Washington did for them in their life.

And then finally this: this timeline, as a summary exercise, leaves years out. And yet every year has had a Washington Varsity 8 and a 2V8 and other boats, and some of those years end with National Champions. Some end with Conference champions. Or amazing comeback stories or stunningly bad luck. After twenty years of learning so many of these stories, I firmly believe that if we could line up every Varsity 8 at their prime since our first one in 1907 - and have them race 2,000 meters on one giant race course - the winner could easily not be on this timeline. Because at Washington, every Varsity 8 throughout our history has high-level athletes developed under the same core values; and on any given day in crew racing the "swing" can come... and then anything can happen.

So take this as the summary exercise it is. The real story of Washington Rowing, true since the very beginning, is the opportunity - as George Pocock would say - for young people to reach for the stars and then go put it all on the line as a team, together.

Note: The National Championship race distance, the sponsoring organization, and number of events have all changed multiple times since 1910. Today, for men, a national team champion is awarded (known as the Ten Eyck Trophy) based on points earned in all IRA events; however regardless of team results, the winner of the IRA (Intercollegiate Rowing Association) Varsity 8 race is considered the Men's Collegiate National Champion. That was also true for the women’s National Championships through 1996; however in 1997, when the NCAA began governing the women’s sport, the officially recognized National Champion became the combined team (V8, 2V8, V4) with the highest point total (cumulative points awarded based on race finish in each event), and not the Varsity 8 race.

A note to our readers: The best viewing experience of this content is by laptop or desktop computer (or tablet). Originally published ten years before social media and smartphones using Microsoft Frontpage software, technically upgrading the extensive content and collections now to meet smartphone formatting (over 600 pages of historical writing, photos and media) is financially prohibitive.

From the beginning, this project was built for the web: combining the flexibility to easily update and add new material, with the ability to support the history with audio and video. As an example: this timeline was added in August of 2023, over twenty years since content was first being collected and published here. It continues today as one of only a handful of extensively detailed and consistently updated (men and women combined) collegiate sports history collections in the world. The downside to publishing on the web is the ease to which material can be used without consent. Please respect the effort and time that our authors, photographers, and contributors have put into this body of work, and if using any material published here, please contact us first.

All material on the Huskycrew.org website, including all writing, photos, video, and audio, are copyrighted. For questions, comments, or history additions, please contact Eric Cohen at: webdev (at) huskycrew.org.

1937: The Boys in the Boat return (only coxswain Bob Moch graduated) and come away with another IRA Sweep and the Varsity 8 National Championship.  The 1937 full team remains one of the most dominant in the history of Washington, and in the sport itself.

2018: The Washington Men and Women dominate the Pac-12 Championships winning 9 of 10 races combined and sweeping the team titles; Women win the NCAA 2V8 National Championship and team finishes 2nd in the NCAA; UW men win the Temple Cup at Henley.