Our History

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Frenchy A. Johnson (d.1883), a professional sculler active in the U.S. in the late 1870s, the first prominent African-American oarsman of modern times.

Article: F. Johnson Wins Professional Race

DeFrantz was born in 1952 in Philadelphia, PA. A member of the Vesper Boat Club in her home city, she was captain of the American rowing team at the 1976 Summer Olympics winning the bronze medal in women's eight. In 1980 the United States boycotted the Moscow Olympic Games and although DeFrantz had qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, she was unable to compete. Anita was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.

On November 1st, 1958, the Philadelphia Tribune ran an article on Mario Bryan who was the first member of Harvard University’s mens rowing team. In 1957, Mario coxed the Harvard LTWT 8+ to an Eastern Boating Championship. Read the full Philadelphia Tribune article here: Negro Coxswain on Harvard Crew

On April 29th, 1967  James Smith examines some of the barriers preventing black participation in rowing. Read the full Philadelphia Tribune article here: “Ever Wonder Why Sculls on the Schuylkill Are So White?”

[12.18.1973] “One of the most frequently heard laments from Black parents in Philly is that “bad“ kids who go around terrorizing their neighborhoods get their names in the paper, while good kids who don’t give Anybody any trouble can’t get a line of publicity. If this is true, then Helen Wilcher and the kids of Camp Dimension in East Falls have about as much beef about this as anyone in the city...” To read the full article from the Philadelphia Tribune click here: Philadelphia Can Be Proud of Camp Dimension Teenagers

Patricia Spratlen Etem was introduced to rowing only after she had registered at the University of California (Berkeley) in 1975 … Spratlen-Etem did well enough to earn a seat on both the 1980 and ’84 Olympic shells … although the United States did not compete in the 1980 Moscow Games, the 1984 shell came in fourth. While at Berkeley, she was appointed to the stroke seat of UCal's varsity women's eight in 1977 and during the next two years helped Cal to titles at the Bay Area Rowing Festival, the Western Collegiate and the NWRA Regional, and a pair of Pacific Coast Championships. During her senior year, Patricia was the PAC-12 Athlete of the Year and a CRCA All-American.

Following graduation, Patricia earned a gold medal at the Lucerne International Regatta in Switzerland and two silver and one bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in 1979, ’81, and ’83.

In 2007, Etem and the other 1980 Olympians were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal (the highest honor that can be bestowed to a civilian by congress). 

Aquil Hashim Adbullah (b.1973), the first African-American to win the Diamond Sculls, Henley 2000. Abdullah was the first African-American male to qualify for the Summer Olympics in the sport of rowing. He was also the first African-American male to win a rowing national championship in 1996, when he won the single sculls competition. He attended George Washington University. He co-authored a book with Chris Ingraham titled Perfect Balance in 2001.

Rowing Coach’s jest and a black student’s humiliation offer a painful lesson at Wilson High School in 1993. Read the full Washington Post article here: Pulling Together Against Racial Stereotypes

Although he was born in Brooklyn, Malcolm grew up in the Washington, D.C., area. He began coxing at West Potomac High in Alexandria and for the Thompson Boat Center. In high school, Malcolm served as coxswain of the varsity eight at West Potomac, earning silver in the Northern Virginia Championships, and a bronze medal as coxswain of the junior men’s four at the 1995 nationals, representing the Thompson Boat Center. He continued his rowing career at Marietta College, where he was the coxswain for the Pioneers’ varsity eight boat that earned bronze medals at the 1998 SIRA’s and Dad Vail Regatta. He graduated from Marietta in 1999 with a B.A. in psychology. Following graduation, Doldron became a special education teacher at Fairfax High in Fairfax, VA. 

Malcolm was named the lightweight rowing program’s head coach at Boston University in June 2012. Malcolm Doldron returns for his ninth season as head coach of the women’s lightweights at Boston University in 2020-21. During the 2019-20 fall season, Doldron's eighth at BU, he coached the Terriers to three top five finishes among US collegians at the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta. During the spring of 2020, Doldron was named to the USRowing U23 National Team Staff for the fourth-consecutive year.

Arshay grew up on the West Side of Chicago, witnessing family and friends become products of their environment. But a chance encounter changed Arshay’s life. In 1997, he joined (and later became captain of) the first African-American high school rowing team at Manley High School, an experience that changed Arshay life. He dedicated two years of his life to AmeriCorps, focusing on diversity and inclusion, and soon after that, Arshay attended Le Cordon Bleu, becoming a personal chef for events and professional athletes. In time, Arshay’s love of the sport would grow to impact the lives of countless people across the country. [Learn more about Arshay here].

The Mandela Crew was the first predominantly African American and Latino row team coming out of Roxbury, MA to row in the Head of the Charles and Head of the Connecticut Regattas. Read the full NYTimes article here: “For Rowers, Its the Getting There, First or Not”

Kevin earned his bachelor's degree in history from George Washington University in 1992 and received a master's of education in 1997 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. As a a USRA Level III Coach, Kevin is in his 19th season as the head women’s rowing coach at The University of Tulsa.  He became the fifth coach in school history on July 9, 2002, and since then has steadily built TU towards a stronger position within the rowing world. During his tenure, Harris’ teams have recorded 337 first-place finishes and medaled 815 boats in 163 regattas.  He has seen 135 student-athletes receive Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar Athlete honors and his team has won TU's Outstanding Team Community Service Award 11 times (2003, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’13, ’14, ‘16) for their community and campus involvement.

Brannon has taught and coached 150+ classes and over 1,000 Philadelphia area residents, ranging from ages 12 to 65.  What began as a learn-to-row program quickly morphed into one of the city’s most diverse adult community rowing programs.   BLJ Community Rowing continues to grow its membership and is committed to providing unfettered access to Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River.  Brannon and the BLJ Community Rowing program are proud to be a part of the USRowings’ Diversity Initiative [Learn more about Brannon here].

On July 19, 1998 Dwayne’s life was almost taken by a stray bullet that entered his left eye and lodged behind his right eye. The incident left him with only one eye, partial sight in his right eye, and with no sense of smell. During his time recovering from the accident, Dwayne was introduced to the sport of rowing. Dwayne was a three-time member of the U.S. National Adaptive Rowing Team and the winner of a bronze medal in the 2002 World Rowing Championship in Seville, Spain. In July of 2005, Dwayne was inspired to found Breaking Barriers Rowing & Fitness where he could share his experience with others and help the youth in his community avoid obesity, drug abuse, bullying, and violence. Dwayne’s other accomplishments and accolades include the 2008 Outstanding Citizen Award by the NAACP; the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year by the Masonic District Masons for his work with Breaking Barriers, the 2010 Access Achievement Award by the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities; the 2013 Home Town Hero Award from the Philadelphia 76ers; and he was the recipient of a resolution for Breaking Barriers Rowing & Fitness by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

David Banks competed in two Olympic Games for the United States. A graduate of California’s Stanford University, David was drawn to rowing because of his competitive nature. Despite a number of competitive setbacks, David endured and is a prominent member of the rowing community.

Craig White learned to row at the College of William & Mary in 2004. After moving back home to Newark, NJ he started the rowing program at St. Benedict’s Prep in 2011. With the help of dedicated parents and an enduring vision, the program has grown to sustain 60+ student athletes who love the sport year round. Craig teaches math at St. Benedict’s and is the Dean of the Freshman Level.

Alex Osbourne developed a passion for rowing while attending Stanford University. Alex watched David Banks during his freshman year - while Banks was training by himself every day and pursuing a masters degree. David rowed 2 hours in the single every morning and would always be erging in the afternoon (full pressure rate 20, 3x20'). Watching how this dedication paid off really served as the model of excellence that Alex wanted to follow.

While at Stanford, Alex finished 2nd and 3rd in the country in the Varsity 8+ at the National Championships, was a 3-time All Pac-10 rower and finished his senior year as the 2009 Pac-10 Rower of the Year. In 2007, he began his six year career on the US National Team, which ultimately concluded as a member of the Men’s Quadruple Sculls at the 2012 London Olympic Games. 

Ashley L. Pryor, is from Westerville, Ohio and a two time graduate of The Ohio State University where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Human Development and Family Science and Masters of Art in Higher Education and Student Affairs. As an undergraduate student, Ashley was a scholar-athlete and won a Big Ten Championship with the Ohio State Women’s Rowing team in 2011. She served as the Assistant Director for College Alumni Affairs at Ohio State’s Alumni Association. In 2017 she became the director of Student Life Social Change and simultaneously served as a STEP faculty mentor on campus. In March of 2018, she won the Integrity Leadership award from her profession’s national organization, NASPA. Ashley continues to serve as a STEP faculty mentor but has now joined the women’s rowing staff at Ohio State University as their Director of Operations. To our knowledge, she is the only black collegiate Director of Operations in the country [Learn more about Ashley here].

Drexel University Director of Rowing Paul Savell announced on September 4th, 2020 that Asiya Mahmud has been promoted to associate head coach of the rowing program. Mahmud will continue direct coaching responsibilities with the women's rowing team while also assuming an increased role in Drexel Rowing's operations and fundraising initiatives. A 2012 graduate of Drexel University with a degree in criminal justice, Mahmud rowed to a successful career that included a Dad Vail gold medal, Colonial Athletic Association silver medal and a Henley Women’s Regatta quarterfinal appearance. She is currently pursuing a Master of Legal studies with a concentration in NCAA Compliance and Sports Law. Asiya Mahmud is in her sixth season At Drexel.