Rollins Crew practices for the English Royal Henley Regatta, 1963
Amid much shrieking, cheering, and general gusto, fraternities, sororities, independents, faculty
Never have I travelled with a group of athletes more personable, more interesting, more dedicated to the job at hand, and more imbued with the will-to-win. You gained the respect of the English amateur sports people, who admire above all else good sportsmanship and courage under fire. The fact that the men of the Emmanuel and Churchill crew asked you to dinner on the night the regatta ended was significant.
members, and alumni all battle it out for trophies and exercise. It doesn’t matter how you play the game; it’s whether you win or lose. —The Tomokan, 1966
You had won their respect in the rugged race in which you defeated them. —Robert Harron, “The Invasion of England,” Rollins College Bulletin, 1963
became a part of Fiesta. 1964’s Baseball Week brought baseball greats Stan Musial and Bob Feller to campus. Coach Joe Justice defined the objective of Baseball Week as “an attempted revival of the waning interest in college baseball. At a time when college baseball is fighting not only for prestige, but for survival, this innovation should be a solid step ahead.” Following in the footsteps of earlier Rollins teams, the Tars took their show on the road in 1966. Playing against the Ecuador National All Stars in exhibition games, Rollins won three of its four contests. Gale Coleman, who won All-American honors in 1968, was characterized as the Sandy Koufax of Ecuador. (The Rollins basketball team, which also made the trip, didn’t fare as well.) In 1967, at the N.C.A.A. convention, Joe Justice was named College Baseball Coach of the Year. His Rollins record: 381 wins/218 losses. AND IN THE SHELL: The Rollins crew pulled out of a slump to recapture both the state champi-
Tallest and shortest Tars team up: Mike Bailey, 5’5”, and Ralph Tanchuk, 6’5”, 1961
onship and the Yankee carpet bag and Confederate flag it had lost to Boston University in 1949. During the 15-year rivalry with B.U., Rollins had only had possession of the bag and flag twice. Although the crew won state championships consistently, it could never earn better than second place in the annual Dad Vail Regatta. In 1963, funded by an unidentified “friend,” the Tar crew traveled to England to row in the Royal Henley Regatta for the Thames Challenge Cup. Of more than 30 participants, only two other crews were from the U.S. Rollins reached the semi-finals before bowing to the Argosies Rowing Club, and nearly accomplishing a major upset. U. T. Bradley, Rollins crew coach, known as the “Father of Southern Crew” and the “Father of Florida
Pride in athletic competition, whether intramural or intercollegiate, has contributed to the new spirit of Rollins. —The Tomokan, 1968
Rowing,” retired in 1965. In honor of his contributions to the sport, “Brad” was named to the Crew Hall of Fame—the first small college coach ever elected.
SPRING | 2010
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