In America, intercollegiate competition commenced in 1852 with the start of the Harvard Yale dual race. Fierce rivalries quickly spread throughout the Ivy League, and moved west when California & Washington started racing at the turn of the century. Celebrated programs at Cornell, Penn, and Navy earned national headlines, and Washington won the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. All in all, the California crew won three Olympic championships - 1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles, & 1948 London - and 27 gold medals… a feat that can never be repeated. Under the tutelage of coach Carroll "Ky" Ebright their unmatched speed and grace inspired thousands of scholar-athletes around the world. For 35 years the 'Little Admiral' taught "the art of rowing" in his classroom on the water … it would grow to be known as the Golden Era of Rowing Share this:ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInTumblrPinterest