National Rowing Hall of FameSM
The mission of the National Rowing Hall of FameSM (NRHOF) is to engage, teach, and inspire rowing enthusiasts, as well as current and new athletes through the celebration of rowing excellence at the highest level, identifying and acknowledging our National Team and Olympic Athletes that have excelled in competition on the international stage. Honorees must meet rigorous selection criteria and are vetted and selected by the Hall of Fame Committee at the National Rowing Foundation. There are over 500 athletes in the National Rowing Hall of FameSM with new honorees being inducted roughly every 2-3 years. The most recent National Rowing Hall of FameSM Induction Ceremony took place in Sarasota, FL in 2017.
The National Rowing Hall of FameSM also seeks to preserve and honor the history of rowing at the collegiate and international level for future generations of rowing enthusiasts. In addition to promoting and preserving the accomplishments and history of extraordinary USA rowing athletes, the National Rowing Hall of FameSM also includes an expansive archival and memorabilia collection. This collection, comprised of over 10,000 historical pieces and documents, was originally displayed at the Mystic Seaport Museum from 2008 – 2014 and is currently curated privately by the NRF until a new physical location is determined.
History of the National Rowing Hall of FameSM
The National Rowing Hall of FameSM has existed since 1956, and the National Rowing FoundationSM, which was founded in 1966, took over its management in 1975.
Until then, the Hall had been overseen by the Helms Athletic Foundation, which had a rowing exhibit in a Los Angeles museum. For years the Hall’s induction ceremony was tacked onto the annual meetings of USRowing, the sport’s governing body in the United States, and Power Ten, a rowing group in New York City.
In 1993, NRF Executive Director Hart Perry approached J. Revell Carr, then the president of Mystic Seaport and offered him a collection of 300 books on the history of the sport. “But there’s a string attached. You get the National Rowing Hall of Fame SM with it,” Mr. Perry told him. Mr. Carr accepted the gift of the books, which were made available to researchers, but for years had no place for the National Rowing Hall of Fame SM.
In 2007, Mr. Perry heard that Mystic was moving its library to the Collections Research Center, a separate building across the street. He asked museum officials if the Foundation could use some of the old library space. The museum agreed, and since November, Mr. Perry and 20 volunteers have been transforming the rooms into the National Rowing Hall of Fame SM. The work was completed in time for the Foundation’s annual symposium on March 8, 2008.