Pratt Named EARC Coach of the Year
November 9, 2005 | Men's Rowing
BOSTON - Rodney Pratt was named the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Coach of the Year for the 2005 season, as announced on Nov. 8 by the ECAC. The vote took place at the annual EARC Coaches Meeting in Boston and was decided amongst his peers. Now in his 16th year as the head coach of the Terrier men???s varsity crew team, Pratt led his heavyweight team to its best-ever finish at both the Eastern Sprints and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship last spring.
In addition, the Terriers??? first varsity heavyweight boat earned the Russell ???Rusty??? S. Callow Award, which is given to the crew that overcomes adversity to have a successful championship season.
???Obviously it???s very flattering and a great accolade to be named Coach of the Year by your peers and I couldn???t ask for anything more,??? said Pratt. ???It???s really for our varsity eight, who had a great end to the year after an up-and-down regular season.???
The men???s varsity eight boat, seeded ninth, finished fourth overall in the grand final at the Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.. With their fourth-place finish in the heavyweight race, the Terriers had their best overall finish in the 60-year history of the Sprints.
At the annual IRA Regatta on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., the Terrier varsity heavyweight and freshman eight each finished sixth in the grand finals.
The Terriers??? 2005 spring campaign also included wins over Syracuse, Rutgers, Columbia, Wisconsin and MIT, while their only losses came to Northeastern in the Arlett Cup, Dartmouth in a tri-race at Rutgers and Brown in a dual. In the process, BU earned its first Jablonic Cup (versus Wisconsin and MIT) since 1995.
In his 15 years at BU, Pratt has been instrumental in maintaining the traditions and standards associated with Boston University men's crew, as well as consistently growing and improving the program. In 1999, he saw a dream realized when the B.L. and Alice Dewolfe Boathouse was dedicated. Pratt was a catalyst in the great fundraising effort to build the magnificent Charles River landmark as it now stands.
Pratt???s 16th spring season will begin on Saturday, April 1, at Brown.
