Allen Rosenberg (rowing)

Allen Perry Rosenberg (November 29, 1931 – December 7, 2013) was an American rowing coxswain and coach.^[1][2] As a coxswain he won a gold and a silver medal at the 1955 Pan American Games^[3] and a silver at the 1958 European Championships.^[4] As a coach he was responsible for more than 24 gold and silver medals at the Olympics and world championships.^[5]

Allen Rosenberg

Rosenberg at the 1961 Maccabiah Games
Personal information
Born	(1931-11-29)November 29, 1931 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	December 7, 2013(2013-12-07) (aged 82) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Medal record Representing the  United States Pan American Games 1955 Mexico City Eight 1955 Mexico City Coxed four European Rowing Championships 1958 Poznań Eight

Early life

Rosenberg was Jewish. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,^[1][6][7] and grew up in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia until his family moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania.^[8] He had an identical twin brother, Arnold T. Rosenberg.^[9] He graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia, where he ran the quarter mile and wrestled.^[6][10]

Rosenberg first attended Pennsylvania State University, where he wrestled, and then Temple University and Temple University School of Law, from which he graduated with degrees in pharmacy and law.^{[1][6][8][10]} He was a patent attorney.^[8]

Rowing career

Rosenberg competed in from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s, and won four U.S. and three Canadian national rowing titles:^[8][5] in 1954, he won the U.S. coxed fours and Canada eights; in 1955, he won the U.S. eights; and in 1957 and 1958, he won both the U.S. and Canadian eights.^[1]

Internationally he won a silver medal in the eights at the 1958 European Rowing Championships,^[4] a gold medal and a silver medal at the 1955 Pan American Games,^[10] and a gold medal at the 1961 Maccabiah Games.^[1][6][11]

Coaching career

Rosenberg began coaching while he was still competing.^[2] He coached the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia, and became the rowing coach at St. Francis College.^[6][10]

He was head coach of a number of United States National Rowing teams from 1961 to 1976.^[1] He coached the 1964 U.S. Olympic 8 pared shell to a gold medal victory, and also won two gold medals (in Eights and Pairs with Coxswain), a silver medal (in Double Sculls), and a bronze medal (in Four Without Cox).^[1][6] He coached the 1974 World Championships team that won a gold medal in Eights.^[1]

He also coached teams that won a silver medal at the 1965 World Championships and a gold medal at the 1974 World Championships, as well as a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics.^[1][6] His teams won two golds, a silver, and a bronze at the 1975 Pan American Games.^[1] He coached U.S. teams at the 1961 Maccabiah Games and 1965 Maccabiah Games, that each won three gold medals.^[1]

Rosenberg coached into the early 2000s with crews that consistently placed in the top tier Nationally and Internationally.

His rowing techniques became internationally known as the "Rosenberg Style", and employed by the majority of world-class rowing crews.^[1][2] He was named the first U.S. National Technical Director of American Rowing.^[1][2] He also was president of the Rowing Coaches of America.^[1]

Halls of Fame

Rosenberg was inducted into the Rowing Hall of Fame in 1984.^[1][5] He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Greater Washington, D.C. Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.^[1][8]

Death

Rosenberg died at Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 7, 2013. He had suffered from Lewy body dementias in his later years.^[12]

References

1. "Allen Rosenberg". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
2. Peter Mallory (April 25, 2011). "The Sport of Rowing: Ch. 107–108: Allen Rosenberg, Counterrevolutionary; Modern Orthodox Technique". Row2k.com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
3. Steven Olderr (September 14, 2009). The Pan American Games / Los Juegos Panamericanos: A Statistical History, 1951–1999, bilingual edition / Una Historia Estadística, 1951–1999, edición bilingüe. McFarland. pp. 169, 173. ISBN 978-1-4766-0468-8.
4. Rudern – Europameisterschaften (Herren – Achter). sport-komplett.de
5. Allen P. Rosenberg (1997). American Rower's Almanac 1997 – Karen Solem. The Rowers Almanac Inc. ISBN 0-9651327-1-4.
6. Murray Friedman, Center for American Jewish History, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, American Jewish Committee. Philadelphia Chapter (2003). Philadelphia Jewish life, 1940–2000. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-999-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by day in Jewish sports history. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. ISBN 978-0-88125-969-8.
8. "Inductions | Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". Phillyjewishsports.com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
9. "Arnold T. Rosenberg, Food Photographer". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
10. William A. Stowe (2005). All Together; The Formidable Journey to the Gold with the 1964 Olympic Crew. ISBN 0-595-79155-7.
11. "History: The 1960s". Maccabiusa.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
12. Allen Rosenberg, Olympic Rowing Coach Who Transformed the Sport, Dies at 82 – The New York Times. Nytimes.com (December 13, 2013). Retrieved on 2017-06-14.