Sept. 26, 2004

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's University Rowing Teams honored two former Hawks, Drs. Richard and Donald Flanigan '60, by christening the program's newest boat in their name at the Annual Mass and Open House.

Inducted into the SJU Athletics Hall of Fame on September 25th, the Flanigans just recently returned from Hamburg, Germany where they won the 2004 FISA Masters World Championships. The brothers both gave moving speeches and were honored to selected to the Hall of Fame.

Members of Saint Joseph's inaugural varsity crew team, the tandem rowed in SJU's first Varsity eight. That boat placed third at the 1959 Dad Vail and then returned to place second in 1960.

Later rowing for the esteemed Vesper Boat Club, the Flanigan brothers got a taste of national acclaim by winning the 1960 U.S. crown in an eight-oared boat and then capturing another U.S. Title in 1962 in a two-man shell. They also competed in a men's Intermediate eight that was regarded by many as the finest boat in Philadelphia's storied rowing history. That crew captured the United States National Championship and represented the U.S. in 1962 at the first world rowing championships in Lucerne, Switzerland, as well as the 1963 Pan American games in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Natives of Philadelphia, and graduates of West Catholic High, the Flanigans sacrificed a trip to the 1964 olympics in tokyo to attend medical school. They watched with bittersweet satisfaction as would-be teammates went on to win a gold medal--the last by a u.s. boat in their event until the 2004 Games in Athens.

After a brief hiatus from rowing to establish their medical practices, the brothers returned to the water and have captured more than 40 U.S. and World Championships at the Masters level.