Hall of Fame Inductees
An oarsman in his early years, Phil Calhoun ’62 first arrived at Wesleyan as assistant dean of admissions in 1964 from the Salisbury School, where he had coached crew. At Wesleyan, he acquired two four-man shells from Salisbury and assumed the coaching duties of a program in its infancy.
After a lapse of 84 years, the sport of rowing returned to Wesleyan in 1964, and by the spring of 1965, Wesleyan was beating other crews for the first time in the modern era. Competing in the 1965 Rusty Callow Regatta (New England Championships) with an all-freshmen boat, Wesleyan finished well ahead of Amherst, and a few weeks later, defeated Holy Cross and Dartmouth’s 3rd varsity to place first overall for the first time in 85 years.
This momentum continued into the 1966 and 1967 seasons. By the end of the 1966 campaign, the varsity had managed to defeat Trinity, Marist, UMass, and all other Callow crews except for Amherst. By January 1967, enough funds had been raised to purchase the club’s first racing shell. The new shell and a growing amount of belief within the team carried Calhoun’s squad to an undefeated season, winning the Rusty Callow Regatta, and finishing fourth in its first year at the Dad Vail (National Championships).
At the end of the 1972 season, Calhoun’s final year at Wesleyan, it was clear the team had settled in and was here to stay for the long haul. The equipment was much improved, a boathouse was constructed in 1969, and by the time of his departure, Wesleyan fielded three competitive boats with several recreational small boats in the mix.
In Calhoun’s nine years with the men’s crew program, he guided the team to four Little Three titles, five wins at the Harborow Regatta, a trip to the finals of the Rusty Callow every year and finishes of eighth (twice) and 12th at the Dad Vail.
His legacy continued well past his tenure, as he strongly supported the creation of the women’s crew team at Wesleyan. Upon the women’s varsity 8 winning the Dad Vail in 1978, Calhoun, who attended the regatta in Philadelphia, remarked, “The women’s victory was one of the most thrilling experiences I have ever had. I must admit that I got a bit carried away with emotion myself when I saw them cross the finish line first.”
