Vesper Celebrates the 1976 Olympics
Vesper Boat Club is celebrating the 50th reunion of the 1976 Olympians
Did you know?
Vesper Boat Club is celebrating its 50th reunion anniversary!
1976 Olympians - The Coxless Four: James Maroney, Tony Brooks, Gary Piantedosi, Hugh Stevenson
James Moroney rowed at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1975, but he had started rowing at St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia. Moroney also rowed for Vesper Boat Club. He competed at the World Junior Championships in 1970 and 1971 in coxed fours. Moroney later competed at the 1975 World Championships, and was an alternate at the 1974 Worlds. In 1975 he won a gold medal in the eights at the 1975 Pan American Games.
Tony Brooke attended Harvard, graduating in 1972, and was an alternate that year for the US Olympic team. Relatively small for a world-class rower, he rowed lightweights at Harvard. Brooke rowed internationally in coxed and coxless fours, competing at the 1973 European Championship, the 1974-75 World Championships, and winning a bronze medal in coxed fours at the 1975 Pan American Games. Brooks continued to compete with his Harvard lightweight teammates in the Head of the Charles Regatta held each fall on the Charles River in Boston.
Gary Piantedosi rowed at MIT, where he trained as a mechanical engineer. His college crews finished second in 1973-75 at both the Eastern Sprints and the IRAs (Intercollegiate Rowing Association). Piantedosi was a spare for the US team at the 1974 World Championships and raced at the 1975 Pan American Games, placing fourth in the coxless pairs. Piantedosi stopped competing in major events after the 1976 Olympics, but continued to row in masters events and open ocean events.
He stayed in the sport, designing and manufacturing equipment for rowing, merging his love of the sport with his love of woodworking. He designed Piantedosi Oars made of Sitka spruce. He later worked with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital to develop rowing equipment for athletes with disabilities. Piantedosi designed and patented the Row Wing, which converted any canoe or skiff into a sliding-seat rowing boat. He founded Row-Right.com, a division of Alden, and became the general manager of Alden Rowing.
Hugh Stevenson rowed at Penn, graduating in 1972 and helping them win three titles at the IRAs (Intercollegiate Rowing Association). He rowed on multiple US teams, starting with the coxed fours at the 1971 European Championship. Stevenson won gold medals with the US eights at the 1974 World Championships and the 1975 Pan American Games. He also competed at the 1973 Europeans, the 1975 Worlds, and the 1976 Olympics, but without making the podiums. Stevenson became a rowing coach, starting FAST Rowing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and coaching the Cocoanut Grove Rowing Club in Miami, and the Miami Rowing Club.
Every gift to the Vesper Boat Club tells a story of gratitude, belief, and shared purpose. As we reflect on our rich history on Boathouse Row and celebrate our vibrant rowing community—alongside this year's landmark 50th reunion honoring our 1976 women's Olympians and all Olympians past and future—your support helps keep our tradition of excellence moving forward.
By donating, you help ensure that current and future generations of rowers have the coaching, equipment, facilities, and community needed to thrive on the Schuylkill River and beyond.