The New York herald., 1922-12-10
BOB COOK FATHER
OF YALE ROWING
Made Crew as Freshman and
Became Most Famous
College Coach.
by ARTHUR r. ALDRIDGE.


The death of Robert J. Cook last Sun
day at his home near Belle Vernon. Pa,
removes one Of the best known sports
men in the country. Because of his
great work with the oarsmen at Yale he
was called the Father Of Rowing at
Yale" To the alumni he was known
as Capt. Cook, for he captained crews
while in college. The undergraduates
called him Capt. Bob and to his inti-
mate friends he was known as Bob.
Bob Cook entered Yale as a freshman
In 1872. graduated in 1878 and after
ward, until early in the present century,
ne was coach of rowing; always spent
the last few weeks of training with the
crews. and year after year the Yale
Blue. under his tutelage. led the Har-
ward Crimson over the Thames course
at New London. From 1880 to 1905
Harvard won only five races. The great
success OF Cook as a coach, beside the
introduction of his wonderful stroke, was
his ability to select the best eight men
available In the college, to seat them In
the boat in such a way that every ounce
of muscle would tell and, finally. keep
them under the strictest discipline.
When Cook first went to Yale as q
freshman in 1872 boating there was In
q bad way. Yale's six Dared shell had
been beaten by Bowdoin, Williams and
Amherst. and from 1855 to 1870 1t had
been beaten each year by Harvard. After
that Harvard and Yale did not meet
again until 1876. when Yale. under
Cooks captaincy, won.
Cook went to Yale from a Pennsyl-
vania farm. He was a strong, rugged
young man, who had been well sea-
soned with the outdoor work on a farm.
The confining work at college during
the winter told on his nerves, and when
spring came he used to wander down to
the river and watch the oarsmen at
work. In those days the crew was an
exclusive organization, with flavor of
social caste, and the hayseed freshman
was not welcome. Bob Cook. says
Ralph d. Payne In his new book,
Roads Of Adventure" just published
by the Houghton Miflin Company
was the best wrestler and rough and
tumble fighter in the college. and in
spite of all opposition he determined to
make the crew. He haunted the boat
house day after day. and not one of the
young oarsmen cared to try to put him
out.
OutrOws q Veteran.
Finally losing all patience the cap.
tain. apparently to give him trial
ordered Cook to get into a pair Dared
boat, and with him went the stronges,
and most skilful man Of the crew. II
wAs expected that this test would make
a laughing stock of the young freshman
as the veteran would undoubtedly pull
him around in circles. What Cook
lacked in experience was more thar
made up In muscle. wind and courage
He dug his oar into the water and laid
back on 1t and he kept time with his
opponent no matter how he rowed. Their
the boat began to make circles, but the
novice was outrowing the expert.
Cook had to a certain extent qualified
and he asked for a seat in the shell. He
got what he wanted, but again they tried
to kill him by rowing time trial OF
three miles At first Cook had some
trouble. but he soon fell into the swing
Forty strokes a minute were pulled and
at the end young Cook was still going
strong. although his muscles were
knotted with cramps and his wrists were
swelling. He swung himself out of the
boat and addressed the group as fol.
lows:
''It was dirty trick. And we may al
well understand each other. II you re-
fuse to give me q fair deal I intend "a
whip the whole Yale crew beginning
with the captain. And you step ur
right now"
Paine says tradition has # that al
least one black eye was the sequel, bu,
II did not decorate the face of the fresh.
man. Cook rowed and the crew was
beaten in a race on the Connecticut
hry
sets Aggies, Bowdoin and Williams.
Cook Goes to England.
Cook was elected captain for the nex,
year and he held that office for the res,
OF his college course. rowing stroke oar
He appreciated that rowing In this coun.
try then was experimental, and ht
brooded over tho condition, trying &c
find some way to solve his troubles
During the Christmas vacation he read
Tom Brown at Oxford" and then decided
that they knew how to row in England
and that he would 60 there and learn
He talked with Prexy Porter of hi.
ideas. figured that the cost of such q
trip would be $500. and to his surpris,
found that Prexy agreed with him ant
gave him leave OF absence.
The $500 was raised by tho under
graduates and Cook sailed for England
in January. He went to Cambridge
where he was Hospitality entertained b,
the rowing men. He learned all tn.
coaches could tell him. He went to OK
ford and then studied the crews Of tn,
London Rowing Club. He returned e
Yale satisfied that he had mastered tn.
English style Of rowing and then pro
ceeded to adapt II to At American col
lege oarsmcn. The American coIleg,
oarsman was less mature than the Brit
ish and TO carry the swing as far a
either end OF the stroke would be wastet
effort and cause needless exhaustion
Cook introduced at Yale the Englisl
style somewhat shortened and with NOR,
attention paid TO form and finish. Thi,
was the first scientific system OF rowins
ever devised in this country. and al
though there was opposition TO Il a
first. Il finally became established as tn,
American college stroke.
Cook was quiet In manner, says Paine
but tremendously forceful. He regarded
this avocation of his as something NOR,
than sport. He was helping 70 max,
men. With that impressive solidity o.
aspect he used to cay such things a,
these from the bow OF his coachinf
launch:
Form makes speed boys. but wha
counts Is sand. When you arc all I'm OF
the last mile, remember that the fellow,
In the other boat are just as Rroggy
IL Is tho last ounce that wins a clos,
race, the ounce of strength you didn'
know you had in you. When you go ou
In the world and things go wrong an,
Won feel ready TO quit, lust stop an