Chris Clark

Biography

Wisconsin's already-strong rowing tradition was bolstered in 1996 with the hiring of Chris Clark as head coach of the men's rowing program. The 2002 Independent Rowing News College Coach of the Year, Clark quickly established himself as an architect of winning crews after taking over the reins from 28-year head coach Randy Jablonic. Clark brought the Wisconsin program to the peak of collegiate rowing during the 2008 season when the Wisconsin varsity eight took home the school's first national championship since 1990. The crew would later be named "Crew of the Year" by Row2k.com voters, as well as "Best of 2008" by Rowing News and the EARC Heavyweight Crew of the Year. Clark was also named EARC Heavyweight Coach of the Year that season. Wisconsin rowing, however, has been among the nation's elite during Clark's entire tenure. The coach led the Badgers to recapture the Intercollegiate Rowing Championship's Ten Eyck Trophy in 1997 after a nine-year absence. The trophy, which annually recognizes the school scoring the most total points in the IRA national competition, was retained by the Badgers in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, indicating Wisconsin's dominance on the national scene. Over that stretch, four UW boats won national titles in 1999 and 2000, three boats won grand finals in 1998, two in 2001 and one in 2002. Two more boats won titles at the 2003 IRA. In addition to titles, Clark's crews have won numerous medals at the IRA during his coaching tenure, including a streak of 1