This Is Not Goodbye

MARTY CROTTY STEPS DOWN AS PRINCETON MEN'S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING COACH

TigerBlog was trying to think of Princetonians who have won national championships with the Tigers as an athlete and as a head coach. 

The first person he thought of was the legendary men's squash coach Bob Callahan, who did so three times as a player before graduating in 1977. He then coached the Tigers to the national championship in 1982, his first season as head coach. 

In all, he'd finish with three national titles as a head coach as well.

Callahan was the consummate gentleman. If there was a sportsmanship award to be won, he won it. If there was an act of compassion to be had, he performed it.

Sadly, he passed away in 2015 at the age of just 59 after battling brain cancer. His loss still touches TigerBlog, who had the highest respect for the man. If you never met him, you certainly missed out on someone special. 

TigerBlog wrote yesterday about a few of his favorite lines from Pete Carril, and it led to this message: 

"I wish I had known Coach Carril in my days here at Princeton but you keep him alive for me and thousands of others."

TB likes that thought. He is fortunate to have been here long enough to have met hundreds of people who are worth remembering, those who have left Princeton or those who have passed away. He likes the idea that one of the main things he's doing here is helping them to be remembered.

In the case of Bob Callahan, he should still be here. TB is still stung by his passing. Like TB said, you really missed out on someone special, someone who made the world a much better place. 

Anyway, back at the question, Bill Roper in football accomplished the player/coach national championship double, as a player in 1899 and then four times as a coach, most notably with the 1922 "Team of Destiny."

Charlie Caldwell was a player on that team; he'd go on to coach the Tigers to the 1950 national title. 

Who else? Emily Goodfellow with women's squash. Peter Thompson in men's squash. 

Are there others? Did TB miss anyone? If he has, he's sure someone will let him know. 

Even if he did, there aren't many others on that list. And it's a very exclusive list, of course. 

Oh, and then there is rowing — and this will get TB to where he was going this whole time. 

Greg Hughes won as an athlete (heavyweight, twice) and head coach (lightweight). So did Dan Roock, who won as a heavyweight athlete and then again several times as the head coach of the open women. 

And, of course, Marty Crotty. 

A teammate of Hughes on the heavyweight boat in the 1996 and 1998 IRA championship first varsity 8, Crotty also coached the lightweights to the IRA title in 2010. 

He's been a constant presence in the Shea Boathouse for decades. Yesterday, he announced that he was leaving Princeton to pursue other opportunities. 

He insists this is not goodbye, and TigerBlog believes him. In fact, here were his words: "I will always be Princeton Rowing's number one fan on the shores of Lake Carnegie."

It's hard to imagine Princeton Athletics, and not just rowing, without Marty Crotty. 

He's a big man, in physical stature, in personality and in presence. He is smart and engaging and funny. He's given so much to Princeton Athletics for all his time here. 

There haven't been too many Princeton home events where you didn't see Marty, with his broad smile a constant feature. This has never been limited to rowing, by the way. 

TigerBlog wrote the other day about the overwhelming successes of the Princeton Rowing programs. He mentioned that all of it stems from the culture that has been created there. 

Marty Crotty has had as much of an impact as anyone on that culture. He'll definitely be missed around here. 

He's another one that if you've never met, you've been missing out on a special person.