Hall of Fame
The 1934 inaugural Dad Vail Regatta, originally titled the “Four Cornered Regatta” consisted of three crews: Marietta, Rutgers University, Manhattan College and an unofficial entry, the University of Pennsylvania’s junior varsity. Marietta’s crew, coached by J. Ellis MacDonald who had captained the University of Washington crew before arriving at Marietta, easily defeated Manhattan while Rutgers was a distant third.
The importance of the win brought the much-needed recognition to the Pioneer Navy desperately trying to maintain a varsity level rowing program. Marietta College hosted the 1935 Dad Vail.
Under the direction of head coach J. Ellis MacDonald, the 1934 crew included coxswain William Wiant ‘34, John Frye ‘34, Lewis Jordan ‘34, Alton Ball ‘35, Frank Nuckles ‘36, Frank Fenton ‘36, Clinton Hootsel ‘35, John Stage ‘35 and Thomas Metzger ‘34.
