Joe Burk
Joe Burk | |
---|---|
Born | Joseph William Burk January 19, 1914 |
Died | January 13, 2008 | (aged 93)
Education | Moorestown High School |
Medal record | ||
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Men's Rowing | ||
Representing United States | ||
Diamond Challenge Sculls | ||
1939 Henley-on-Thames | Single sculls | |
1938 Henley-on-Thames | Single sculls | |
Gold Cup Challenge | ||
1940 Philadelphia | Single sculls |
Joseph William Burk (January 19, 1914 – January 13, 2008) was an American oarsman and coach.
Raised in Delanco Township, New Jersey, he graduated from Moorestown High School in 1930.[1][2]
At the University of Pennsylvania, Burk rowed in the varsity boats. After graduating in 1934, he began racing in the single scull (1x), a one-man boat. Burk won 46 consecutive races in the single scull from 1937 to 1940, inclusive. He was the U.S. and Canadian champion for those four years. In 1938, he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at the Henley Royal Regatta when he set a Henley course record of 8:02, which was to stand for 27 years. He won Diamonds again in 1939, beating Roger Verey in the final. He became known as the "world's greatest oarsman", and at the end of the 1939 season, Burk was voted the James E. Sullivan Award as the country's outstanding amateur athlete.
In 1940, Burk won the Olympic try-outs, the National Regatta and the Philadelphia Challenge Cup, also known as the Gold Cup. The 1940 Olympics, however, were cancelled because of World War II. An attempt was made to schedule a match race with world professional sculling champion Bobby Pearce, who was then living in Canada, but that race failed to materialize.
Burk served as a
Burk began to coach the
At Penn, Burk coached
The Burk Cup, awarded annually to the winner of the rowing race between
Burk died in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 13, 2008, just short of his 94th birthday.
Awards
- 1938 and 1939 Diamond Scull, Henley Royal Regatta
- James E. Sullivan Award 1939
- US Rowing Hall of Fame, Single Scull (elected 1956)
- US Rowing Hall of Fame, 1955 Penn Crew (coach) (elected 1977)
References
- ^ Stephany, Kevin. "Not Your Average Joe", From The Front Porch, June 2010. Accessed August 9, 2019. "The world’s greatest oarsman graduated from Moorestown High School in 1930: his name was Joe Burk."
- ^ Joseph W. "Joe" Burk, Delanco Military Veterans Honor Roll, updated October 6, 2021. Accessed October 4, 2021. "Joseph William Burk was listed on the original Delanco WW II Honor Roll. He was born January 19, 1914 in Philadelphia, to Paul and Margurite Burk. Joe was the elder of the two Burk brothers of Delanco that grew up on a farm on Creek Road in Delanco.... Joe returned to Delanco after the war and returned to competitive rowing and coaching."
- ^ PT Boat Organization