Douglas "Doug" John Herland (August 19, 1951 – March 26, 1991) was a

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

bronze medal Winner, coxing the Men's Pair with

coxswain The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

(2+) event. Following his successes at the Olympics, Herland began the " Freedom on the River" campaign, obtaining government funding for materials and equipment necessary for disabled people to row. Throughout the rest of his life, Herland would continue to champion and promote

adaptive rowing Pararowing (or adaptive rowing) is a category of rowing race for those with physical, visual or intellectual disabilities. History In 1913, rowing for individuals with disabilities was initiated by headmaster George Clifford Brown at Worcester ...

. Born with

brittle bone disease Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may be ...

''(Osteogenesis Imperfecta)'', Herland stood a mere and weighed .

Coaching positions

*Ewauna Rowing Club,

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city wa ...

(1975–1978) *

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(1980-198?) *

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a Private university, private Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congreg ...

(1985–1988) --Took over the rowing program after the "retirement of Dave "Smed" Peterson (1974–1984).

External links

Ewauna Rowing ClubPLU ExperienceMention of him in a speech"Unbreakable": First hand account of Herland's Life as told by friend Trudy Williams
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herland, Doug 1951 births 1991 deaths Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in rowing Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics American coxswains (rowing) People with osteogenesis imperfecta Pacific Lutheran University people American male rowers Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Michigan Wolverines rowing coaches 20th-century American sportsmen