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. At the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, 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 The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a Rowing (sport), rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowin ...

(the premier singles sculls event) at the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

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. Joe Burk

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. An attempt was made to schedule a match race with world professional sculling champion Bobby Pearce, who was then living in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, but that race failed to materialize. Burk served as a

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

commander in the Pacific in World War II. On March 29, 1943, he was assigned to the Commander Motor Torpedo Squadron Twenty-One, Navy Yard, New York City for outfitting. He was an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

at the time. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his efforts. At the time of the award he was a Lieutenant (j.g.).PT Boat Organization
/ref> Burk began to coach the

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

freshman crew in 1946. In 1950 he became coach of the University of Pennsylvania varsity crew and remained at that post until 1969. His crews won numerous championships and honors, including all cup races in the U.S. and the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in 1955 and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship in 1967, 1968 and 1969. In 1968 the Penn crew (with the addition of some alumni) came within four one-hundredths /100of a second of beating

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

in the finals of the Olympic trials for the right to go to the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

. At Penn, Burk coached Harry Parker, both as an undergraduate, and afterwards as a sculler. Parker represented the United States at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

in the single scull and later became the head coach for

. Parker would train by doing workouts with Burk in an opposing boat. Parker has stated that he never remembers beating Burk in practice even though Burk was 20 years his senior. The Burk Cup, awarded annually to the winner of the rowing race between Penn and Northeastern, is named after him. Burk died in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 13, 2008, just short of his 94th birthday.

Awards

* 1938 and 1939 Diamond Scull,

* 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

External links

Obituary
at the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
Obituary
at row2k.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Burk, Joe 1914 births 2008 deaths American male rowers Moorestown High School alumni Penn Quakers rowers Penn Quakers rowing coaches People from Delanco Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Burlington County, New Jersey Yale Bulldogs rowing coaches James E. Sullivan Award recipients Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Harvard Crimson rowing coaches United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Military personnel from Burlington County, New Jersey 20th-century American sportsmen