Joseph Brian "Joe" Amlong (December 17, 1936 – July 1, 2019)
/ref> was an American competition rower who often teamed with his brother

Tom Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...

. In 1964 they won the national title in

coxless pair A coxless pair, abbreviated as a 2- and also known as a straight pair, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each ...

s and an Olympic gold medal in the eights. Next year Joe won a bronze medal in the eights at the European championships. Amlong was born at a military base in

Haines, Alaska Haines (Tlingit: ''Deishú'') is a census-designated place located in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. It is in the northern part of the Alaska Panhandle and near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. As of the 2020 census, the popul ...

, to Colonel Ransom George Amlong and Marguerite Kennedy. He had a sister Mary Diane and four brothers: John Michael, Ransom Jerome, Thomas Kennedy and William. In 1946 the family moved to

Huntley Meadows Park Huntley Meadows Park, the largest park operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority (), is located in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, south of the city of Alexandria. The park features a visitor center, a beaver-created wetla ...

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

, and lived there until 1950, when Colonel Amlong was transferred to Belgium. In 1953 Amlong Sr. retired, and the family returned to Huntley. Amlong took up rowing in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, Belgium, in 1951, together with Tom. Later in 1951 they moved to Germany and competed there in coxless pairs in 1952. The brothers became quickly known for their power, rude characters and lack of communication skills. In August 1954 they enlisted to the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

. Next year they successfully applied to an Army sports program, and were transferred to Washington, to prepare for the 1956 Olympics at the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. They were defeated at the 1956 Olympic Trials, and the same year Joe enrolled to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, graduating in 1961. Later in 1961 Joe and Tom joined the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia. As most of his brothers, Amlong followed his father and had a long military career, retiring as a

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

captain after 20 years of service. This career was hampered by rowing, and he did not advance in ranks after the 1964 Games, same as his brother Tom. On August 12, 1963 Joseph married Gail Moon and had three daughters with her. They lived in a remote place at Grand Cole, Montana, and then moved to

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...

.Stowe, 170

References

Cited sources

* 1936 births 2019 deaths Rowers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in rowing American male rowers Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics People from Haines Borough, Alaska European Rowing Championships medalists 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-rowing-Olympic-medalist-stub