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Olympic medalist Anita DeFrantz ´74, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a Connecticut College trustee emeritus, will be inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame at the Mystic Seaport Saturday, March 20.
DeFrantz, a member of the rowing squad at Connecticut College, was a bronze medalist and team captain at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. A member of six National Teams, she was a four-time finalist at the World Rowing Championships, winning a silver medal in 1978. She has also won six National Championships.
In 1986, she became the first American woman and the first African American appointed to serve on the IOC. DeFrantz is also a member of the United States Olympic Committee, vice president of FISA (International Rowing Federation) and president of the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving youth through sports and to increasing knowledge of sports and their impact on people´s lives.
DeFrantz is being inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame as a Patron, in recognition of extraordinary service to sports.
"Her extensive list of Olympic sports mandates underscore her skills in governance and her commitment to our sport," W. Hart Perry, executive director of the National Rowing Foundation, wrote in an announcement of the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees.
DeFrantz began her rowing career at Connecticut College, in large part by chance. Growing up, she was a member of the swim team at the Frederick Douglass Park pool in her hometown of Indianapolis. But the pool was only open two months of the year, and athletic options were limited for young black girls at that time. DeFrantz never considered herself to be an athlete and instead focused on excelling in academics and music.
As a sophomore at Connecticut College - as the oft-told tale goes - DeFrantz was walking across campus when she spotted an odd contraption and asked the man carrying it - crew coach Bart Gulong - what it was. Gulong told DeFrantz it was a rowing shell, and then remarked that the 5´11 sophomore would be perfect for rowing. She joined the team.
On her Web site, DeFrantz says rowing has been her "life teacher" and calls it the "ultimate team sport."
"Each team member must be in complete synchronization with every other person in their boat," she says. "Rowing tends to create people who give back to their community. Leadership is also a responsibility given to those of us from rowing. Perhaps this is because we each have had to learn first how to follow."
DeFrantz, who holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, is a 1984 recipient of the Connecticut College Medal, the college´s highest honor. She served as the 2004 Commencement speaker, and was one of the first three Connecticut College graduates inducted into the college´s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Anita DeFrantz ´74 to be inducted into National Rowing Hall of Fame
03/19/2010
Anita DeFrantz ´74
DeFrantz, a member of the rowing squad at Connecticut College, was a bronze medalist and team captain at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. A member of six National Teams, she was a four-time finalist at the World Rowing Championships, winning a silver medal in 1978. She has also won six National Championships.
In 1986, she became the first American woman and the first African American appointed to serve on the IOC. DeFrantz is also a member of the United States Olympic Committee, vice president of FISA (International Rowing Federation) and president of the LA84 Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving youth through sports and to increasing knowledge of sports and their impact on people´s lives.
DeFrantz is being inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame as a Patron, in recognition of extraordinary service to sports.
"Her extensive list of Olympic sports mandates underscore her skills in governance and her commitment to our sport," W. Hart Perry, executive director of the National Rowing Foundation, wrote in an announcement of the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees.
DeFrantz began her rowing career at Connecticut College, in large part by chance. Growing up, she was a member of the swim team at the Frederick Douglass Park pool in her hometown of Indianapolis. But the pool was only open two months of the year, and athletic options were limited for young black girls at that time. DeFrantz never considered herself to be an athlete and instead focused on excelling in academics and music.
As a sophomore at Connecticut College - as the oft-told tale goes - DeFrantz was walking across campus when she spotted an odd contraption and asked the man carrying it - crew coach Bart Gulong - what it was. Gulong told DeFrantz it was a rowing shell, and then remarked that the 5´11 sophomore would be perfect for rowing. She joined the team.
On her Web site, DeFrantz says rowing has been her "life teacher" and calls it the "ultimate team sport."
"Each team member must be in complete synchronization with every other person in their boat," she says. "Rowing tends to create people who give back to their community. Leadership is also a responsibility given to those of us from rowing. Perhaps this is because we each have had to learn first how to follow."
DeFrantz, who holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, is a 1984 recipient of the Connecticut College Medal, the college´s highest honor. She served as the 2004 Commencement speaker, and was one of the first three Connecticut College graduates inducted into the college´s Athletic Hall of Fame.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Amy Martin, 860-439-2526, a.martin@conncoll.edu or Deborah MacDonnell (860) 439-2504, dmacdonn@conncoll.edu
