Ellis F. Ward (September 13, 1846 – August 25, 1922) was an American

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

and coach best known for his time as the coach of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

rowing team. Ward was a member of one of the most famous families, the Ward Brothers, in the history of the sport of rowing and is a member of the Rowing Hall of Fame.

Early life

Ellis Ward was born in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

on September 13, 1846, the son of Isaac and Winifred Ward. Ellis Ward grew up in a large family of rowing enthusiasts. Ellis Ward and his eight brothers rowed regularly in the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

Newburgh Bay Newburgh Bay is a feature of the Hudson River's west bank, located approximately 60 miles (105 km) north of New York City. It takes its name from the city of Newburgh, New York, for many years the major port on this section of the river. Town ...

from the 1850s through the 1870s.

Championship rower

At age 17, Ellis took up competitive racing soon he joined three of his brothers (Ellis, Henry, Josh and Gilbert) to race as a team; included in their many wins included the 1865 professional four-oared championship of America with a hard-fought victory over the Biglin Brothers. They also won a and a world title in 1871 at Saratoga when Ellis and his brothers defeated two English and three American fours man boats in an international four mile turn race.

Coaching career

Ellis Ward first position in college coaching was in 1873 at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

. This was one of many teams he coached during the 1870s and 1880s including a number of non-collegiate boat clubs, including the Columbia Boat Club in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the Fairmount Boat Club of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and the Bohemian Boat Club of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1879, Ellis Ward began coaching crew at Penn position he would hold off and on until 1912. In 1887 Ward resigned for the season because of controversy over the stroke he trained his athletes to use, but he returned the following season. Ward was replaced for the 1897 season by Samuel Powel, Jr.

Substitution controversy

Ward continued to coach Penn until 1892. Before the college championship of America, he felt the varsity was not giving their best efforts. Ward removed the entire varsity crew and the second string of eight rowers. Wards team of substitutes won the college championship of America, on

Saratoga Lake Saratoga Lake is a lake in the eastern part of Saratoga County, New York (state), New York. The lake is approximately long, about wide at its widest point, and about deep. The lake is bordered by the city of Saratoga Springs on the northwest ...

. This controversy may have had something to do with his departure from Penn at about that time. Another factor may have been the university was starting to take over the funding and oversight of Penn athletics. Whatever the reason

George Washington Woodruff George Washington Woodruff (February 22, 1864 – March 24, 1934) was an American football player, rower, coach, teacher, lawyer and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pennsylvania (1892–1901), the University ...

became coach of both

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and crew.

Return to Penn

From 1892 until 1895 Ward was also absent for a four-year period when he trained rowers at the

Manhattan Athletic Club The Manhattan Athletic Club was an athletic club in Manhattan, New York City. The club was founded on November 7, 1877, and legally incorporated on April 1, 1878. Its emblem was a "cherry diamond". It established an athletic cinder ash track at ...

. Woodruff did not have enough time to supervise both sports and Ward was hired by the university in 1896.

Henley

The highlight of Ward's long tenure as coach was Penn's trip to 1901 at

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

. Ward had to change its strategy since the Penn Crew had to row a far shorter distance than they were used to. Ward's eight oared crew still won both of its trial heats at the regatta, but lost in the final to the

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior to ...

crew of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. That year, they were the only American eight man crew to mount a serious challenge to Britain's retention of the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing cl ...

, the most prized trophy in amateur rowing.

After coaching

Ward left his position as rowing coach in 1912. He supported himself and his wife Martha by working with his son making

oar An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...

s. Ellis Ward died in Philadelphia on August 25, 1922.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Ellis 1846 births 1922 deaths American male rowers Penn Quakers rowing coaches