Lou Lindsey, 87, the Marin Rowing Varsity Boys coach from 1984-1991, passed away today in San Rafael.

Lou was the coach of the great crews of the 1980's that won 2 Stotesbury Cups and sent so many kids on to the Junior National Team.

Lou also coached the Stanford and Navy Varsity crews, with his 1960 Navy 8 representing the USA at the Rome Olympics.

The Lindsey family will hold a memorial service in the late summer at the Marin Rowing Association boathouse. More information will be posted at a later time.
SF Chronicle Obit:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/01/SPAI11HI65.DTL

Please feel free to add a comment to this story, and I will make sure they get passed along to the family.

For Lou's Full Obit: click READ MORE

Louis Gassner Lindsey, age 87, of San Rafael, passed away June 21st, 2008 at home with loving family at his side. Lou was born in San Francisco on February 5th, 1921. A fourth generation San Franciscan, he resided for nearly 50 years in the Forest Hill neighborhood. Lou was well known as a teacher both at Lincoln High School and City College of San Francisco, retiring in 1986. He graduated in 1942 from UC Berkeley, where he was a Cal Crew coxswain. After being commissioned as an officer in the US Army, he served in France in 1944. A Captain in Gen. Patton’s 3rd Infantry, he was severely wounded on the day the Battle of the Bulge began. Following a lengthy recovery he enrolled in the Stanford Business School and helped revive the Stanford Crew. As the head coach in the late 1950’s, his crews defeated the California Crew for three consecutive years, including placing third at the IRA regatta as a club crew. In 1959 he was hired as head coach of Naval Academy Crew, leading the 1960 Midshipmen Crew to the National Championship and to represent the United States at the Rome Olympics. Returning to San Francisco in 1961 he and his wife, Christine, raised a family of three boys. In the early 1980’s he volunteered to assist as novice coach of the Redwood High boy’s crew, teaming with Bob Cumming to form the beginnings of the very successful Marin Rowing Association’s junior program. In 1984, upon the passing of Bob Cumming, Lou became head coach of the program. His boy’s crews won the Stotesbury Cup Championships in 1988 and 1989, the first West Coast crew to ever win and the first crew to go back-to-back since 1965. Upon retiring from active coaching in 1992 he became a mentor to rowing coaches and programs across the country. He served on the Board of Directors of the Oakland Strokes, Berkeley High crew, and the Marin Rowing Association. He also was a member of the US Olympic Rowing Committee from 1996 to 1998, and the US Rowing Association Junior Men’s Committee from 1985 to 2004. A true student of the sport, he introduced nutrition and weight training to crew, and intensely believed that oarsmen needed to understand the physics of rowing. When frequently asked, “Where did you row?” his answer would always be, “I never pulled a stroke in my life. I was a coxswain!” In 2001, after many years of studying boathouses, he patented a method of storing the maximum number of rowing shells by creating a system of rolling boat racks. He was a fixture at California rowing regattas, including the San Diego Crew Classic, where he was a founding steward. A lover of puns and a passion for rowing, he leaves behind a legacy of overcoming obstacles and leading others to perform their best. He will truly be missed by all.

Lou leaves behind his loving wife Christine, his sons Paul of Las Cruces, NM, Don of Petaluma, Gordon of Sarasota, FL, and his sister Lindy of Los Altos. Lou also leaves behind his three grandsons who will always remember their Papa saying “Give ‘em hell.”