Coaches

Charles S. Butt Jr. (Charlie), 1919-1992

  • Team Founder, Head Coach 1949-1991
  • U.S. Jr. National Team Men’s Coach ‘1967, ’71-’72, ’77-’80
  • Coach Potomac Boat Club ’49-’92
  • 1981 U.S. Rowing Association’s John Carlin Service Award
  • 1987 U.S. Rowing Association’s Jack Kelly Award
  • 1979 & 1980 Washingtonian Magazine “Washingtonian of the Year”
  • Washington Post “All-Met Men’s Rowing Coach” 1987, 89
  • Virginia Athletic Directors, Administrators, and Coaches Association Award
  • Better Sports Club of Arlington: Coach of the Year 1958, Hall of Fame 1964 (the men’s & women’s athlete trophy in rowing is named for him)
  • Point man and Finance Chairman for the building of the Occoquan rowing facility
  • Helped start Yorktown, Wakefield, GWU, Georgetown U, & UVA crews, among many others
  • Husband, father (to many of us!), grandfather
  • Aeronautical Engineer

Tom Chisnell III ’69

  • Women’s Team Founder 1975
  • Women’s Head Coach 1975-1991, Head Coach 1992-1997 (Men’s ’92-96, Women’s ’97)
  • Washington Post “All-Met Womens’s Rowing Coach” 1989
  • W-L V8 1969: Winner of NOVAS, Stotesbury, Canadian Schoolboy Nationals, Princess Elizabeth Cup- H.R.R.
  • Science teacher, Washington-Lee H.S.
  • Husband

Head and Varsity Coaches

  • Kara McPhillips– 2024 – , Director of Rowing
  • Wilson DeSouza ’96 – 2024 – , Men’s Head Coach
  • Derek Parsons ’87 1997-2023, Men’s Head Coach
  • Dane Underwood – 2018 – present, Women’s Head Coach
  • Craig Spraggins ’93 – 2016-2017, Women’s Head Coach
  • George Kirschbaum ’87 – 2001-2002, 2013-2015, Women’s Head Coach or Co-Head Coach
  • Kathleen McNamee ’97- 2011-2012, Women’s Head Coach
  • Jeff Lucier ’90- 2010, Women’s Head Coach
  • Paul Holland ’97- 2007-2009, Women’s Head Coach
  • Sarah Harrick Congable ’95- 2002-2006, Women’s Head Coach
  • Wilson DeSousa ’96- 2001, Women’s Head Coach
  • Thea True 1998-2000, Women’s Head Coach
  • Nancy (Butt) Packard 1992-96 Women’s Head Coach

Men’s Assistant Coaches

  • Paul Yager Class of ’50
  • Bob Duncan 1958
  • Reed Whitten 1960, Class of ’58
  • Guy Cavallo 1960’s
  • Quinton Franklin 1966-1972
  • Lyndon Bondurant 1966
  • Howard Gillespie 1972-74
  • David Cruse 1972-75
  • Rusty Smith 1972-73
  • Aaron McInturff 1973-74, 76
  • Tom Krussselt 1973, 1975-76
  • Dick Ewing 1977
  • Pat Franz 1979
  • Henry Herfindahl 1979
  • Joe Musket 1980
  • Joe Padua 1981-82
  • David Ritter 1984
  • Dana Aladj 1983-85, Class of ’77
  • Matt Girard 1984-85 , Class of ’81
  • Dale Wickenheiser 1986 , Class of ’84
  • Mark Coleson 1986, ’87, ’99 Class of ’69
  • Emmanual Caudron 1987-89 , Class of ’84
  • George Kirschbaum 1988-92, 2000, 2012 Class of ’87
  • Martin Lowenfish
  • Nancy (Butt) Packard 1990
  • Richard Schmitt 1992-96, Class of ’74
  • Rick Ritter 1992
  • Derek Parsons 1996, Class of ’87
  • Michele Geiger 1998, Class of ’90
  • Tom Vale 1998, Class of ’92
  • Wilson DeSousa 1998-2000, 2002-2003, 2011- 2023, Class of ’96
  • Katie Petrock-Madigan 2001
  • Paul Holland 2003-2006, Class of ’97
  • Jim Owen 2004-2019, Class of ’62
  • Ken Quail, 2004
  • Justin Manning 2005
  • Davis Colwell 2006-2009, Class of ’88
  • Forrest Shuster 2006
  • Bennett Fallow 2007
  • Pierre Saddi 2007, Class of ’06
  • Eric Underhill 2007
  • Robert Shaw 2009-present, Class of ’01
  • Pat McDonald 2010-2011
  • Bob Sheppard 2018-present, Class of ’73

Women’s Assistant Coaches

  • Joe McCarty 1975
  • Richard Schmitt 1976-1981, Class of
  • Henry Herffendall 1980 Tom Adams 1982
  • Ann Stevens 1983
  • Catherine Loveless 1984
  • Steve Schmitt 1984, class of ’77
  • Elena Lavoi 1985, Class of ’82
  • Sue Schecter 1985
  • Steve Lebischak 1985
  • Steve Papillon 1986, Class of
  • Mark Coleson ’69 1986, 1988, 200?
  • Ann Duffy ‘?? 1986,88
  • Charlotte Colwell ‘??
  • Cathy Proctor-Coffman ’81 1989
  • Melissa McKinney ’88
  • Brenda Vale ’90
  • Beth Burns ’86
  • Ginny Crouch ’86
  • Nysa (Williams) Moag 1993
  • Doug Miller ’89 1995
  • Brook Wynkoop ’89 1995
  • Michele Geiger ’90
  • Rachel Brown 1999-2000
  • Jason Bell ’99 2000
  • Mischa Schuler 2001-2002
  • Amy Johnson 2003
  • Solange Rousset 2003-05
  • Chrissy Weaver 2004
  • Margot Shumway 2005 & 2007
  • Izzy Crowley, 2005
  • Melissa Saunders ’01 2006-2012
  • Kathleen McNamee ’97 2009-2010
  • Wilson DeSousa ’96 2009-2010
  • Jessica Ward ’05 2011-2016, 2020-2022
  • Anne Eddy ’07, 2012, volunteer 2014
  • George Kirschbaum ’87 2016 -2018
  • Gwen Sully 2013, 2017
  • Jenn Young 2014-2015
  • Craig Spraggins ’93 2015
  • Suzanne Elliot 2016-2018
  • Kayla Schoomaker ’12 2018
  • Taylor Leonard ’13  2018
  • Breana K Downey 2018 – 2020
  • Ken Quail 2019

Many thanks to George Kirschbaum ’87, former W-L coach and coach, for documenting W-L Crew’s rich history.

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