Joseph Wright Sr. - 2022 Hall of Fame Inductee

Joseph Wright Sr. 
Induction Year: 2022
Category: Heritage Athlete

Born in 1864 in Villanova, Ont., Joseph Wright Sr. got his start in rowing as a teenager at the Toronto Rowing club in the mid-1880’s. He took quickly to the sport and was soon competing against the best rowers in Canada and abroad. He would go on to compete in everything from single sculls to eights and over the course of his lengthy career collected more than 130 victories. His first major win came in 1885 when he captured the US National fours title in Albany, NY with his crewmates from the Toronto Rowing Club. This was just the beginning as Wright would go on to compete in regattas all over Canada, the US and England capturing many titles along the way. In 1895, he again won the US National title, this time capturing both the pairs and the fours championships.

Many high-level rowers move into coaching at some during their careers, and while Wright was no exception, his move into coaching came during the middle of his competitive career as opposed to the end of it. He began coaching in 1889 and became a ‘player-coach’ for the next several years, sometimes rowing in the boat that he was also coaching. He joined the Argonaut Rowing Club in 1896 and continued as a both a rower and a coach for the next decade. At the turn of the century, as Wright was in his late 30’s he was still rowing at a high level when most careers are winding down. He experienced the greatest successes of his rowing career in his 40’s, competing at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis and winning a silver medal in the eight. He returned to the Olympics four years later in London, this time as solely a coach, and helped lead his eight’s crew to another medal, this time a bronze. He also took his rowers to England five times to compete in the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta, and in 1906, at the age of 42, he stroked his crew to victory in two heats of the British Henley’s Grand Challenge. Wright was also the first Canadian to win a heat of the British Henley’s prestigious Diamond Sculls race, and though he never claimed the title himself, two of his protégées, Jack Guest, Sr. and his own son, Joe Wright, Jr., went on to win this coveted event.

Wright would return to the Olympics as a coach one more time in 1912 in Stockholm. The senior eights crew that he coached won both the Canadian Henley and the US nationals in 1905, 1907, and 1911, while his intermediate eights did the same in 1905, 1906, 1909, 1910, and 1911. His success as a coach at Argos’s led to more opportunities after his competitive career finally came to end. He was named the head coach of the University of Pennsylvania in 1915 and coached there until 1925. He improved the program greatly during his stint as coach but his greatest achievement may have been the introduction of lightweight rowing. Wright advocated for a lightweight program to give opportunities to lighter weight rowers at the school, and by 1919 lightweight rowing was recognized as an event around the US and by most universities.

Although he is best known for his skills on the water, Wright was a multisport athlete who seemed to excel in everything he played. In track and field, Wright set national shot put and hammer throw records, and he was one of the first Canadians to run the 100-yard dash in ten-seconds flat. He was also a Canadian billiards champion and a national amateur wrestling champion and claimed the Canadian amateur heavyweight boxing title at the age of 35. At the age of 44 he was also still a regular with the Toronto Argonauts football team and played alongside his son George.

Wright returned to Toronto after his coaching stint at the University of Pennsylvania came to an end and was elected to Toronto city council in 1928 where he served three terms. He remained involved in rowing at Argo’s until his passing on Oct. 18, 1950 at the age of 86. Two months after his death, Wright was selected by the Canadian Press as the greatest oarsmen of the half-century.

Career Highlights

• 30+ year rowing career, spanning from 1880’s to 1910’s
• Competed in everything from singles to eights and earned over 130 career victories
• Competed at 1904 Olympics in St. Louis at the age of 40 and won silver medal in the eight.
• Multiple-time US Nationals champion, five-time participant in Royal Henley Regatta, first Canadian to win a heat in the Diamond Sculls race
• Began coaching in 1889, remained a ‘player-coach’ for rest of rowing career
• Coaching accomplishments include:
  • Head Coach of 1908 Olympic 8 in London (Bronze Medal)
  • Head Coach of 1912 Olympic 8 in Stockholm
  • Crews he coached won both Canadian Henley and US Nationals in 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910 and 1911
  • Head Coach at University of Pennsylvania (1915-25)
  • Helped introduce lightweight rowing to US University rowing system
• Selected by the Canadian Press as the greatest oarsmen of the half-century in 1950