Colleges: Grant deed

Steve Virgen

The young man, a history teacher, with a clean-cut look and a

desire to conquer what people told him he couldn’t, walked into the

office of Basil Peterson, the Orange Coast College Dean of Students, 40

years ago.

This wasn’t any ordinary meeting, mind you, but a day that would

change the life of Dave Grant, OCC and the Pirates’ crew program.

“I want you to be our new crew coach,” Peterson told Grant, who was

caught off guard.

“Dr. Peterson, really, I don’t know anything about this,” Grant said

to his boss. “I really don’t know that much about the sport.”

Peterson remained focused on completing Grant’s paperwork for his new

assignment. Peterson continued to write, while making sure he didn’t look

at Grant.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Peterson told the young man.

And, so the history teacher began to work to make history of his own.

The beginning might have come by a bit of chance, but the results

appeared as if Grant was always meant to be the coach of OCC crew.

Under Grant’s watch, the Pirates, the only community college with a

crew program, have won 80% of their races against college powerhouses UC

Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Harvard and Pennsylvania.

“Truthfully, I’ve been very lucky,” said the humble Grant. “I’ve been

very blessed to be around truly wonderful people -- people who changed my

life.”

Grant, who will retire this year after 38 seasons, is ending his

coaching career in storybook fashion. His varsity eight boat, the Rob

Jordan, is undefeated this season. And, on Sunday, after they won the

Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the Pirates

accepted an invitation to the Henley Royal Regatta, which will be July

3-7 on the Thames River in England.

Even if OCC does not win the Henley Royal, this has been a memorable

season for Grant, to say the least. The college dedicated its boathouse

in his name April 21, when the Pirates won the Norman Watson Cup in OCC’s

Newport Regatta. Coast also won the San Diego Crew Classic April 7.

Grant calls this season’s varsity eight his best ever. And, the OCC

men, think likewise of their coach.

“He’s not only a coach of crew, he’s a coach of life,” said Brian

Scheele, the sophomore team co-captain. “Without Dave, we would be

nothing. With Dave Grant as our coach, we can do anything. We look at him

as our part of our boat. It’s the 10 of us: the eight rowers, the

coxswain and Dave. He’s a good friend and a great coach.”

For Chris Pope, just as many others who have gone through the program,

Dave Grant has been an inspirational leader.

“There is just too much to list of what he’s done,” said Pope, a

sophomore co-captain of Coast crew and a second generation OCC crew

member. His father, Lewis, was on the OCC crew in 1967.

“Crew has changed my life completely,” Pope said. “I did a complete

180 from high school. Dave is just a great guy and a terrific role model

and I can’t even begin to explain how much he has done for me these past

years.”

They call crew, the ultimate sport, and the Pirates agree, Grant is

the ultimate coach. Aside from training, Grant also sets up special

meetings. In addition, on Monday nights his house is always open for his

crew members. They meet there to talk about their lives and advise one

another.

“There’s always cookies and milk there,” Grant said. “The place is

there for them because they need a place to land sometimes. They just

need a place, like a home.”

So, whatever takes place in England, it’s a definite, Grant’s name has

left an impression that goes beyond the name of the OCC boathouse.

Larry Moore, the OCC assistant crew coach, former OCC crew member and

longtime friend of Grant, perhaps said it best.

“As an academic he’s at a level, I don’t know who to compare to,” said

Moore, who credits Grant for earning his degree at Cornell University.

“His leadership is excellent. His ability to bring out the best in his

oarsmen and colleagues, there isn’t any comparison with anybody who I

know. He sets a standard that is extremely high. It’s hard to live up to

his standards, but that’s the whole point. I think if you don’t have a

level that is relatively high then you are not going to reach any level

of excellence. That’s demonstrated by his crews.”

The OCC baseball team will open the Southern California Regionals at

Glendale College Friday at 11 a.m., when the Pirates (28-12), the No. 5

seed, take on 12th-seeded Los Angeles Harbor (28-13).

If the Bucs win they will play Saturday at 2 p.m. against the winner

of the Glendale (32-11) and Palomar (23-18). If the Pirates lose, they

will play Saturday at 10 a.m.

At the Steve Scott Track and Field Invitational at UC Irvine’s

Anteater Stadium Sunday, Anteater sophomore Jenny Liou won the

3,000-meter steeplechase with a school-record time of 11:11.96 and UCI won the women’s 400 relay in 47.29.

Evan Curtis, who finished sixth in the women’s pole vault, broke the

school record with a 12-foot-9 1/2 clearance. The previous record was

12-6.

The Anteaters went 1-2 in the women’s 1,500 meters as junior Tessa

Cendejas won the event in 4:32.07 and Liou was second in 4:38.75.

Sophomore Julie Manson finished second in the 5,000 meters (17:16.19),

while junior Tynisia Edwards finished third in the women’s triple jump at

39-6 1/2 and sophomore Annmarie Turpin was third in the high jump (5-4

1/4). Cendejas placed fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:11.43.

For the Anteater men, senior Jon Doroski finished third in the

3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:44.24 and junior Travis Morisoli was fourth

in 9:46.06. Senior Jules Castano placed third in the 1,500 meters with a

time of 3:53.69 and freshman Scott Jarvis was third in the 400-meter

hurdles in 54.17. Freshman Patrick Grogan finished third in the triple

jump with a mark of 47-3 1/2.

Coach Vince O’Boyle’s Anteater teams return to action at the

Occidental College Invitational Saturday.