Radcliffe Crew Coach Resigns After Three Brilliant Seasons

John Baker '72, Radcliffe heavyweight women's crew-coach, quit yesterday after running the Radcliffe crew program for the past three years.

Baker started the team from scratch three years ago and took it to national championship level in the space of a single season. The crew represented the U.S. in World Championships at Moscow in 1973.

Baker said yesterday that he resigned because there were "no more challenges."

"I achieved all goals possible," he said yesterday, citing as examples of the program's success an increase in the amount of funds allotted to women's crew, the team's two-year undefeated record, and its three-year winning streak at the Eastern Sprints at Middlefield Conn., the largest college regatta.

"You can't ask much more than that," he said yesterday.

Robert Watson, director of the Athletic Department, said yesterday there was "nothing to report" about the choice of a new coach for the team, adding that he had met with members of the department and with Katie Moss '75, captain of the heavyweight team, this week to discuss a replacement.

Baker, a member of the Harvard heavyweight varsity team for two years assumed Radcliffe's coaching chores of a no-salary basis in 1973, coaching the team to win in 1973 the Nationals, an open competition at Philadelphia the Head of the Charles an open regatta run by the Cambridge Boat Club, and the Canadian Henley. The position now pays $5000 a year.

"I took the job on a lark," Baker said yesterday. "I did what I could with it."

Baker, a second-year student at the Business School, declined to comment on whether there were any disagreements leading to his resignation, adding that it had been "kind of tight" coaching the team while attending school.