By: Dave Archer Courtesy of The Ram A ceremony was held on Sunday by the Fordham rowing team for many alumni, administrators, and family members of the late Jack Sulger. Sulger, a coach of the Fordham Crew during the 50??s and 60??s, and an alumnus of the University, was inducted into the Fordham??s Hall of Fame in 1991. The purpose of the ceremony was to christen and bless a brand new top-of-the-line Vespoli M2 racing shell which the top women??s varsity eight will row. Nearly 100 people attended the event which took place at noon in the O??Keefe Commons, including 30 to 40 members of the current crew team, 25 to 30 alumni, and about 15 members of the Sulger family, most of whom are all rowers themselves. ??It was a really nice turnout,?? said Fordham head coach Ted Bonanno. ??It was great to see all of Jack??s family there with the boat. It showed how much of an impact he had on everyone.?? Bonanno opened the ceremony with a few words about Sulger, and then introduced John Kriss, of the class of 1962, formerly a rower under Sulger at Fordham as well as at the New York Athletic Club. Kriss spoke at length about his former coach and talked about how most boats are named after the donors themselves, so it is nice to see people appreciating the efforts of someone else. The shell, which cost $25,000 and is of Olympic racing quality, was donated to the University. Following Kriss was Sulger??s son Frank, who also spoke at length about his father, and joked that when he was younger, he realized that if he were to have a relationship with his father he had better get into rowing. He did just that, following his father as a national champion rower, Chairman of the New York Athletic Club, as well as becoming the Vice President of US Rowing, an organization of which the elder Sulger was President. Frank Sulger, like Kriss before him, spoke about the impact his father had not only on Fordham crew, but on the rowing world in general. Jack Papa, class of ??64 who had rowed throughout college for Jack Sulger asked if he could say a few words as well. He talked about the impact his coach had not just on him, but on the entire class of rowers with whom he went through Fordham. He also mentioned how well known Sulger??s name is throughout the rowing community. ??He noted how many people will recognize the name on the shell when we use it during upcoming regattas,?? remembered Bonanno. ??It??s completely true too, he just had an incredible impact on rowing for so many years, and everyone knew Jack Sulger.?? Bonanno, who also had Sulger as a coach for 16 years both in high school and at the NYAC, remembered when Sulger drove him and two other rowers to the Canadian Scholastic Regatta while they were all in high school. ??I don??t think the New York Thruway was even open then,?? he said laughing. ??I think the trip back took about 11 hours.?? Bonanno and his teammates won all three races they entered then turned around and drove straight back to the NYAC that night. ??I remember sleeping in the backseat and getting a rush of cold air every half hour or so because Jack had to keep himself awake since none of us had our drivers?? licenses.?? Arriving back in New York around 8 a.m. Sulger then coordinated a regatta the whole day, which Bonanno and the others were also competing in. ??It just goes to show you how much he cared about people. He volunteered to do it, no one asked him or gave him any help but he did it anyway. He was a great guy.?? Father Joseph Novak blessed the shell with Holy Water from Lourdes and said a prayer for good racing. Frank Sulger poured champagne over the bow of the boat to christen it as his family gathered around in honor. The shell, now a shimmering jet black with gold-leaf-trimmed, maroon letters baring the words, ??Jack Sulger ??35??, will be used as the top boat in Fordham??s arsenal of racing shells.