The Third Year: Experienced Harvard Coach Continues in Newest Role

­Before an afternoon practice, Newell Boathouse is a bustle of activity. People stream through the front doors, ready for another day out on the Charles. The oarsmen stretch before preparing the boats and oars for use. At the end of the launch stand three men, unmoving against the background of activity on the dock. Men’s heavyweight crew coach Charley Butt is in the middle of the trio, his calm demeanor appropriate of his status as a 30-year Harvard icon.

Having graduated from Rutgers University in 1983, Butt was hired as the Harvard lightweight crew coach two years later and has been with the Crimson ever since. He was nearing his 30th season with the lightweights, but after the recent passing of legendary heavyweight coach Harry Parker, Butt shifted into a new role leading the men’s heavyweights.

Spending three decades at the same job usually leads to consistency in one’s daily—and even yearly—routine. Despite the abrupt change in responsibility, Butt’s background in the sport allowed him to adapt quickly and confidently to his new position.

Prior to leading the heavyweight squad, Butt worked with members of both the heavyweights and lightweights at the international level. The son of a crew coach, Butt has coached Harvard male and female rowers in four different Olympics.

“Charley brings a wealth of Olympic and national team experience to the program, and in particular an emphasis on small boats,” Harvard assistant coach William Boyce said. “Whether it’s pairs or singles, we are able to spend a lot of time in the mornings out in small boats with Charley coaching them, and I think the guys really benefit and develop from that.”

Butt’s 2014 campaign—his second with the heavyweights—proved to be a success, as the team went 8-0 in its dual season, performed well at larger regattas throughout the year, and lengthened its winning streak in the EARC Sprints to five.

Although the lightweights and heavyweights are separate teams, Butt says there are not as many differences between the two as people perceive.

“Outside of the obvious differences in the physical dimensions of the people involved . . . I don’t really find that much of a difference,” Butt said. “You can train the larger people a little more because they don’t have to restrict their calorie intake, but. . . it just takes an awful lot of the same qualities to succeed in the sport in general.”

With two years of coaching the heavyweight team under his belt, Butt is focused on applying what he has learned from his Olympic experience and from the past two years to his coaching style in order to continue the team’s success this season.

“The main thing we’re doing differently this year is we’re running a ladder so that the guys are competing with each other directly throughout the year,” Butt said.

From his inaugural year at Harvard until this season, Butt has seen many classes of oarsmen begin and end their rowing careers with the Crimson. Even though a lot has changed since 1985, the path to success for crew teams has not been altered much.

“What made a champion 30, 40, or 50 years ago is what makes a champion today,” Butt said.

After more than 30 years spent coaching Harvard’s lightweight and heavyweight teams, Butt still enjoys his job as much as he did during his first season.

“Finding work here in 1985 was a dream come true because I got to come to Boston and work at Harvard with a guy named Harry Parker, and it was a tremendous experience,” Butt said. “I felt like I learned a lot every year from the people around me and from the students as well.”

“If you’re willing to listen, you’ll learn from everybody around you,” Butt added. “The best part of Harvard is the people here. It’s not the institution, but it’s the people who make it up who are the real draw and the real area of interest for me.”