Conn Findlay

Findlay was born in Stockton, California, on April 24, 1930. He studied at the University of Southern California, where he rowed on their men's crew during his senior year in 1953–54. He went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. ==Career==

Findlay first competed as a member of the U.S. Olympic rowing team at the 1956 Summer Games. He won a gold medal in the coxed pair event with Dan Ayrault and Kurt Seiffert of the Stanford Cardinal. Findlay acted as rowing coach of the Stanford freshman team, and was subsequently named its varsity coach in 1959. At the Olympic Games the following year, he finished third in coxed pair. , Findlay is one of 11 individuals to win both the America's Cup and an Olympic medal. He is one of only two people to win the America's Cup and an Olympic gold medal in rowing (the other being Joseph Sullivan, who achieved this in 2017). Findlay's expertise in sailing and physical strength were valued by his fellow crew members on Courageous. His proficiency at trimming sails, coupled with his ability to balance a long way over the water on the trapeze, played a vital role in the Tempest team securing Olympic bronze. He participated in the tumultuous 1979 Fastnet race, which saw 15 yachtsmen die and dozens of ships capsize. Kent Mitchell, his teammate during the 1960 and 1964 Olympics, described Findlay as having "just sailed right through it". Findlay was also a key member of the Windward Passage, the award-winning Maxi Ocean Racer, for 12 years from 1974 until 1986. ==Post-competitive career==

After retiring from coaching, Findlay operated a business that rented boats. He was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. He was named to the Pac-12 Men's Rowing All-Century Team in May 2016. ==Personal life==

Findlay married Luella Anderson when the two were in their 60s. It was his first marriage, and they remained married until her death in 2019. They resided in Northern California during their later years. Findlay died on April 8, 2021, at a care facility in San Mateo, California. He was 90; the cause of death was unannounced. His younger brother, Bill, died three days later. ==Achievements==

Olympic Games • 1956 – Gold, Rowing, Coxed pair (Dan Ayrault, Conn Findlay, Kurt Seiffert (cox)) • 1960 – Bronze, Rowing, Coxed pair (Conn Findlay, Richard Draeger, Kent Mitchell (cox)) • 1964 – Gold, Rowing, Coxed pair (Edward Ferry, Conn Findlay, Kent Mitchell (cox)) • 1976 – Bronze, Sailing, Tempest Class (Dennis Conner, Conn Findlay) World Championships • 1962 – 5th, Rowing, Coxed pair (Edward Ferry, Conn Findlay, Kent Mitchell (cox)) Pan American Games • 1963 – Gold, Rowing, Coxed pair (Edward Ferry, Conn Findlay, Charles Blitzer (cox)) ==References==