UConn: Dee Rowe Getting His Trip to The Olympics

Dee Rowe, UConn’s men’s basketball coach in the 1970s, is one of the great gentlemen one can ever meet in sports.

So on the day President Jimmy Carter annouced American athletes and coaches would not participate in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Rowe, who was to be Dave Gavitt’s assistant on the men’s team, was disappointed, but not bitter.

“Of course we were broken hearted,” Rowe says, “but it was our country making the decision, and we would do whatever our country wanted.”

Rowe is getting his chance. Geno Auriemma, coach of the U.S. Women’s team, has helped arrange for Rowe to go to London this week and represent UConn at the Olympics. Obviously, Rowe, 83, is thrilled.

And Here is a neat, and complete story on it all by UConn’s Phil Chardis.