Longtime crew coach John Fife no longer leading St. Joseph’s Prep program
Fife served at the helm of the national crew powerhouse since 2017.
Longtime crew coach John Fife is no longer leading the St. Joseph’s Prep program, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
St. Joe’s Prep declined to discuss the status of Fife’s position with the program.
The Schuylkill Navy, the governing body for rowing on Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River, said it has been working with interim coach Thomas Wedgwood, who served as an assistant, on this week’s Stotesbury Cup Regatta and has not communicated with Fife about the event.
Fife did not respond to a request for comment.
The school told The Inquirer on April 21 that it was investigating an incident involving members of its crew. St. Joe’s Prep did not confirm the nature of the investigation.
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A spokesperson said in an email to The Inquirer that St. Joe’s Prep “received information regarding the supervision, care, and well-being of our crew team members ... [and] is committed to ensuring every student is safe, respected, and supported, and we will not compromise that standard. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we took prompt steps to thoroughly investigate the matter. Based on our review, we determined that our school’s standards were not met in this situation.”
In an email sent to St. Joe’s Prep parents on April 22 from President John Marinacci, the spokesperson wrote that the incident happened at Gillin Boathouse, on Kelly Drive along the Schuylkill, and “because the matters involve students, there are limits to the details we can share ... members of the administration and athletic department will be present at all crew practices and competitions.”
The statement also noted that the school was made aware of the incident the week prior to April 22. According to the website Regatta Central, the Hawks did not compete in the Mercer Lake Sprints in West Windsor, N.J., on April 18 and 19, but has since continued their season as scheduled.
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Fife, a 1998 Prep graduate, was named head coach in 2017. Prior to then, he spent seven seasons at the helm for Jesuit Dallas in Texas. He also coached at the collegiate level at his alma mater, Penn, along with Georgetown and St. Joseph’s University.
St. Joe’s Prep, which competes in the Catholic League and is part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has been known as a national powerhouse in crew. The Hawks won the Stotesbury Cup, the largest and oldest high school rowing event in the world, more than any other school, with 15 victories in the boys’ senior eight.
The Prep’s next scheduled event is the 99th annual Stotesbury Cup at the Schuylkill from Friday to Saturday.
