Florida Tech Rower Jeanne Ann Flanagan Won Olympic Gold, Was First Inductee into Panther Sports Hall of Fame

By  //  April 28, 2019

2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

ABOVE VIDEO: Florida Tech Rower Jeanne Ann Flanagan Won Olympic Gold, Was First Inductee into Panther Sports Hall of Fame

THE 2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 10. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame) – Jeanne Ann Flanagan was a prolific rower at the Florida Institute of Technology in the 1970s and an Olympic gold medalist.

Flanagan was a member of the Florida Tech Women’s Rowing team from 1975-79 and served as the women’s rowing team captain during her final season in 1979.

Flanagan competed at the 1979 World Rowing Championships as a member of the women’s eight crew that won a bronze medal.

She qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia in protest to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

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Flanagan was among the athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal instead.

Four years later she was a member of the American women’s eights team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

In 1985, Flanagan was inducted in the 1st Interstate Bank Rowing Hall of Fame.

JEANNE ANN FLANAGAN, second from right, was a member of the American women’s eights team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

FIRST-EVER INDUCTEE INTO FLORIDA TECH SPORTS HALL OF FAME

In 1986, the Florida Tech Sports Hall of Fame was established to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to Florida Tech Athletics.

Its purpose is to remember those who have brought distinction, honor and excellence to the University’s athletics program.

Flanagan was the Florida Tech Sports Hall of Fame’s first inductee. The former Olympian had set a high standard for all honorees that have followed in her footsteps into the Tech Hall of Fame.

A member of Team USA’s varsity eight, she helped her country capture its first gold medal in the event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif.

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Athletes, coaches, trainers, or any other persons who have made outstanding contributions to athletics at Florida Tech are eligible for nomination. An athlete can be nominated five years after receiving his or her undergraduate degree.

A person who has not qualified for a degree can be nominated only upon approval of the selection committee. This process cannot occur until five years have elapsed since he or she normally would have received a degree.

The Florida Tech Sports Hall of Fame is located along the entrance, inside the Clemente Center.
Flanagan attended The Morgan School in Clinton, Connecticut for high school and graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology with a biology degree.

She later earned a master’s degree in exercise science from the University of Massachusetts.

Jeanne Ann Flanagan was a member of the Florida Tech Women’s Rowing team from 1975-79 and served as the women’s rowing team captain during her final season in 1979.
Jeanne Ann Flanagan, far right, was a member of the Florida Tech Women’s Rowing team from 1975-79 and served as the women’s rowing team captain during her final season in 1979.
Jeanne Ann Flanagan, far left standing, was the Florida Tech Sports Hall of Fame’s first inductee in 1986. The former Olympian had set a high standard for all honorees that have followed in her footsteps into the Tech Hall of Fame.

THE 2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 10. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

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The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame selection committee announced an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2019 Class of the Hall of Fame. The 2019 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Sports Awards will be held Friday, May 10 at the Cocoa Beach Country Club.

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