Michael Hughes, long-time Navy Rowing coach and admired figure in the rowing community, passed away on August 11, 2023, following a long illness. He was 73 years old. He left a legacy that transcended his accomplishments on the water and impacted the lives of generations of midshipmen, athletes, students, and coaches.

A native of Atlantic City, Mike joined the Atlantic City Beach Patrol in 1965, where he served the community as an Ocean Lifeguard for 32 years. He graduated from Holy Spirit High School in 1968 and Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 1972. Mike played four years as an offensive lineman during one of the longest winning streaks in NCAA Division III football history. After graduating, he began his career as a teacher and coach, teaching special education in Brigantine and coaching football, baseball, and rowing at Holy Spirit. There, he fell in love with rowing and embarked on a prolific coaching career that would span five decades.

Mike served as the Dean of Students at Stockton State College in the early 1980s, founding the college’s rowing program that is still going strong today. Throughout the 1980s, he continued teaching in South Jersey and Philadelphia schools while coaching at the Viking Rowing Club and other local programs. Mike secured his first major collegiate coaching position at the University of Pennsylvania in 1987, coaching the men’s freshmen lightweight team to a bronze medal in the 1989 Eastern Sprints, followed by a silver medal performance in 1990.

In 1991 he was named the Varsity Lightweight Coach at the US Naval Academy, where he would go on to serve as the Plebe Heavyweight Coach and then the Head Women’s Coach from 1998 until he retired in 2015 as one of the winningest coaches in Navy women’s sports history. During his tenure, the Navy Women won three Patriot League titles, and he was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year four times. Always the teacher, Mike co-taught leadership courses and mentored numerous midshipmen during his time at the Academy. Mike was humbled and honored to play a part in developing future Naval Officers and often referenced that as his greatest accomplishment.

In addition to coaching, Mike managed multiple US Rowing National Teams and was a member of the 1988 US Olympic Team as the Team Manager.

He is survived by his wife, Kari; his children, Michael Jr, Sean (Annette), Erik (Elaine), Grace, Claire, Ethan, and Seth; his grandchildren, Bennett, Aidan, Angelina, Ryan, and Brandon; his sisters Linda Hughes-Fonte, Mary Beth McCann, Toni Cafone and his brother, Tom Hughes.

Donations in Mike’s name may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at raise.stjude.org/MikeHughes. Memorials at the United States Naval Academy and in Atlantic City are planned for September 28th and September 30th respectively.  

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